I help brands, authors, and creatives share their stories with clarity and style. From punchy marketing copy to polished manuscripts, I craft content that connects. With experience in publishing, marketing, and retail, I know how to engage audiences and make ideas shine. My goal? Words that feel good to read and are impossible to ignore.
- Literary Recognition
- Collaborative Writing & Ghostwriting
- Literary Criticism & Book Reviews
- Podcasts
- Virtual Events
- Blog Posts (SEO-Focused)
- Email Marketing
- Multi-Platform Campaigns
- Social Media Campaigns
- Website Landing Pages
Literary Recognition
Finalist, Bardsy First Chapter Anthology Competition (2025): Recognized for excellence in opening-chapter narrative and character development
Collaborative Writing & Ghostwriting
- Ghostwriting: Currently crafting a research-driven guide on family dynamics and psychological safety (Expected 2026)
- Contemporary Fiction (77,000 words): Performed a comprehensive developmental edit focusing on pacing, romantic tension, and intricate family dynamics optimization for submissions to publishers.
- Epic Fantasy (85,000 words): Performed a comprehensive developmental edit focusing on the architecture of the world, the story’s emotional arc, character-building and pacing optimization for indie-publishing market.
- Metadata & Discoverability Optimization:
- Historical Fiction Novel (Civil War Era):
- Role: Book Launch & Discoverability Consultant.
- Metadata & SEO: Conducted deep-dive keyword research and optimized KDP tags and categories to improve organic search rankings on Amazon.
- Copywriting: Rewrote the book’s retail description to sharpen the narrative “hook” and increase click-through rates.
- Author Branding: Developed a professional author profile and platform strategy to establish long-term authority within the historical fiction genre.
- Historical Fiction Novel (Civil War Era):
Literary Criticism & Book Reviews
Indie Lit Lounge | Contributing Reviewer
I provide deep-dive critical reviews for Indie Lit Lounge to stay at the pulse of the self-publishing market. I read and analyze independent and self-published works with a market-first perspective to boost author discoverability and engage the indie literary community.
- The Wild Sonnets Volume VIII by Nicholas Korn
- Genre Analysis: Navigating tropes and audience expectations in poetry.
- There are books that arrive at precisely the moment you need them. Nicholas Korn’s The Wild Sonnets: Volume VIII (701-800) is one of those rare gifts—a collection that feels both timeless and urgent.
- 📖 Read on Substack
- The Blues and Billie Armstrong by Roy Dufrain Jr.
- Narrative Architecture Study: Pacing and hook execution in a historical fiction debut.
- A powerful coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of 1970s America and the Vietnam War.
- 📖 Read on Substack
Podcasts
Barnes & Noble really is a place for book people. And Poured Over: The Barnes & Noble Podcast is proof of that. I am happy to have played a small part in its success. I conducted deep-dive structural research on contemporary bestsellers to lead high-level discussions with authors like Jennifer Weiner and Lauren Graham. I also acted as an editorial bridge between the author’s intent and the reader’s curiosity, deconstructing narrative themes such as motherhood, trauma, and creative rituals.
An Interview with Jennifer Weiner
Editorial Interviewer & Literary Analyst | May 12, 2022
The Summer Place was captivating and downright fun to read. I really enjoyed diving into her iconic work. My research into her narrative structure helped me craft how thoughtful questions that could entice a reader to pick up the book. It paid off! It was a great conversation for my first-ever podcast interview.
🎧 Listen below, on Apple Podcasts, or Read the Transcript
An Interview with Lauren Graham
Editorial Interviewer & Literary Analyst | December 1, 2022
Like most millennials, I grew up on Gilmore Girls. I jumped at the chance to interview Lauren Graham about her book Have I Told You This Already?. The essay format was a great hook for our conversation, which was absolutely wonderful! We touched on everything from her creative life, writing, and of course, the great Jess vs. Dean debate, which is what her audience lives for (speaking for myself!)
🎧 Listen below or on Apple Podcasts, Read the Transcript, or Watch on YouTube.
An Interview with Nick Medina
Editorial Interviewer & Literary Analyst | April 18, 2023
This enthralling debut explores the tragedy of missing and murdered indigenous women. In this episode, we discussed his work highlighting indigenous stories, what it’s like writing a mystery, and what he hopes for the genre moving forward.
🎧 Listen below or on Apple Podcasts, Read the Transcript, or Watch on YouTube.
