CCJ Editorial: About CCJ

About CCJ

When I was 12, I asked for and received as a Christmas gift the style manual Words Into Type. I read it cover to cover, fascinated by the revelation that there were real rules about how to use words and punctuation to facilitate meaning. This is akin to a 12-year-old’s asking for an accounting textbook and devouring it. I wanted to know the rules for putting words together because I loved to write and wanted to be clear and comprehensible while telling my stories. I had four years of Latin in high school and thereby was exposed to grammar in a breadth and depth not offered to the vast majority of students in the United States. In other words, by the time I was 15 I knew more about grammar, punctuation, and the distinctive treatment of words than most people who work as editors. I had also written my first two novels. I have since had extensive formal training and experience to build on that promising start.

Language is my passion. Words delight me, and the effort to arrange them to achieve both sense and beauty is a never-ending challenge and pleasure. I also enjoy word games and puzzles of every sort and usually finish the New York Times Sunday crossword.

Another passion entered my life with weaving, which, like writing, balances structure with esthetics. I now call myself a weaver of words and webs; the cerebration of the one balances the physicality of the other. Weaving is also a chance to balance the flat black and white of words with the infinite colors and textures of cloth.

After urban living in Washington, D.C., and Portland, Oregon, I currently live in the Catoctin Mountains in central Maryland. I share my wooded mountaintop with deer, raccoons, chipmunks, and black bears, who climb up on my deck when I forget to bring the birdfeeders in at night. I like to ramble through the woods in search of wildflowers and interesting rock formations and hidden fairy dells. The deer seriously hinder my efforts to garden, but containers on the deck and a few defensible patches of dirt near the house satisfy the urge. Mylar balloons do a good job of keeping the deer at bay.

I have been writing all my life and found my genre, the novel, very early. I am in the process of making my most recent work, a “fantasy” series titled The Initiate, available on-line. These novels blend classical Western occultism with updated paganism and modern music; I call the result sex magick, drugs, and rock’n’roll, or Harry Potter for grownups. Book 1, Phoenix Burning, will be joined shortly by books 2 and 3, Unicorn Among Zebras and The Pagan Prince, at CreateSpace.com.

As someone who loves words and has no trouble forming and expressing opinions, I have a lot to say about the errors silly and astonishing that confront me every day in ads, books, newspapers, menus, and every other sort of publication. Read my take on everything from “warm hot fudge” to “a palate of amber and rose” on my blog, Crotchets.

My formal résumé follows and will supply the details of my career as a writer and editor.

Welcome Business Publications Personal Written Works Writing Coach Why You Need an Editor What Makes a Good Editor Grammar Quiz About CCJ Crotchets About CCJ When I was 12, I asked for and received as a Christmas gift the style manual Words Into Type. I read it cover to cover, fascinated by the revelation that there were real rules about how to use words and punctuation to facilitate meaning. This is akin to a 12-year-old’s asking for an accounting textbook and devouring it. I wanted to know the rules for putting words together because I loved to write and wanted to be clear and comprehensible while telling my stories. I had four years of Latin in high school and thereby was exposed to grammar in a breadth and depth not offered to the vast majority of students in the United States. In other words, by the time I was 15 I knew more about grammar, punctuation, and the distinctive treatment of words than most people who work as editors. I had also written my first two novels. I have since had extensive formal training and experience to build on that promising start. Language is my passion. Words delight me, and the effort to arrange them to achieve both sense and beauty is a never-ending challenge and pleasure. I also enjoy word games and puzzles of every sort and usually finish the New York Times Sunday crossword. Another passion entered my life with weaving, which, like writing, balances structure with esthetics. I now call myself a weaver of words and webs; the cerebration of the one balances the physicality of the other. Weaving is also a chance to balance the flat black and white of words with the infinite colors and textures of cloth. After urban living in Washington, D.C., and Portland, Oregon, I currently live in the Catoctin Mountains in central Maryland. I share my wooded mountaintop with deer, raccoons, chipmunks, and black bears, who climb up on my deck when I forget to bring the birdfeeders in at night. I like to ramble through the woods in search of wildflowers and interesting rock formations and hidden fairy dells. The deer seriously hinder my efforts to garden, but containers on the deck and a few defensible patches of dirt near the house satisfy the urge. Mylar balloons do a good job of keeping the deer at bay. I have been writing all my life and found my genre, the novel, very early. I am in the process of making my most recent work, a “fantasy” series titled The Initiate, available on-line. These novels blend classical Western occultism with updated paganism and modern music; I call the result sex magick, drugs, and rock’n’roll, or Harry Potter for grownups. Book 1, Phoenix Burning, will be joined shortly by books 2 and 3, Unicorn Among Zebras and The Pagan Prince, at CreateSpace.com. As someone who loves words and has no trouble forming and expressing opinions, I have a lot to say about the errors silly and astonishing that confront me every day in ads, books, newspapers, menus, and every other sort of publication. Read my take on everything from “warm hot fudge” to “a palate of amber and rose” on my blog, Crotchets. My formal résumé follows and will supply the details of my career as a writer and editor. editorial services and writing coach contact me at ccj@ccjeditorial.com or 301.293.3348 CCJ Editorial, copyright 2009, all rights reserved.