When someone asks me what I do for a living, I tend to reply along these lines:
‘I’m a book editor. And writing coach. And ghostwriter. Oh, and I write my own books too. Some non-fiction. Some novels. Well, and the odd poem, and short story, and…’
You get the picture. Essentially, what I ‘do’ is words.
A friend once described me as a ‘word weaver’, which sounds somewhat magical – but then, after more than 20 years of writing, editing and coaching, I’ve come to see that there is a little magic in what I do. Something uniquely ‘Charlie’.
I weave words, my own and others’, and I help other writers to weave too. No yarn involved, but plenty of care, creativity and passion.
For me, this is the best job in the world. I spend my days with words and books, where I belong.
My professional background
In my freelance career, I’ve been fortunate to write and edit for a wide range of clients:
- Publishers like John Wiley & Sons, Routledge and Valley Press
- Companies like James Villa Holidays, Associated British Ports and Volkswagen
- Charities like Turning Point, FARM-Africa and the Scouts
- Government bodies like the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, Ofqual and the National Assessment Agency
- Universities like Brighton, Liverpool and Surrey
- Cultural organisations like the Imperial War Museums
… and authors, many authors, writing in a range of fiction and non-fiction genres.
I started my freelance business in 2006, after building my editorial experience working for a PR agency, a charity and a publisher. Since then, I’ve provided editorial services to clients all over the world – and I’ve published books about freelancing and writing, given talks on writing and editing, trained and mentored fellow editors, and spoken on local television news about books and AI.
I feel very privileged to have been able to build a career I love, and to have worked with so many fantastic clients and colleagues.
My creative writing
This is me, aged two, with my grandparents’ dog, Donnie. He and I were best friends. I would happily walk him, brush him. Sleep in his bed. Eat his biscuits.
I doubt I was already nurturing the dream of being a writer at this age, but when I look at this picture, it feels like I was – because it feels like being a writer has always been part of me.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve written creatively. Poems. Stories. And, eventually, novels. My writing is… me on paper. It’s where I can be all of myself.
I write about beauty and loss, courage and fear. I write about the stuff that inspires me and the stuff that haunts me. The stuff that tickles me and the stuff that moves me.
I write so my children will have parts of me to keep always. And I write to show them that if you want, need, ache to do your art, you should do it, even if it makes you feel vulnerable to be Out There.
A brief timeline
My first published work was a poem in Just Seventeen magazine when I was 14. I loved seeing my name in print. But with studying and then building a career, I didn’t publish again until my early thirties, when I wrote several non-fiction books, along with shorter pieces for anthologies, magazines and online publications.
And then, somewhere amongst raising little children and running a busy business and attempting to keep the laundry pile from overbalancing, I decided it was time to write a novel. I began with a novella, Publish or Perish. Then came my first novel, Death Wish. Then four more novels: Forget Me Not, Wild Blue Yonder, Devil and the Deep and Darkly, Deeply, Beautifully (the Ceruleans series). Then another novel, Swan Song. And some short stories and poems. And other creative bits and bobs.
Then I took a break from being Out There. Since 2017, I’ve been writing but not publishing. And now I’m building towards publishing again.
A little more about me
I have a son (17) and a daughter (12), and we’re a little team of three. We love taking the train to new places and exploring the history, culture and cake options.
I live in Beeston, Nottingham, near the university, where I studied for my degree. I go onto campus often, and edit and write in the library and cafés there.
I am (unsurprisingly) very drawn to libraries and bookshops. The older and quirkier, the better. As a teenager I worked in a library, and it was heaven.
I’m passionate about the arts, especially the theatre. Many moons ago, I used to tread the boards a little. These days I’m happy in the audience.
One of my favourite places in the world is the Natural History Museum, London. I first fell in awe with it as a little girl, when I saw the famous Dippy skeleton there.
(Again unsurprisingly) I love all things literary, from clothbounds to arty quotes. My daughter is named Matilda after a certain book-loving heroine.
I’m a highly sensitive person and an introvert. I love coffee with a friend and a book club meetup and an outing with my kids, but also… quiet.
Beyond Beeston, my happy place is Devon, where I spent summers as a child. The tiny, isolated cove near my grandparents’ house is where I feel most peaceful.
