Our TEAM at a Glance
YasMIN, CO-MANAGING EDITOR
Yasmin is an author, editor, and former English teacher based in the South. She holds a degree in English, a minor in Education, and a Masters in Literacy and Technology. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and Crime Writers of Color. Yas is also the managing editor for Tessera for on-going client accounts as well as performing other duties for client and editor relations.
Yasmin is available for developmental editing as well as other editorial services in most genres and academic texts. She also provides sensitivity and authenticity reading specializing in: the Black/African-American culture and experience, certain cultures of the African diaspora, military family culture, marriage and children, blended families, single-parent lifestyle, colorism, Christian and Catholic cultures, and education.
GRACE, CO-MANAGING EDITOR
Grace Wynter is a Black, Jamaican American writer and freelance editor. She has taught workshops for the Atlanta Writers Club and is a freelance editor for their biannual conference. She is also a regular contributor to Writer Unboxed—a Writer’s Digest Best of the Best Websites for Writers. Grace has an MBA from Georgia State University and an editing certificate from the University of Chicago.
Grace is available for developmental editing and select copyediting projects across most genres, and is particularly drawn to mystery/suspense, thriller, romance, women’s fiction, and YA. She can provide sensitivity and authenticity reading on the Jamaican American experience, the immigrant experience in America, Black-white interracial relationships, racism, colorism, classism, body acceptance and awareness, and fatphobia.
manu
Manuela is an understanding editor whose degree in Sustainability & the Environment gives them a comprehensive view of an author’s work. Manu’s attention to detail helps them see when small facts are inconsistent throughout a manuscript, like when one character says they hate asparagus in one scene but will happily munch on it in another.
Manu is non-binary and uses “they” pronouns. They do sensitivity reading for characters who are Brazilian, bisexual, Black and white, immigrant, or have anxiety/depression. Plus, they can also edit in Brazilian Portuguese. You can find their own words in So to Speak Journal and inQluded.
savannah
Savannah J. Frierson is an author, editor, speaker, and coach with nearly twenty years of experience in the publishing industry. Originally from South Carolina, Savannah graduated from Harvard College with a joint concentration in African and African American Studies and English and earned the Dorothy Hicks Lee Prize for Most Outstanding Thesis concerning African or African American Literature. She is also a USA TODAY best-selling and award-winning author of contemporary and historical romance.
Savannah is most fluent in adult romance, women's fiction, and stories featuring African American girls and women, particularly from the American South.
OMAR
Omar is a Muslim, Puerto Rican/Egyptian anthropologist, writer, and sensitivity reader from New Jersey. He holds a PhD in Anthropology with a certificate in Africana Studies, a MA in Latin American and Caribbean Studies, and a BA in Anthropology and Religion. He has studied and worked extensively on issues of colorism and anti-Blackness within communities of color as well as the intersection of race, culture, and religion with regards to how people perform their various identities.
Omar can provide sensitivity reads for Latinx, MENA (Middle Eastern/North African), Muslim, and Africana/Afro-diasporic representations as well as “multi“ identities, specifically multiethnic, multicultural, and multireligious.
LOTA
Lota Erinne is a Nigerian-American writer, poet, editor, and copyeditor from Georgia. She received her BA in English and BS in finance from the University of Alabama, where she also minored in Spanish and sales. Lota was awarded the 2019 Greer Marechal Memorial Prize in Fiction for her short story “Cool Blue” as well as a 2020-2022 Fulbright Grant to teach English in Spain. She loves houseplants, thrifting, and walking by the river (any river).
Lota is available for developmental editing and copyediting of fiction for any age group. Her favorites genres are fantasy, romance, adventure, and women’s fiction, but she will happily apply her skills to any story that catches her eye.
jon
Jon Reyes is a Colombian-American editor based in New York City. He is a multi-disciplinary professional who believes that what ties all industries and people together is a good story. His extensive work experience ranges from music publishing, journalism, restaurant operations, corporate and private events, television media, and book publishing. Jon received a degree in Business Management with a concentration in Music Business from Five Towns College.
As a former publicity professional at Penguin Random House, he not only deepened his love for narrative nonfiction, thriller & mystery, and memoirs but came to understand the cardinal truth that a terrific story transcends any label and genre.
Jon is available for developmental edits that focus on big-picture elements and sensitivity reads for many themes that include: Colombia, LGBTQIA (teens and adults), Latinx millennials, commercial music, and New York City.
