- Hi! Please tell us a little about yourself.
Hi Iyana. I am both in the reader category and the beta/editor category. I have always been a keen reader and for years I was an editor for NZ Parliament but had to retire due to a chronic medical issue. I also have done voluntary editing and tutoring for creative writing students. I completed the course myself in order to be sure I understood the challenges they faced and what it was the tutors required of them. I have done voluntary editing and proofreading in other areas as well, including technical editing. I was born in NZ and moved to Australia because my husband’s family needed us during a difficult time. We have lived here for several years and currently live in a beautiful part of Queensland. As a reader, I attended the Australian AQRM (Australasian Queer Romance Meets) in Sydney and was excited to meet so many readers I admire.
- Do you remember the first time you joined our Facebook writer-reader community? What book(s) brought you here?
I joined initially as a reader/fan of M/M fiction. I don’t recall the specific book that brought me on board, as once I discovered the genre I went a little crazy and tried to read everything I got my hands on!
- Do you also review for a blog? What is the most interesting experience you got so far?
No. I thought about it but I have become very busy with other matters so generally any reviews I write are private reviews on Amazon, Goodreads or a publisher’s page.
- What genre(s) interest you most? Why?
Definitely M/M. I enjoy reading romance and erotica tempered with a little challenge. Often the M/M stories I read entail the characters facing challenges in their lives simply for being who they are.
- Are you also an aspiring author? How far are you with your writing?
Not really. I’d love to write but I am a dreadful procrastinator and my self-confidence in that area is also shaky. Several years ago I had some poetry published and also some technical medical articles, and in my late teens I did have one short story published that was even read on the radio! However, I did not take things further at that time and am a bit of a self-doubter of my ability these days.
- Do you remember the first story you beta-ed/edited? Would you tell us more about it?
While I had done what amounts to beta/editing outside this community before I started assisting with beta’ing for the authors in this community, my first M/M author was a woman whose books and stories I had admired for a while. She found me on Beta Readers Here on Facebook and took a chance on me, for which I am grateful. Mind you, she gave me a Beta test first—I had to beta a small part of one of her books. She gave me positive feedback on the work I did and took me on to her beta team.
- What’s the most interesting experience you got so far in beta-ing/editing?
The most interesting part of beta/editing has simply been being able to work with and for authors I admire greatly.
- What genre(s) do you beta/edit? Why? Would you edit something other than those genres?
I beta/edit M/M. I have beta /edited other genres but truly I would rather concentrate on the area I enjoy reading the most.
- Do you edit for a publishing company? Which is it?
Not at this time. I have been concentrating on working on a voluntary basis, principally beta’ing, though I might consider returning to paid editing work eventually.
Thank you so much for visiting my blog, Susan. *hugs*
