Sky's End
Not much to say about me that most people wouldn’t say about themselves. Life happened when I wasn’t looking. I come from a Marine Corps family and ended up jumping ship in Pensacola more years back than I care to remember. Managed to put myself through UWF while flipping burgers and came away with my first husband and dual degrees in Journalism and English Literature. The degrees were really the only thing of use.
Owing to the difficulty of finding work in a magazine or newspaper right out of college, I juked around a bit. Worked as receptionist for a healthcare collective. Helped put together newsletters and fundraiser paraphernalia for the local women’s club and Daughters of the American Revolution. In the process, I ended up getting odd jobs writing copy for local businesses. It was always formulaic, but meeting so many people was nice.
With first son in tow and ex-husband firmly in my rear-view mirror, I headed out to Dade City to accept an entry level position at the Pasco News. It was mainly proofreading for columnists and journalists, but I did get the opportunity to learn the various aspects of the newspaper industry. Met lots of professionals and filled in sometimes when they were sick or behind. I got to line editor by the time they closed their doors in 2006.
My third husband and three boys moved with me this time out to Boca Raton, where I worked as an in-house copyeditor for the Boca Raton News. It wasn’t as glamorous as my last job, but with print hemorrhaging money like a loan shark with a slashed throat, beggars couldn’t be choosers. Plus I got to work on my fiction writing and had lots of fun with a local writing group. My favorite thing to do was write terrible stories and watch them vainly attempt to find something good to say about them. Most of the time, they seemed to genuinely like the stuff, which just goes to show how much of the literary world is subjective.
But nothing seems to last anymore. The Boca Raton News went under in 2009, and I was left to pick up local copywriting gigs and try to find work online. The boys are at that age where their social lives are all that matter, and I really don’t want to take them away from that. It was almost a year before I found a good place. Most offers for work in writing, copyediting, and proofreading online are a scam. And what isn’t is a sweatshop that expects you to put in a full day’s work for just a couple dollars.
Turns out the head editor at Prior to Print Proofreading Services was a coworker in Boca. He saw my application, knew I could do the work, and hired me on the spot. We offer editorial advice for fiction and non-fiction works, as well as copyediting and proofreading services for pretty much any written work you want to send us.
We don’t manage a heavy workload because we don’t take on a job unless we can honestly do it right. That’s our shtick. Quality and prompt service at a modest price, refusing to compromise for the sake of cramming a few more commissions into the day. We’re still small, but we’re growing fast. If you’re curious, check us out at http://www.p2proofreading.com/ or our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Prior-to-Print-Proofreading-LLC/137078553044755?ref=ts&sk=info#!/pages/Prior-to-Print-Proofreading-LLC/137078553044755?sk=wall