DEE
Dee Hudson is a Black American editor and writing coach from Georgia. She studied English, History, and Women’s Studies before turning her lifelong love of reading into a career in publishing. Dee is drawn to romance(dark romance specifically), women’s fiction, erotica, historical fiction, contemporary YA, and nonfiction, but she’s open to reading any genre presented to her! Dee is available for developmental editing, proofreading, writing coaching, and sensitivity reading. She is able to provide sensitivity reads for Black American culture, chronic illness, invisible disabilities, interracial relationships, asexual (specifically demisexual) representation, mental illness (major depression and generalized anxiety), Southern culture, small town living and upbringings, grief, racism, and sex work.
Sarosh
Sarosh is a Muslim, Pakistani-American writer, an award-winning teacher, and a Columbia University-educated entrepreneur. Having worked with the United Nations, Teach for America, and leading journalism companies around the world, Sarosh uses her experiences to be an advocate for marginalized voices, diverse stories, and authentic representation.
Sarosh’s strengths lie in developmental editing and sensitivity readings. She works across genres but especially loves Kidlit, MG, and YA. As a mother of an interracial daughter, a daughter of immigrants, and now a neighbor, friend, and teacher to war-fleeing refugees, Sarosh’s specialties as a sensitivity reader are wide-ranging. She reads for 1) Pakistani-Indian (South Asian/Desi) diaspora identities, culture, and history, 2) Middle Eastern and Turkish identities, culture, and history, 3) Muslim & Islamic history and experiences, as well as 4) interracial relationships, immigrant experiences, blended families, chronic illness, and multi-cultural homes.
SHEEBA
Sheeba Arif is a Pakistani-American, Muslim writer, translator, and editor who splits her time between Princeton, NJ and Istanbul, Turkey. She graduated with High Honors from Princeton University.
Whether editing book manuscripts and academic papers, or transcribing and translating documentary material, her greatest strengths have always been her broad cultural experience and perceptiveness, and her love for language,— she is fluent in Hindi-Urdu, Turkish, Arabic, Spanish, and English (and also newly learning Korean).
Sheeba has a particular interest in children’s literature, YA, and graphic novels but is available for writing consultation and coaching, developmental editing, copy editing, proofreading, and sensitivity/DEI/CRE work in: 1) South Asian/Desi diasporic identities, culture, history, and subalternity, 2) Muslim and Islamic heritage, identity, history, 3) Middle Eastern and Turkish politics, identity, culture, history, 4) Third culture and first gen experiences, 4) terminal illness, 5) colorism and body-image (in South Asian, Middle Eastern, and American context), 6) Interracial, multi-cultural, and blended families
Naileh
Naileh (she/her) is a neurodivergent, Muslim, Iraqi-American editor and jack of all trades. With a degree in English Literature and Language, accompanied by a minor in Multiculturalism Studies, she has a long-standing love of diverse books. She also enjoys bringing stories to life through freelancing as a book cover and graphic designer. In her free time, Naileh is a vocal advocate for Arab and Muslim communities, frequently participating in local creative hubs to share her poetry that delves into the challenges and joys of belonging to these identities. As a lifelong reader of fantasy, science fiction, and romance, she gravitates towards stories that emphasize diversity and feature morally complex characters.
Naileh is available for developmental editing and copyediting, specializing in adult fiction. Additionally, she is able to provide sensitivity and authenticity readings for the following: Muslim identity and Islam, mixed identity (multicultural and multiracial), Arab/Middle Eastern identity and culture (especially within a Western upbringing and diaspora), children of immigrant parent/2nd generation, plus-size body representation, neurodivergence (ADHD & Autism, inclusive of late-diagnosis), parent of neurodivergent children (ADHD & Autism), chronic pain (particularly Hypermobility, hEDS, nerve damage), and interracial and intercultural marriage.
Sam
Sam is an Iranian and Irish-American writer, producer, and editor. He holds an MFA in Screenwriting from Loyola Marymount University and a BA in English Literature from Tufts University. He lives and works in Los Angeles, and loves to write roles for Middle Eastern and biracial individuals in Hollywood.
Sam has worked in the film and television industry for over a decade, and most recently was part of the studio that produced HBO’s Euphoria, Queen and Slim, and Judas and the Black Messiah, among others. He has been a part of numerous adaptations from print to screen.