An Interview with Juno Dawson
Editorial Interviewer & Literary Analyst | June 10, 2023
In this double shot episode, I interview speculative fiction author and transgender rights activist Juno Dawson on the publication of her novel The Shadow Cabinet, the second book in the HMRC trilogy. We talk about the cultural impact of the Spice Girls and how that girl power sentiment is a through-line in her work.
🎧 Listen below or on Apple Podcasts, Read the Transcript, or Watch on YouTube.
An Interview with Chelsea Bieker
Editorial Interviewer & Literary Analyst | September 14, 2024
I had the pleasure to connect with Chelsea Bieker, author of Madwoman and God Shot for this episode. We had an incredible conversation about creativity, motherhood, and overcoming trauma.
🎧 Listen below, on Apple Podcasts, or Read the Transcript
Virtual Events
During the pandemic and in the years that followed, B&N became a major player in the virtual event space. Whether they were held on Eventbrite, Facebook, or Instagram Live, we took care to connect with authors on their work. As a bibliophile, it never felt like work reading and researching novels to engage with writers. For my part, I collaborated with category managers to identify the “commercial heartbeat” of new releases, developing pointed questions that highlighted a book’s unique selling points for a live audience.
B&N Book Club: You are Here by David Nicholls
Lexie Smyth, Fiction Category Manager, and I interviewed David about his heartwarming novel for a live Barnes & Noble Virtual Book Club event. It was hosted on Eventbrite and posted on YouTube afterward. Readers were encouraged to ask questions, either by submitting beforehand or in the chat. Together, we carefully read the novel and asked pointed questions. We had a lovely chat with David about this beautiful book. It was a joy!
Instagram Live: A Chat with Jenny Jackson
I loved Jenny Jackson’s debut novel Pineapple Street, so I took to B&N’s Instagram to have a quick chat with her on all things NYC upper crust, the writing process, moving from the editor’s side to the writer’s side, and of course, HBO’s Succession. It was so fun talking to her that I forgot we were on IG Live!
Instagram Live: A Chat with Rachel O’Donoghue
Caroline O’Donoghue is a celebrated YA novelist and host of the acclaimed podcast Sentimental Garbage. In the summer of 2023, She crashed into the adult fiction space with the spectacular novel The Rachel Incident. She and I met on IG Live, discussing everything from Barbie to the celebration of the surge of Irish writers and artists in America.
Blog Posts (SEO-Focused)
A great way to reach readers is by putting together blog roundups. Whether they are author-focused, like my pieces on Stephen King, or media/event-focused, blogs are an easy way to boost SEO while being part of the zeitgeist. These SEO principles can be adapted to help authors build their platforms, refine their book’s metadata, and reach readers. At B&N, I authored deep-dive literary rankings and thematic essays (specifically on the Stephen King multiverse) designed to drive organic search traffic by tapping into existing fan-base “tropes” and “lore”. I also evaluated book-to-screen trends (like The Bear or Yellowjackets) to provide curated reading lists that matched the atmospheric and tonal expectations of modern media consumers.
Stephen King Blogs
Dead lights and Shine: Connecting LATER to the Stephen King Multiverse
This particular piece for the B&N Reads was intended to explore the connections between the author’s books. The goal was to drive organic search traffic for the novel Later. Here’s a taste:
In a much-quoted passage from Stephen King’s beloved memoir On Writing, he says that “books are uniquely portable magic” and for his Constant Readers, there’s no end to the magic and mystery of his multiverse. It’s always a thrill to pick up on the (sometimes very small!) connections while battling a malevolent shapeshifting clown, discovering secret telepathic powers, or raging against inner demons.
A Definitive Ranking of Every Stephen King Novel Ever
It’s no secret that Stephen King is one of the most prolific writers of our time. Often, readers will Google a list of his novels, or a ranked list of his novels, so I put my own spin on it for the B&N Reads blog. Take a look:
It’s rare to find a writer who can haunt your dreams with terrifying visions of say, for example, a shapeshifting clown, while ruminating on the battle of good and evil…while commenting on societal injustices…while exploring the very base of human nature…while illuminating the power of friendship and love. And did we mention this writer also makes you weep? Not just the regular I’m-reading-a-sad-book tears but I’m-full-on-sobbing-in-a-public-park-on-a-sunny-summer-day tears. Enter Stephen King.
King has had plenty of opportunities to rip out his Dear Readers’ hearts in the fifty years that he’s been publishing. So, we thought we’d follow the breadcrumbs through the decades, savoring the morsels of our favorite books* on the way to September’s Fairy Tale.
