No, that's not me riding, but I am also a photographer, and this is one of my favorite shots.

As a writer, I am far-ranging: I have written a Sword and Sorcery novel, which is now in the submission stage; I have translated a turn-of-the-century Italian cookbook, which was published by Random House in 1996, and I write extensively about Italian foods and wines (living in Florence helps).

As an editor, I am much more focused: I have been an assistant editor at Weird Tales since 1992. It is a professional magazine (edited by George Scithers and Darrel Schweitzer, founding editors of Asimov's), and the standards are quite high. Reading fiction there has taught me how to spot a good manuscript. It has also taught me how to recognize faults, because we send personalized rejection letters in which we explain why stories aren't working for us. Sometimes the letters are quick, but if the story is either tantalizingly close, or spectacularly bad, we go into great detail.
I also edit, translate, and rewrite scientific material: I am a geologist by training (took only one semester of English in college - then again Robert Bloch never went to college, and he wrote Psycho), and edit or translate manuscripts for Italian geologists who wish to publish in international journals. In addition, I am copyeditor of the Journal of Paleopathology, a journal devoted to the study of the pathologies revealed by the bones of people found in excavations. Frequently grim, and often fascinating.

I am primarily interested in working with short fiction, helping writers to produce a publishable story, i.e. one that holds interest, resolves, and does not suffer from the more simple flaws: lumps of exposition, clichéed ideas, tired plots, poor dialog, and so on. In other words, though I will help with the packaging, I am more interested in helping you with the content. I will not rewrite your story for you; what I will do is point out areas that need work, give you suggestions about what YOU can do, and give you feedback on the effectiveness of YOUR solutions.

Sending something via electronic mail is fine: word processor document, with your name and email address at the top. No email address, no reply. If you use a Mac, do not convert the file to IBM format.

I will glance at the story, and if I think it is potentially publishable, I will tell you, and also give you my address. My rates for a thorough critique are $7.50 per thousand words (as determined by my word processor's word counter), $7.50 per thousand words for line-editing (I will do that on hard copy, which I will print), or $15 per thousand words for both (maximum length for both 7,500 words). I will begin work, doing what you tell me you want done, when I receive your check; either certified or cashier's will be fine. When I return the story I will suggest potential markets.

If I do not think the story has potential, I will decline it, and tell you (briefly) why.

My work with scientific articles has given me a good feel for editing non-fiction, and my personal experience in travel writing has honed my skills. If you would like me to look over an article for you, I will be happy to. Same rates and instructions as above.

Some final advice: Read the Weird Tales Guidelines. They're the best I've seen.

Like what you see? Contact me.
Like Italian food? Visit my cooking site.

Back to the Writer's Depot.
Visit the Den
Peruse the Stacks
See Tuscany