Sam is available for copyediting and developmental editing, with a special eye for preparing material for screenplay and teleplay adaptation. He is also available for sensitivity reading for a variety of issues, including Middle Eastern, multiethnic, and multi-religious characters, as well as stories involving mental illness, neurodevelopmental disorders (autism, ADHD, and others), congenital disorders, and economic hardship.
Sahrish
Sahrish is an Indian-Pakistani writer, tutor and editor, who adores the power of the written word. Regularly caught reading novels in class, she does not discriminate between genres and can effectively and informatively encourage authors who present a range of book types. Having completed a degree in Law (and currently undergoing another in Health Sciences), she is also able to provide proofreads for academic work, and has worked with both major publishing houses and self-published authors.
Further, she can provide sensitivity reads for Muslim, British, Indian-Pakistani diaspora culture and identities, as well as for themes involving mental health, low-income families, and immigrant difficulties.
Johanie
Johanie (she/her) is a first-generation Afro-Latinx editor and sensitivity reader. In her free time, she loves to learn, whether from video essays or the lived experience of those on social media. She has her BA in English with an emphasis on creative writing. Johanie's favorite genres are romance, YA fantasy, mystery, thriller, erotica (BDSM specifically), but she's open to all genres.
Johanie is available for developmental editing, copyediting, proofreading, and sensitivity reading/consultation. Sensitivity areas include Black American culture, Latinx culture, cultural loss/isolation, biracial experience, interracial relationship (marriage), LGBTQ+ identity (bisexual and nonbinary), mental illness (bipolar II, major depression, and generalized anxiety), religious upbringing (Baptist, Protestant, Evangelical Christian, and Pentecostal), and spirituality (witchcraft).
Larissa
Larissa Melo Pienkowski is the assistant publisher of Dottir Press, a literary agent for Jill Grinberg Literary Management, and a freelance editor and sensitivity reader. She holds a Master’s in Publishing and Writing from Emerson College and reads and edits widely across genres, with a soft spot for YA that makes her cry and lyrical writing that knocks the air out of her lungs. In her free time, you can find her in her ceramics studio, making pottery.
Her strengths lie in developmental editing, editorial assessments, and sensitivity reading. The daughter of Brazilian and Polish immigrants, Larissa can also edit in Portuguese and Spanish, and can sensitivity read for the experiences of being Brazilian, mixed-race, first- or second-generation immigrants, and LGBTQ+, as well as sexual assault and intimate partner abuse, body image and disordered eating, and anxiety/depression.
Fatin
Fatin Marini began her career as a writer. She discovered her love of editing when a friend asked her to edit her unpublished manuscript. That experience led to her mentorship with Christa Soule Desir. Helping authors shape and tighten their stories while maintaining their voice has always been Fatin's ultimate goal as an editor. She brings a unique perspective as a Palestinian-American Muslim mother who has lived in the US and the Middle East.
She has a BA in English. Her writing can be found in The Guardian, brainmillpress.com, and muslimahmediawatch.org.
shamaila
Shamaila (she/her) considers herself a cat-lover first and everything else second. She obtained her BA from the University of Toronto and her MSc in Economic and Social History from the University of Oxford. Shamaila’s favourite genres are fantasy, historical fiction, and historical fantasy, and she has a particular love of fiction set in historical Russia and England. She also enjoys contemporary and science fiction works which highlight BIPOC experiences or centre neurodiversity, body positivity, or strong platonic relationships.
Shamaila is available for copyediting across age groups and developmental editing for YA and MG. She is also available for sensitivity reading for YA and MG. She is able to read for Muslim, mental health, and asexuality representations.
Cyrus
Cyrus McGoldrick is a Muslim, Iranian and Irish-American activist, academic, and publishing and media professional. He splits his time between New York, Los Angeles, and Istanbul, where he is pursuing doctoral education in sociology while working and advising a number of companies and NGOs.
Cyrus is available for consultation, coaching, developmental editing, copy editing, proofreading, and sensitivity/DEI/CRE reading related to: Islam, Muslims, and the Muslim world; the US, Iran, Turkey, and Ireland; immigrant/first-generation experience; bi-racial identity; fatherhood; crime and incarceration; political activism and government surveillance, detention, and repression; and music performance and business.