*NOTE! Absent from this list: novellas, collections, Bachman books, nonfiction, and books he co-authored.
BILLY SUMMERS and the Many Writers of Stephen King
Stephen King takes the concept of “write what you know” to a whole other level in his novels. As a writer and lover of the macabre, he always piques my interest best when he writes about writers. This is a piece I wrote for the B&N Reads blog about each of his books that revolve around authors in celebration of the publication of his novel Billy Summers, intended to drive traffic and boost SEO for B&N. Enjoy:
There’s no denying that Stephen King is a prolific writer. He’s also a real writer’s writer. Heck, he even wrote the definitive book on the topic: On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. It’s the perfect book for writers new and old—and really anyone who loves stories. After all, who wouldn’t love looking at storytelling from this perspective? “We’re not even in the same year together, let alone the same room…except we are together. We’re close. We’re having a meeting of the minds. I sent you a table with a red cloth on it, a cage, a rabbit, and the number eight in blue ink. You got them all, especially the blue eight. We’re engaged in an act of telepathy. No mythy-mountain shit; real telepathy.”
With over 60 novels, five works of nonfiction, and more than 200 short stories under his belt, it’s no surprise that many of his stories feature writers as protagonists. After all, they say write what you know, right?
Media-Focused Blogs
Books to Devour After You Watch Showtime’s YELLOWJACKETS
In the winter of 2021, Yellowjackets crashed into our collective consciousness via Showtime. People just wouldn’t stop talking about it, and when the season ended, there was a real hunger for more. I put together this roundup of books to read if you loved the show, to drive organic search traffic:
Showtime’s Yellowjackets might just be the buzziest show out there right now. Trauma, mystery, 90s nostalgia (with a killer soundtrack), tested teenage hierarchies, murder, and a light sprinkling of cannibalism — it’s perfection! The story unravels in pieces following the lengths the Yellowjackets go to in the immediate aftermath of their plane crash in 1996 (think William Golding’s Lord of the Flies but with a vicious riot grrrl twist) and how four of the survivors have tried to make a life for themselves in the 25 years since. With Sunday’s finale leaving us with more questions than answers (who is the antler queen though? And what does that strange symbol mean? And can SOMEONE please tell us what happened to Travis?), we thought we’d put together a reading list to tide us over while we (im)patiently wait for season two.
Let it Rip: Books to Read if You Can’t Stop Thinking about The Bear
It is important to stay on trend in any industry, especially when it comes to books and the media we consume. In 2022, the country was riveted by Jeremy Allen White’s performance in FX’s The Bear. I wrote a blog for B&N Reads elevating readalikes for people who just couldn’t get enough of Carmy and his crew, hoping to drive organic traffic to B&N and boost SEO. Say yes, chef with me here:
First of all, Jeremy Allen White was hot long before Carmy in his little white tee (YES, CHEF!). Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s proceed. FX’s first season of The Bear has come and gone, and like a delectable amuse-bouche, has left us wanting more. In just eight episodes, the show is an incredible character study, a journey through the complexities of grief and regret, and a hopeful redemption story for a beloved neighborhood restaurant. White’s Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto has returned to Chicago as a distinguished James Beard Award-winning young chef to manage his family’s Italian sandwich shop in the wake of his older brother’s suicide. As he works through the confusing and distressing mess—both literal and financial—his brother left behind, he is met with resistance from the kitchen’s longtime staff. If, like us, you’ve been shouting BEHIND as you cook in your home kitchen while relentlessly wondering if Carmy and the crew can turn things around, then we’ve got a reading list for you.
Holiday-Focused Blogs
As any gift-giving holiday approaches, people are frantically searching for the perfect gift that tells their loved ones hey, I really know you. I don’t know about you, but a book is one of the most touching and thoughtful presents to receive.
On Literature and Love
One great way to elevate books to readers for discovery is through blogs. They boost a book’s SEO value and help readers find new books that they might have missed. I wrote this blog for Barnes & Noble in celebration of Valentine’s Day for lovers and book lovers alike to find some amore:
Love is in the air. If you’re in the mood for stories about the enduring power of love, you’re in the right place. We’ve put together a list of emotional, romantic, dramatic, funny, resonant reads that will make your heart skip a beat.
