I love words! &nbsp;From phonetics to pragmatics, punctuation to plot, I'm endlessly fascinated by all the ways in which humans combine sounds and symbols to create meaning. &nbsp;<br /><br />My editing experience ranges from essays to novels. &nbsp;I've helped college students transform their essays from an incoherent mess into something legible. &nbsp;I've also helped talented and experienced writers polish their novels. &nbsp;From Alex Lamb, author of<em> Roboteer</em>:<br />
<div style="padding-left: 30px;">When I started writing the second novel in my multi-book deal with Gollancz, Britain's leading SF imprint, I was in trouble. I had recently relocated, was short on resources, and needed quality beta-reading fast. Thank goodness I met Shayla Cherry.&nbsp;<br /><br />Shayla's skills combine a keen eye for prose with an unflinching attention to what makes story engaging to readers. She was consistently professional both in her feedback and its delivery throughout a 200K first-draft, and provided clear, balanced input covering both the strengths and weaknesses of the work.&nbsp;<br /><br />When I finally delivered the book to my editor, I received the lightest editorial crit I've ever received. The book, he said, was already pretty much good to go. There is no way I'd have been able to achieve such a smooth and successful delivery without Shayla's help.</div>