Jenelle
Jenelle (she/her) is a Filipino-American writer and editor from Queens, New York with a BA in Political Science and a minor in Japanese from Queens College of the City University of New York. She got her start in editing as a mentee in Tessera Editorial’s own editorial mentorship, and has since gone on to editing essays and fanfiction for friends, family, and anyone who slides their work in front of her. Her strengths lie in proofreading and developmental editing for YA, NA, and Adult, and her specialities include science fiction (space operas especially), contemporary fiction, romance, and fantasy.
In her spare time, Jenelle can be found playing video games, watching anime and k-dramas, or writing during the witching hour, when she feels the most inspired.
Wendy
Wendy (she/her) is an editor and writer based in London, UK, with a degree in Fashion Journalism, experience in fashion photography and a keen interest in Literature, especially African literature. Wendy’s favourite genres are mystery, fantasy, comedy, magical realism, thriller, and YA. When she is not reading or working, she is watching telenovelas to keep up with her Spanish, writing or researching for her next project or studying Swahili. Often found in the nearest coffee shop with a gingerbread/caramel latte.
Wendy is available for developmental edits and sensitivity reads; she can read for Black representation, the Black Identity and stories on migration.
Tara
Tara Rayers (she/they) is an editor and former English teacher living in Seattle. Originally from the South, mixed-race, pansexual, poly, and gender nonconforming, Tara finds herself belonging everywhere and nowhere at once. She believes that this life experience, combined with her years teaching in majority-minority pre-K–adult classrooms, interning, and editing writing, helps her understand and build characters from many walks of life. She has an MA in English Rhetoric from the University of Tennessee.
Tara is available for developmental editing and copyediting across all genres. They are most interested in queer romance or identity stories; stories with diverse, intersectional protagonists; memoirs; mysteries; or overall, any story that broadens the scope of a reader’s understanding of the world.
They can sensitivity read for a variety of issues: queer (especially bisexual, pansexual, lesbian, and gender nonconforming) identities, nontraditional relationships (especially polyamory), mixed-race culture, cultural loss and isolation, children of immigrants, interracial relationships, mental illness (anxiety, and children of parents with paranoia, depression, or anxiety), children of parents with chronic pain, neglect, sexual assault, education (from the teacher and student perspective), loss of faith, and Christian/southern upbringing.
JADA
Jada Lightning (she/her) is a writer and editor residing in DC.
Equally left and right-brained, she holds a BS in Chemistry and an MS in both Systems Technology and International Relations. While her day jobs have included nuclear engineer and military diplomat, her passion lies in unearthing stories and helping authors bring them to life. Her book editing/coaching ethos is equal parts cheerleading and midwifing with a healing dose of hard work to bring your best book to the surface. Jada is part of the diverse Tessera Editorial team, and has worked with Bloom Books, Penguin Random House, Harpers Collins, and numerous independent writers and literary agents.
Jada provides developmental editing, manuscript assessments and sensitivity reading. Her focus for sensitivity reads is Black American culture, all aspects of Blackness in literature, LGBTQ+ representation (specifically pansexual and wlw), and military culture. She excels at bringing a historical and socio-political critical analysis of race and racism to any genre, including non-fiction. She is working on her certification as a book coach with Author Accelerator.
Stephanie
Stephanie (they/them) is a Colombian-American, Latine-Jewish editor who loves helping authors share their stories. They especially enjoy working on genre fiction that champions underrepresented characters, including but not limited to science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery, and speculative fiction. Their broad range of publishing experience encompasses YA and MG trade fiction as well as poetry, comics, and graphic novels. They hold an MA in English from Boston University.
Stephanie is available for developmental editing, copyediting, and proofreading across all genres. They are most interested in identity stories with underrepresented characters at the helm of their own adventures; stories that celebrate the many facets of intersectional identities; and narratives that help authors share their own experience with the audience.
They can sensitivity read for a variety of issues: mixed-race culture, first-generation/children of immigrants experience, queer (demisexual, pansexual, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming) identities, interracial relationships, mental illness (anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder), Latine/x stories, Jewishness and Judaism, interfaith households, and cancer survivorship.
Zhui Ning
Zhui Ning Chang (she/they) is a Malaysian editor, writer and theatre maker based in London, UK. Her writing has been featured in Fantasy/Animation, Strange Horizons, New York University Press, and elsewhere. She is an alumna of the POC in Publishing and Tamasha x Hachette publishing programmes. As an editor, Zhui Ning works across a range of mediums, genres, and age groups; she especially enjoys science fiction/fantasy, historical fiction, nonfiction, and translated work.