Email Marketing
In our digital age, email is king. Gone are the days where direct-mail marketing ruled the world (though there is still a place for it!). One of the best ways to reach your audience and drive conversions is by sending messages right to their inboxes. The trick to not get lost in the myriad of other emails? Clever subject lines, interesting and to-the-point messages, and clear calls-to-action. I like to veer toward the playful side in my email marketing, even for more serious brands like Scientific American. It shows personality, and personality really resonates. Finding that “hook,” whether it’s in marketing copy, a novel, or work of non-fiction is something that energizes me.
Scientific American Automated Welcome Email
At SciAm, we set up a free newsletter to help drive conversions to paid subscriptions. When someone signed up for the newsletter, they received this email
Awesome discoveries. Expert insights. Science that shapes the world.
Hi %%FIRST NAME%%,
You are now part of a global community of science enthusiasts that wants to keep up with the latest research and discoveries that are shaping our world and changing people’s lives.
As a thank you for signing up to receive Scientific American’s newsletters, we’re offering you an exclusive 20% discount on a digital subscription to the magazine.
For just $31.99, your digital subscription is accessible on all of your devices via the web and Android and iOS apps, and includes four-year rolling digital archive access.
Sincerely,
Scientific American
Scientific American Monthly Archive Newsletter
I designed a strategic “onboarding” narrative for new readers, using high-level scientific concepts to create an immediate “hook” for potential subscribers. I then applied a developmental lens to archive content, curating complex historical research into accessible, playful newsletters that maintained a consistent brand voice.
With your All Access Subscription, you have exclusive access to 172 years’ of groundbreaking articles by some of the leading practitioners in their fields. With this newsletter, we are celebrating National Inventors Month, Mental Health Awareness Month, a great milestone in the ongoing battle of evolution vs. creationism, and let us not forget: Happy Mother’s Day!
Innovation Celebration
Scientific American has always been a magazine of inventors: from the opening of our first patent agency in 1850 to 1924 one-seventh of all U.S. patents issued came through this company. Here are some great inventions you can read about in the archive:
- April 1990: The Unusual Origin of the Polymerase Chain Reaction
- June 1964: The Supersonic Transport
Healthy Minds
Mental Health Awareness Month in May 2017 emphasizes the importance of screening and early intervention to improve the condition of people who have problems with mental health and who are at risk of having these difficulties become worse. Readers of Scientific American have been getting the latest news and keenest insights on this essential component of human well-being for 170 years:
- March 2015: Mental Health: Thinking From the Gut
- June 1993: Autism
- March 1956: Stress in Combat
- January 1949: The Oedipus Myth
Scientific American Pi Day Campaign
For Pi Day 2018, we decided to offer a 3.14% discount OR a $3.14 discount off of a subscription. Both offers were set up and valid on the site and it was up to the consumer to choose the better value. It was a fun, creative way to drive conversions, and it worked! I used data-driven insights to craft compelling “calls to action” that balanced the magazine’s academic authority with engaging, trend-focused copy.
You Do the Math!
In honor of Pi Day, we’re offering $3.14 OR 3.14% off of a $34.99 annual Print + Digital subscription. Which is the better value? Do the math and figure it out! If you want to go with $3.14 off, simply enter code PIDAY at checkout. If you think 3.14% is the better deal, enter PI2018. Happy calculating!
Scientific American April Fool’s Day Campaign
You might not think of a legitimate science magazine on the zaniest day of the year, but this playful take on the magazine’s content helped build the subscriber base.
Hooray for Harebrained Ideas
Genetic inheritance. Circulation. The heliocentric solar system. Great scientific minds such as Gregor Mendel, William Harvey and Galileo Galilei were dismissed as fools and even heretics until science validated their theories.
This April Fool’s Day, discover the unexpected ideas that are reshaping our understanding of the world with a Print + Digital subscription to Scientific American.
Multi-Platform Campaigns
Let’s be real: in this time of split attention and the ability to quickly toggle between emails and apps and other media, there is no ONE WAY to reach customers. A good marketer knows that their message will have bigger, better impact when reaching across email, social media, Google search, and print media with targeted, clear messaging.
Scientific American Subscription Ads
I wrote a number of taglines to be used across email, social media, and on-site ads for A/B testing. With beautiful imagery and to-the-point copy, I was able to test what resonated best with the Scientific American audience while staying true to the magazine’s message. This campaign was intended to build the subscriber base across all platforms and subscription models.
Taglines:
- Science shapes the world
- Real science. Real experts. Research that matters.
- Science for the modern world
- Expertise. Insights. Illumination.
- Awesome discoveries. Expert insights. Science that shapes the world.
