Testimonials

People are talking.

“Julie did an outstanding job on my book, Little Loose Ends, literally working through a hurricane to meet my deadline and get the manuscript back to me. I appreciate her attention to detail, sense of humor, and dedication to the craft of writing. I’m very pleased with the results, and I plan to hire her again in the future.”  Bonnie Traymore, author of Killer Motives and Little Loose Ends, the first two books in the popular Hudson Valley mystery series.

I chose Julie MacKenzie after a careful evaluation of several editors, and I’m glad I did. She caught many important errors in my novel, Yesterday’s Thief, and I will be using her for all my future books. She’s a pleasure to work with, suggesting manuscript changes with just the right tone. Thanks, Julie.” Al Macy, author of the best seller Conclusive Evidence as well as the popular Eric Beckman and Jake Corby series.

A.M. Yates, the USA Today bestselling author of The Summoners series, The Horizon Cycle, and The Stealer series, had this to say. “Julie is an excellent editor and a real pro. Aside from catching all those pesky missing articles, her suggested revisions have made my writing stronger without interfering with my personal style and the genre demands. I’ve worked with other freelance editors, but since working with Julie, I now consider her MY editor. Which makes writing this review tricky, because she’s so awesome, I want to keep her secret.”

“I hired Julie at the recommendation of a writer friend (Al Macy, bestselling author of Conclusive Evidence) and I couldn’t be happier. She found issues missed by beta readers and critique partners, including a couple that made me facepalm as I was revising. She is professional and tactful, and I know my book is better now that’s she’s worked on it. Hire her!” Allison Maruska, author of the popular Project Renovatio series and the forthcoming Dreams of Justice.

“I worked with Julie on The Last Raid. It was, as they say, a mess. It would not come, and I forced it. Therefore, it needed a lot of work, and I needed the right editor. Julie is the kind of editor I had always heard about but never had the pleasure to work with. I’ve been publishing since 2013 and have never run into an editor this good. 

“She did everything from suggesting deletions that made the story move faster, to catching continuity problems, to asking questions about terminology she was not familiar with, making sure I’d thought about its use in the context of the story.

“Her work made the book better, not just grammatically correct. To me there is no higher praise for an editor.” Rod Carstens, author of the popular Blood War series.

More Than a Soldier is my sixth novel. You’re the third editor I’ve dealt with. I can say this without an ounce of reservation, you are, by far, the best I’ve ever worked with. I have nothing critical to say about the other editors from my past. In fact, both did an excellent job. But in all honesty, your skills far surpass any other editor I’ve encountered. I am stunned by your attention to detail and your keen eye.  I just wanted you to know that I think you’re awesome and appreciate the exceptional job you did. I will refer fellow writers in need of an editor to you. That’s a promise. Thanks for doing such a thorough job.” D.M. Annechino, author of the Sami Rizzo series.

“Julie recently edited my first book and I am thrilled!  As a new writer stumbling along with lots of passion but little knowledge, her editing, advice, and help with some modest revisions was invaluable. I feel an enormous confidence that I didn’t before, because I know that with her excellent assistance my first book will be recognized as professional quality.  I feel so blessed to have found her. She is the real deal, folks. I cannot give her a more marvelous and robust recommendation!

“Thanks, Julie! You are the best.” Captain Tom Struve, author of  All about Towboats, Deckhand Days, and Pilothouse Days.

“I found Julie MacKenzie through recommendations at Writer’s Cafe on kboards.com. I couldn’t be more pleased with her work. She was conscientious about correcting my grammar and spelling, and she even corrected a mistake I’d made in listing the title of one of my older books. Best of all, she doesn’t try to change your voice or change your writing to conform to some academic standard. Her comments identified unclear passages and offered suggestions but left it to me to decide whether to make any changes. So many Kindle readers complain about poor editing in books. I’m glad I found Julie so you won’t be reading that complaint, at least, about my books.” Liz Louis

“Julie is clever, insightful and wry. She makes my writing better and keeps it my writing. Her edits are sharp and to the point, yet never painful. Writers need editing. I always look forward to Julie’s comments.”  Ken Toppell, author of the Atkinsons series soon to be published by Brown Books.