Zhui Ning is available for developmental editing, proofreading, and sensitivity reading/consulting. Sensitivity areas of expertise include: overseas Chinese diaspora issues, Malaysian and Singaporean histories and cultures, first generation immigrant experience, LGBTQ+ and poly experience, Buddhist and Taoist practices, decolonization, and working in theatre and film. She speaks fluent English, Mandarin, Malay, Hokkien, and Cantonese, and can check for language use and translation.
sydnee
Sydnee Thompson is an editor based in metro Detroit specializing in copyediting while also pursuing a career as a fiction writer. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism from Wayne State University in 2014 and has been working steadily in the publishing industry ever since, from newspapers to magazines to novels and nonfiction. She has been a member of ACES: The Society for Editing since 2017.
Sydnee is available for developmental editing, copyediting, and the following sensitivity reading topics: Black American life and culture (with a speciality in the Midwest); chronic illness and mental illness; woman-loving-woman relationships and queer identity; and nonbinary AFAB identity. Her favorite genres are romance and fantasy for both young adult and adult audiences.
Vanessa
Vanessa (she/her) is an editor based in Canada. She has a BA in History from the University of Calgary and has completed the Professional Writing Certificate specializing in Marketing and Public Relations program from the same university. She was also an intern for Parliament House Press and now runs her own freelance fiction editing business.
Vanessa is available for developmental editing and copyediting for any age group. Her passion lies mainly in kidlit, MG and YA. She loves books that include strong female characters, fantastical worldbuilding, spooky vibes, and great banter. She also provides sensitivity reads for the following topics: biracial identity (Filipino and Polish), bisexuality, Catholic upbringing, interracial relationships, women's issues, children of immigrants, and anxiety.
VIDA
Vida (she/her) is a neurodivergent Filipina writer, editor, and conrunner of SFF based in Manila, Philippines. She attended the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Workshop 2014 and has a major in Creative Writing and a minor in English Literature from Ateneo de Manila University. Her favorite genres are fantasy and romance, both adult and YA, though she is also open to science fiction, horror, and erotica.
Vida is available for developmental editing, copy editing, proofreading, and sensitivity readings for novellas, novels, and short story collections. Her areas of expertise for sensitivity readings are checking for colonial mentality, racism, ableism, and sexism; other topics include characters with and depictions of ADHD, depression, chronic illness, Filipinos in the Philippines, bilingualism, grief, emotional abuse, ghosts, and occult practitioners and practices. She can also check for the accuracy and translations of books with dialogue in the Tagalog language.
Isabel
Isabel Ngo (she/her) is an editor based in Los Angeles, with experience in journalism, literary, and interdisciplinary publishing. Isabel joined the first cohort of the Tessera Editorial mentorship program in 2019, and since then has worked as a freelance copy editor and cultural sensitivity reader, and in nonprofit development and arts administration. She graduated from Loyola Marymount University, where she studied theatre, English, and studio arts. Her favorite book genres are poetry, memoir, magical realism, romance, YA, science-fiction/fantasy, and graphic novels.
Isabel offers copy editing and proofreading services, as well as sensitivity reading for the following topics: Vietnamese American culture (including family, intergenerational relationship dynamics), Asian American feminist + women's issues, and Catholic upbringing.
AUDRIS
Audris (they/them) is a Chinese-Indonesian writer and editor based in Jakarta, Indoensia. Their favourite genre is SFF, but will read anything given to them. With a degree in psychology, they have a keen eye and extensive knowledge regarding mental health, especially depression and anxiety. As a sensitivity reader, they can also read for LGBTQ+ experience, parental abuse, Buddhist practices, and Indonesian spiritual practices/shamanism.
Lashaunda
LaShaunda (she/her) is an editor and teacher living in Alabama. She has a M.Ed. in Special Education and a MLSt. in Film and Media Studies from Arizona State University, and a BA in TV, Film, and Media Studies from California State University Los Angeles. LaShaunda loves reading YA fiction in the fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal, and sci-fi genres. When she’s not working or reading, she can often be found binge-watching K-dramas or anime, but more than likely she’s daydreaming about her next adventure as a solo traveler.