Scientific American New Year Resolutions Ads
My goal to build subscribers across all SciAm platforms with this campaign was to play up the “new year, new you” resolution many people make at the start of a new year, without repeating what countless other companies would be saying during that time of year. The tagline highlighted the positive impact reading the magazine and investing in yourself can have on subscribers and led to conversions.
Tagline:
- Resolve. Read. Grow.
Scientific American Back to School Campaign
Back to school is an important time of year for sales across all companies and retailers! Scientific American offered a generous 50% discount to anyone who wanted to learn more.
On-Site & Social Ads: Stay Ahead of the Curve | 50% Off for Back to School
Email copy:
Beat the bell this fall with a digital subscription to Scientific American. Whether you’re a student, a teacher, or a lifelong learner, keep up with the latest research and discoveries in biology, chemistry and physics.
For 50% off, learn how science and technology are changing our understanding of the world with a subscription includes access on all of your devices via the web or our Android and iOS apps, archive access…and a leg up on your next exam.
Social Media Campaigns
Social media is probably the place where the most fun can be had when it comes to messaging. With the right targeting, your copy can really make a big impact on your audience!
Learn to Blog About Science
Scientific American worked in partnership with The Kavli Foundation and The Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science to educate new and up-and-coming science writers with virtual classes offered on Facebook live. My role was to write engaging copy to encourage applicants to sign up.
Excerpt:
- Learn to blog about science. Finding Your story, making it personal.
- You’ve done the research, now share it with the world.
Science Is…
This was largely a social campaign, but it did have some accompanying emails. Social carousel ads for the entire summer, starting in June and following through to the end of August. Each set of ads was accompanied by taglines and targeted emails, highlighting different subject areas the magazine covers in order to show the full breadth of SciAm’s offerings. The taglines and punchy copy helped drive conversions.
Taglines:
- Science is progress
- Accompanying email copy
- Subscribe to Scientific American today and get the latest news and discoveries in technology, healthcare manufacturing and more
- Accompanying email copy
- Science is empowerment
- Accompanying email copy
- Subscribe to Scientific American today and get the latest news and discoveries in health, mind and brain science and more!
- Accompanying email copy
- Science is the future
- Accompanying email copy
- Subscribe to Scientific American today and get the latest news and discoveries in energy, sustainability, artificial intelligence and more!
- Accompanying email copy
- Science is sport
- Accompanying email copy
- Subscribe to Scientific American today and get the latest news and discoveries in fitness, health, physics and more
- Accompanying email copy
- Science is culture
- Accompanying email copy
- Subscribe to Scientific American today and get the latest news in arts, culture, policy, ethics and more
- Accompanying email copy
- Science is life
- Accompanying email copy
- Subscribe to Scientific American today and get the latest news and discoveries in biology, evolution, health and more
- Accompanying email copy
- Science is style
- This did not have an accompanying email, but did have a visually stunning ad across social platforms
- Science is travel
- This did not have an accompanying email, but did have a visually stunning ad across social platforms
- Science is business
- This did not have an accompanying email, but did have a visually stunning ad across social platforms
- Science is everything
- This was the culmination in the summer-long campaign
- Accompanying email copy
- Stay up-to-date on the most important and awe-inspiring advances in science and technology with Scientific American. From astronomy to zoology, learn how research and discovery are changing our perception of the world and shaping our lives.
Website Landing Pages
Is there a better place to showcase your offerings than your website? All the other stuff—email, social media, digital and print ads all drive traffic to your website, so it should feature concise copy with clear calls-to-action.
Updated Scientific American Mind Subscription Page
Every so often, SciAm likes to refresh copy on subscription pages. Below is an example of copy I wrote for Scientific American Mind. It’s short, to-the-point, and emphasizes everything included in a subscription.
Excerpt:
Keep up with the latest discoveries related to the brain and human behavior anytime, anywhere, on any device with a digital subscription to Scientific American Mind.
For $19.99, your subscription includes:
- Bi-monthly digital issues
- Web reading
- PDF download
- Android and iOS app access
- 1-year rolling digital archive access
Buy Now
Scientific American Memorial Day Sale
For the 2017 Memorial Day Sale, SciAm wanted to feature everything that was discounted in one clear, beautifully designed place to avoid any customer confusion.
Excerpt:
Stay up-to-date on the most important and awe-inspiring advances in science and technology with Scientific American. From astronomy to zoology, learn how research and discovery are changing our perception of the world and shaping our lives. Save 20% at checkout with promo code MEMORIALDAY17
Marie Cummings Hendry 