Josen Llave
Author of Variance: Raise Your Weapon
RESOURCES
Don't ask me why my list is full of women. It just so happens that they write, they blog on how to write, and they're mostly female. Listed in unbiased alphabetical order.
ELLEN BROCK
Ellen's an experienced freelance editor who goes the extra mile of running a writing camp every summer for several years as well as providing pitch/novel critiques, developmental and line editing services, and writing tutorials and mentoring. Phew! Say all of that in one breath. Her advice carries plenty of weight; just take a look at her resume. Check out her site and YouTube tutorials. Best thing you can do is add some of her videos to your YouTube writing playlist and follow up with hiring her for editing.
JANE FRIEDMAN
Google next-level advice on writing, marketing, and publishing and most of her articles will either take up the first page or be the first hit. You will not be disappointed. Her advice goes a long way with helping desperate, panicked writers like myself. She has the credentials to back it up and she focuses her energy on helping writers. She's known to be a pusher, but she's all about helping writers at all levels achieve their dreams. Her opening quote on her About Page says it all, "It takes guts to be gentle and kind." - The Smiths.
JANICE HARDY
Fiction University. 'Nuff said. I went through days learning from Janice's stuff to make sure that I didn't miss an important tip when I started writing the early drafts of Variance: Raise Your Weapon. Of the time dedicated to F.U. . . . it's definitely worth your writing research to improve your craftsmanship. Now, did I remember everything? Of course not. I don't remember most of it now. However, fear not! Simply bookmark her articles for refreshers when revisiting a draft to get it editor-ready.
SCOTT ALEXANDER JONES
I hired Scott for developmental and proofreading for Variance: Raise Your Weapon. When you're Google'ing for editors, the lists are overwhelming. From the Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA), I found Scott's resume which noted that he is a published author of a few genre related works and is a member of Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association. Bam. Done deal. In the end, he helped me improve my manuscript and my craft. Check out his works and add them to your Goodreads shelves. Also, this guy gets to travel to the most beautiful scenic places across our beloved US of A.
JENNA MORECI
Mm-mmm she did not just say that (does the neck thingy). She speaks her mind, so if you have kids around, lower the $%^&in volume. Nonetheless, I've acquired a plethora of tips from Jenna, former model, who also released her SCI-FI NOVEL Eve: The Awakening. YES. Science freaking fiction. Awesome sauce. Check out her YouTube tutorials and her novel. But knowing you, lady or gent, you're going to visit her site for the modeling pictures. I knew it.
VIVIEN REIS
Cool thing about Vivien, besides writing a book with an awesome cover that will be released this year (Spring 2017), is that she's a mechanical engineer, just like me (high-five emoji). By default, she's a planner/plotter and a thorough one for sure. Check out her writing tutorials as well as her debut novel The Elysian Prophesy, a young adult fantasy thriller. Oh and side note, she has a beautiful dog who loves to get facetime with her followers.
CATHY YARDLEY
Cathy operates an editing service called Rock Your Writing. Started in 2011, she has books dedicated to improving your craft as well as mentor services. The service that I've hired Cathy for, and I sincerely love her help, is the Plot Brainstorming Session. Just when I thought my story was in top-notch shape, I've humbly learned that it can be better. This applies to both Variance and Celestia of the Raise Your Weapon series. If you're planning on dedicating a year of transforming a plot into a novel, or revisiting old works, it's worth every penny to spend time with Cathy. She's published numerous novels in Chick Lit and Contemporary Romance. Check her out!