An Introduction to our New Editor, Suzanne Lahna!

Suzanne Lahna:  Suzanne has a B.A. in Professional Writing from Fitchburg State University, and has spent the past three years working as a technical writer for large and small businesses as well as medical practice, but her true love is fiction writing. She spent her formative years working as a copy editor for her college newspaper, interning at the Sentinel and Enterprise newspaper for the city of Fitchburg, as well as assisting students with all manners of scholastic essays as a writing associate. Her preferred genres are Urban Fantasy,Fantasy, Horror, Suspense, Historical Fiction, Young Adult, andDystopian Fiction.  Her e-mail address is suelahna@gmail.com.

When did you get your start with writing?

Writing got in my blood at a young age, and it’s a passion and obsession which has never let up. I first started when I was nine, and I’ve never really stopped. Many of my public-school years were spent getting lectured for working on my novels in class, instead of doing my homework. By thirteen, I had a 485-page high fantasy novel written. By eighteen, I’d finished the fifth draft of an urban fantasy novel which I’m still reworking today. In college I would jot down story ideas in class and write in the small hours of the morning and just before bed.

There’s nothing more thrilling for me than the process of story development, fostering these ideas and watching them come to life. There’s something magical about the whole process; how a single idea becomes thousands of words, characters and worlds, and sometimes entire new universes of existence. In the time I spent writing and talking with other writers, I developed a knack for improving my own work and others’—from cleaning up sentences to plot and character development. I had no idea that this was what an editor did until my undergrad years.

When did you first decide to become an editor?

I’ve wanted to be an editor since I was nineteen years old. I’ll never forget the look my college advisor gave me when I told him I wanted to switch my concentration from Literature to Professional Writing. He blinked at me over his desk and grinned through his massive ginger beard. “But Suzanne, you don’t have any interest in journalism!” And it was true, I didn’t. I still don’t, despite working and interning in that line of work. But I sat down, looked my mentor in the eye, and told him simply, “No, but I want to be an editor.”

What jobs have you worked since then that lead you to your new home at Word Vagabond?

Well, that day was six years ago. Since then, I have worked and interned in a slew of jobs, from the boring and technical to the truly bizarre. In college, I was picked to be a Writing Associate, assisting students with papers, and worked at the only place a beginning editor can—my college newspaper.

I went on to intern at the Fitchburg Sentinel & Enterprise, which taught me more about politics than actual editorial work. I came in second place in a campus-wide writing contest, losing the title and trophy by just one vote. I’ve had my work featured in the Fitchburg State University literary magazine, known as Route 2, and I’ve published a snippet of my main, pet-project novel in an online magazine called Strokes.

I worked at a printing press for a while to pay the bills, and I’ve written content for websites of all shapes and sizes, from medical practices to exotic dancers. I signed up for an oDesk and took any editing job that would have me, which included children’s fantasy stories. Then one day during a usual chat about the boredom of my work, I asked Alexis if she needed any extra help with work. This lead to a quick proofread, which became the job interview that brought me here.

What can clients anticipate when working with you?

You can anticipate a passionate and dedicated wordsmith who truly wants nothing more than to help you bring your ideas to life. From bouncing ideas around to cleaning up a troublesome piece of prose, I look forward to it all, and it’s that excitement that has always helped my clients to think in ways that often surprise themselves. Whether you’re having issues with pacing or simply need your manuscript proofread before you send it out into the world, I will be there with you every step of the way to bring your stories to life with you.