LaShaunda is available for developmental edits and sensitivity reads; she can read for Black American representation and asexual representation.
dani
Dani Moran is a writer who has read 1900 books since she was in sixth grade (when she also got in trouble for reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix under her desk). She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and from the Columbia Publishing Course in 2017. With an eye for children's books, she especially loves YA and MG, and is an excellent copyeditor.
Dani can provide sensitivity reads for Korean culture, the Asian American experience, mixed race characters (Asian and white), and interracial relationships.
Swetha
Swetha (she/they) is an editor and writer from Coimbatore, India. She is currently pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Miami and has a BA in English with Creative Writing at the University of Nottingham, Malaysia. While she has a soft spot for SFF, she has experience working across genres. She is available to work on copyedits, proofreads, developmental edits, and sensitivity reads.
AISHA
Aisha is a Muslim, Pakistani-American writer, poet, translator (Urdu/English), and editor based in New York. She earned her BA from New York University, where she majored in political science and minored in web development and programming, and interfaith leadership. Although Aisha has a soft spot for Kidlit —particularly MG and YA — she is available for developmental editing across most genres and age groups.
JENNIFER
Jennifer (she/her) is an editor based in Canada, with a Bachelors of Science in Chemical Biology and day jobs in consulting and analytics. Her favorite genres are romance (especially queer Asian subgenres like danmei and baihe), graphic novels/webtoons, and SFF but she is open to reading any genre including nonfiction.
Jennifer is available for developmental editing, copy editing, proofreading, and sensitivity readings. Sensitivity reading topics include Chinese diaspora experiences, first-generation/children of immigrants experience, mental illness (depression, anxiety), and cancer survivorship and caretaking of loved ones.
ANTara
Antara Dutt is an editor and a master's student of English literature living in India. She is drawn toward YA, psychological thrillers, romance, historical fiction and literary fiction but her love for reading and editing spans all genres. She spends her time appreciating weird anecdotes about famous authors, watching pop culture video essays or panicking about the climate crisis.
Antara is available for copyediting and developmental editing. She can also provide sensitivity reads for Indian culture, colonization of India, the partition of India and the Indian Bengali experience.
ADam
Adam Mongaya is a Filipino editor and writer living just outside of Toronto. He graduated with a Bachelor's from the University of Waterloo, where he studied social work and psychology. He loves reading romance the most, but is always open to reading any genre. In his spare time, he is usually challenging himself with something new—whether it be knitting, drawing, or writing stories of his own.
He is passionate about working with the author and their voice to convey their story effectively. His greatest strength and joy is copyediting. He is also available for proofreading work, as well as reading for gay and trans experiences.
RAVEN
Raven Kameʻenui-Becker (they/them) is a multiracial Māhū ʻŌiwi artist and editor living on unceded dxʷdəwʔabš and sdukʷalbixʷ land. They hold an MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts with a concentration in Decolonial Arts Praxis. Raven is comfortable reading and editing across genres, with a particular interest in speculative/science fiction and fantasy written by BIPOC. As a queer and non-binary trans person, they are excited to edit work that portrays queer and trans people authentically.
Raven is available for developmental editing, proofreading, and sensitivity reading. They can provide sensitivity and authenticity reading for many themes, including: lesbian identity, bisexuality, non-binary identity and gender nonconformity, Native Hawaiian and select Pacific Islander cultures, multiracial identity, mental illness and neurodivergence (anxiety, depression, bipolar, ADHD), chronic illness and invisible disabilities, trans relationships, and interracial relationships.
Hannah
Hannah (she/her) is a Filipina writer and editor based in Manila, Philippines. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Ateneo de Manila University, majoring in Creative Writing, with a minor in French Studies. She loves to read a lot of fiction—from literary to romance to historical to fantasy—but also enjoys the occasional memoir and graphic novel.
She is available for developmental editing and copyediting for general fiction and YA. She can also provide sensitivity reads for books that touch on Filipino culture and the use of the Tagalog language.
laura
Laura Galán-Wells (she/her) is a Mexican-American author and freelance editor based in Austin, Texas, who mostly grew up in Spain, Egypt, and South Africa, and came home to Texas every summer. She has an Honors BSc in Psychology, and minors in English, Political Science, and Cognitive Science. Her writing is often inspired by Mesoamerican mythology, and she loves blending Speculative Fiction genres. She writes across Short Stories, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Novels in Verse, Poetry, and Comics.