“Okay, here’s the plan. After Julie’s stellar work on my novel Sammy’s Party, which is certain to remain for a minimum of thirty-five weeks as number 1 on The New York Times Best Seller List, she will become my personal editor. I will pay her enough to leave yachts for tips when she and her husband go out for dinner.  You other suckas need to find yourself another editor. Capiche?” Bob Walter Underwood, author of the forthcoming Sammy’s Party.

“Julie MacKenzie from Free Range Editorial is a lifesaver! After working with a mediocre editor on my first book, I was desperate to find someone better for books two and three. But because I had written a trilogy, I was nervous about switching editors. Would the new editor take the time to read the first book? Would the editing be consistent? Julie exceeded my expectations! She was thorough, thoughtful, and extremely easy to work with. Her comments were comprehensive, actionable, and helpful. Going through Julie’s edits was a breeze, which made the entire process extremely enjoyable. Without a doubt, not only did Julie help my words come to life, she made my books better. I can’t recommend her enough.” Lisa Caskey, author of The Farmed trilogy.

“I was so happy to have found Julie MacKenzie of Free Range Editorial when I needed an editor for my latest novel, The Prodigal. I found myself with someone I could trust, who truly cared about my book. It was wonderful to have this solid support and expert eye to help me make my book the best it could be. The fact that I write in British English was no problem at all, as Julie is so experienced in all forms of the English language. I look forward to working with her again.” Susanne O’Leary, author of the popular Kerry Romance series.

I’m so glad I found Julie MacKenzie at Free Range Editorial. I won’t publish another book without her assistance. She knows every good rule for present-day writing, every exception to those rules, and the reasons behind those rules. (She knows why that last sentence requires an Oxford, or serial, comma even though I don’t ordinarily use one.) She also finds the bloopers all writers somehow can’t get rid of down to their final, this-one-goes-to-the-editor draft. Best of all, for authors who don’t yet know her, she provides free samples of what she’ll do for what they’ve written. And here’s another plus for writers who want the reading world to know they’re professionals: Julie is a joy to work with.” Ron Fritsch, author of Elizabeth Daleiden on Trial, His Grandfather’s House, and the award-winning Promised Valley series.

“When I was ready to publish my first book I was nervous about working with an editor.  My biggest fear was having my story ripped apart. Julie helped ease my mind with a free sample of what she could do to make my manuscript better. She earned my trust by proving to me that she was just as concerned about remaining true to my vision as I was. We took the dive of working together and haven’t looked back. My first book continues to get rave reviews and we just finished my second. Julie is easy to work with and highly competent. If you don’t understand something she is more than happy to explain it. I always expect value when I spend money–Julie does not let me down. She is a delight to work with!” Brad Carl, author of Grey Areas: The Saga.

Thanks, Julie, for the amazing job on Green Kill$. Working with you was pure joy as is always the case when working with professionals!!!!!!!” Avi Domoshevizki, best-selling author of Green Kills and In the Wrong Hands.

 “Julie was a perfect fit for Kip the Quick. She understood my voice, found all those squirrely little grammar problems that get glossed over in the creative process and gave lots of great notes that helped me understand my own process with the end result that the story was that much better. She will be the go-to editor for future Kip the Quick books. Thank you, Julie!”  Clifton Hill, now hard at work on a second Kip book.

“Julie MacKenzie at Free Range Editorial has edited well over two hundred thousand words of my fiction in genres from action/adventure to sci-fi/mystery and every time I review her edits with excitement. Frankly, that’s an understatement. More like a giddy little schoolgirl. I know she is only going to improve my work and can’t wait to see how. Her comments are always spot on, and often funny too. Sometimes, after going over my stuff with a fine-tooth comb, I feel confident. Then I get the edits back and realize once again just how utterly important it is for an author to have a good editor. Julie is that editor. Timely, professional, and a real fan of fiction giving her added insight in how to best make a story work. Wish I could keep her to myself, but then that would be kidnapping.”  T.B. Ray, author of Hour 13.

Erez Aharoni, in Fire in a Haystack, thanked me for my “wonderful and smart English editing and proofreading.”

“Thank you for your wonderful edit.  I so appreciate it.  And thank you for the comments.  I’m grateful for them.  This was well spent money.  There were more issues than I expected considering I did have a copy edit. . . . I’m so glad I didn’t scrimp and forgo you.  You are definitely worth it.” Gea Haff, author of  Anne Brontë: Night Walker.

Thanks for the kind words!