Education
I will graduate in May 2022 with an M.A. in English – Professional Writing from Northern Arizona University. I received my B.A. in the same field from the University of Colorado – Denver. Among the classes I have taken in my current program are Professional Editing, Advanced Technical Writing, Advanced Professional Writing, Content Strategy, Management Communications, Grant Writing, and Proposal Writing.
Experience
I worked for 20 years in higher education as frontline customer service. During the majority of that time I was responsible for the office’s general email and answered, on average, 100 or more per day. It was my favorite task! I thoroughly enjoyed making sure my recipient received a correct answer, anticipating their next question to answer that, too, and presenting it in an easy to read and understand format. I also wrote the newsletter we sent to campus departments, designed many forms. When we first implemented a web-based catalog I was asked to proofread the entire document and subsequently wrote/updated a portion of it each year.
I have proofread many academic papers and dissertations, college application essays, and resumes/cover letters. Two different local newspapers have hired me as a columnists. As a volunteer with Girl Scouts and a local writer’s organization, I have been the newsletter editor.
My Novels
I wrote and published my first novel in 2013. As a novice to publishing I was very nervous when I received my first edits back. I had frequently heard other authors complain about the number of changes they had to make, consequently I nervously opened the document. I completed all 11 edits in 15 minutes. It was then that I knew I also needed to do proofreading. To date, I have written and published five novels. Please check out the My Novels page to learn more about these.
Organizations
I am a member of American Copy Editors Society (ACES), Sisters in Crime (a writing group), and The Beau Monde (a Regency fiction writing group). I am also a lifetime member of Girl Scouts of America.
Background
I am a Nebraska native, where I grew up, first, in a tiny town with a population of four and, later, on my family’s cattle ranch. After marriage, my family left Nebraska and moved to Texas for several years. After that we lived in New Mexico before moving to Colorado. I am married and have one adult daughter. We have a very vocal kitty named Zuma. When I’m not working with words or taking classes, I love to read mysteries and suspense novels and play word games.
Ilene Withers 