Laura is available for developmental editing and copy editing across Middle Grade, Young Adult, and Adult. She is particularly fond of any blend of Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Romance, Historical, Alternate History, and sprinklings of Horror. Sub-specialties include worldbuilding, character differentiation, braided narratives, and multiple points of view.
She can also provide sensitivity and/or authenticity reading across the following: Latinx/Texan/Mexican-American experience, culture, and microaggressions; gender fluidity; sexism; child of immigrants; bilingualism; language immersion; third-culture kid; boarding school; private school; homeschooling; improv; volleyball; lupus; anemia; exercise-induced asthma; chronic illness/fatigue/pain; invisible disability; neurodivergence; ADHD; and the queer experience (gender fluidity, gender flux, demigirl, bisexuality).
shyla
Shyla Watson is a Black American writer and editor from Los Angeles, California. She has a BA in English literature and language from Lafayette College, where she also minored in Religious Studies. She’s worked in digital media for ten years at outlets like BuzzFeed, PopSugar, The Messenger, and more as a writer, editor, and strategist, covering pop culture and entertainment.
She moderates author panels at book stores and conventions in her free time, and loves watching K-dramas and rom-coms. Shyla is available for copy editing and developmental editing for projects across genres, but particularly loves romance, mysteries, and literary fiction. She can also do sensitivity reads for topics such as the Black American experience, Los Angeles and/or California, boarding school, interracial relationships (AMBW), body image and acceptance, millennials, pop culture, and entertainment.
Jeané
Jeané D. Ridges was born in the southeast of the land the United States occupies, and it remains where they choose to reside allowing spacious walks, beholding the wonder of what is, soul-filling food, and truthful stories expansive with imagination as well as exploration of languaging beside knowing to nourish them.
Being so, they provide attentive, holistic copyediting and proofreading of not only speculative work but anything utilizing, as Sonia Sanchez articulated, “sound and words that go straight down to our bones.”
They honed their editorial skills through Tessera’s mentorship program and became a Voodoonauts Fellow in 2022. You can discover their poetic storytelling at https://jeanedridges.carrd.co.
maya
Maya (she/her) is a Jamaican-American and Mexican-American editor, writer, and recovering attorney based in Los Angeles. She has a BA from Johns Hopkins University, an MA in urban and regional planning from UCLA, and a JD from UCLA Law with a specialization in critical race theory. An occasional contributor to the website Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, Maya adores romance, science fiction, fantasy, and KitLit, but is comfortable working across all genres.
Maya is available for developmental edits, copyediting, and proofreading. She can provide sensitivity reading for Latine, Black, and multiracial cultures and identities, experiences with the American carceral state, lawyers and the law, and mental illness.
karen
Karen A. Parker is a Black, bi, nonbinary author and editor of speculative fiction. Currently attending UC Riverside’s Palm Desert MFA Program, they hope to research Esoteric Buddhism, oral storytelling tradition, and Black liberation for their second-world romantasy novel, the early pages of which will serve as their creative thesis. They have also sharpened their editorial skills as the former editor of the Voice to Books column for The Coachella Review, as a participant in the Sourcebooks BIPOC Editorial Training Program, as a mentee in Tessera Editorial’s BIPOC Mentorship Program, and as a mentor in the LGBTQ+ Editors Association.
Karen is available for developmental editing, copyediting, and sensitivity reading for speculative fiction works—particularly in the genres of science fiction, fantasy, and horror—for adult, NA, YA, and MG readers. If you’re a fan of N.K. Jemisin, Karen Lord, Octavia Butler, Akwaeke Emezi, Tomi Adeyemi, Ayana Gray, Deborah Falaye, and/or Claribel A. Ortega, you’d be in good company with Karen as an editor.
They also provide sensitivity reading/consultations for the following topics: race in regards to being white (German ancestry), Black (African American), and having Indigenous Native American heritage; "sounding white," xenophobia, and living in Japan as a foreigner; sexual orientation regarding bisexuality and graysexuality; gender identity regarding nonbinary identity, femme-presenting, masc-presenting, gender identity confusion, and gender dysphoria; mental health issues such as generalized anxiety disorder and undiagnosed depression; spiritual practices such as Secular Buddhism, tarot, Western astrology, and some Protestant Christianity; female health issues such as PMS, menstruation, hormone cycles; class issues regarding being raised in a middle class, biracial household; Japanese language and culture; freelancing, self-employment, contract-based employment, and full-time employment; basic music composition; and TTRPGs, livestreaming, and casual video gaming.
natalie
Natalie (she/her) is a hispanic freelance editor based in Miami, Florida. She has a bachelors degree in English Literature, and certificates in Professional and Public Writing, Global Media Marketing, and Visual Production. As an undergrad, she researched the cultural perception of menstruation through the lens of menstruating tutors at the Center for Excellence in Writing at Florida International University. Her collaborative paper was published in May 2021. She was also a contributing alumnus editor for FIU's Undergraduate Research Journal in 2022. She has a passion for education and enabling literature's ability to influence positive social change.
Natalie is available for developmental editing, copyediting, and sensitivity reading.
She offers services across all genres with a particular appreciation for romance, YA, fantasy, and mystery.
She also provides sensitivity and authenticity reading for the following topics: second generation immigrants, Latinx, blended families, persons with Down syndrome and/or ASD, the LGBTQIA+ community and compulsory heterosexuality, depression and anxiety, body image, grief, and feminist issues.
ANGEL
Angel Lin is a Taiwanese American editor and writer based in Southern California. She graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, with a BA in Comparative Literature and a minor in Japanese. Angel comes from a digital publishing background and has done editorial work on localized media such as Japanese light novels. Previously, she worked on serial fiction at Tapas Media as an assistant editor.
Whether it is a novel, a webcomic, or a drama, she loves all forms of storytelling. Her favorite genres are fantasy, sci-fi/fantasy, and romance, but she’s comfortable working across all genres. She’s particularly drawn to stories with underrepresented characters starring as the protagonists, and narratives that explore the characters’ intersectional identities.
Angel is available for copyediting and developmental editing. She can provide a sensitivity reading on the following: Taiwanese American culture (and general Chinese American culture); colorism; low-income families; first- and second-generation immigrant experience in the US; and queer experience (bisexuality, asexuality, aromanticism).
brittany
Brittany R. Johnson (she/her) is an editor, writer, and poet who has an independent freelance practice. Her experience includes working with trade and academic book manuscripts as well as proofreading reports for an economic think tank. To expand that experience, Brittany joined the Tessera Editorial Consortium in 2024. She has a BA in communications with a minor in biology. Brittany believes in advocating for both authors and readers. She is available for copyediting, developmental editing, and other editorial services.
hermione
Hermione is a passionate writer and editor who enjoys bringing stories to life. She graduated from New York University with a B.A. in Biology and an M.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies, concentrating in Drama and Biology. She enjoys thoughtful literature and finds stories that can make her dig deep into her own thoughts while also educating her on different perspectives to be very worthwhile.
Hermione is available for development editing, copyediting, and proofreading across all genres except thriller, horror, and anything along those lines. If you are looking to work on a project for other genres such as middle grade, YA, romance, women’s fiction, mystery, sci-fi, fantasy, etc., she will be incredibly excited to embark on that rewarding journey with you. Knowing first-hand how precious our words can be to us, she believes in the power of dialogue and will always do her best to understand your vision before offering suggested edits. She can also provide sensitivity and authenticity reading for the following topics: portrayals of Black women / girls, tokenism, colorism, and the Black experience at large.
When she is not reading, she can be found chasing the next big stroke of inspiration for her own stories or watching the latest K-Dramas.
susanna
Susanna Khoo is a freelance editor and writer based in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.
Previously a tech journalist responsible for both print and digital content at a top Malaysian English-language daily newspaper, she quit full-time employment in favour of a home-based career once her children arrived on the scene.
Susanna holds a double degree in Accounting and Business Systems. She originally started her career in software development, but an enduring love for the written word eventually led her to pursue an editorial profession instead. She hasn’t looked back since.
In her freelance capacity, she has taken on various editorial projects over the years. These include copywriting projects, media releases, social media content creation, reviews for books and commercial products, and non-fiction editing for religious and corporate manuscripts.
Susanna is available for copyediting and sensitivity reading. She loves reading mystery/thrillers and literary fiction but is open to any genre. She can read for Malaysian lifestyle/culture and Southeast Asian Christian representation. Besides that, she can also provide translation assistance for the Malay language (Bahasa Malaysia).