THE HISTORICAL FICTION COMPANY
STORY
A little about me and The Historical Fiction Company. My name is D. K. Marley and for as long as I can remember, I loved reading books.
Meandering through a bookshop, scanning covers, reading book blurbs and first lines, opening a new book and sniffing (yep, you know you have all done it!), gathering two or three (or ten) to add to my already huge TBR pile, while the aroma of coffee or tea permeates the air around me - well, this is my idea of a perfect outing.
And my go-to genre is ALWAYS historical fiction. It's what I love to read, and what I love to write. And to have my own bookshop, somewhere to support fellow authors, has always been a dream of mine.
And so, this website was born out of my love for books, and a dream.
WRITING. BOOKSHOPS. TEA (or COFFEE). HISTORICAL FICTION. A PERFECT COMBO.
It is my hope to create a place of support and creativity for writers just starting out, as well as well-established pros. I hope you enjoy the site!!
As head graphic designer at White Rabbit Arts, I bring my 35+ years experience in graphic design work, specializing in logo design, book and magazine layouts, cover designs, and branding.
D. K. Marley, Owner / Manager / Head Graphic Designer of HFC
Our Freelance Team
RIANA EVERLY
THE HISTORICAL FICTION CLUB
ADMINISTRATOR & HFP BLOG WRITER
HFC EDITORIAL REVIEWER
My travels through life have taken me from the southern tip of Africa to the Arctic tundra, and wherever I've gone, I've likely held a book in my hands. I recall leaving South Africa when I was a child, holding a doll in one hand and a Famous Five mystery in the other. Canada was an adventure, and soon Nancy Drew replaced Enid Blyton. But there was always a book. And when I wasn't reading, I was sitting with a pile of paper or notebook and a pen, scribbling down my own stories to be put away but never forgotten.
History soon became another love, those stories from the past that beckoned. A degree in music history was followed by graduate work in Medieval Studies, and as a musician I specialized in period Baroque and Classical performance style. Being so immersed in studying the past and bringing it to life, is it any wonder I fell in love with historical fiction?
Now I live in Toronto, Canada, with my family. I mostly write about the early nineteenth century in England and in Canada, and about the world brought to life by Jane Austen, but I read and enjoy all manner of historical fiction, as well as mysteries and anything good. When not reading or writing, I can probably be found concocting something in the kitchen, or out on some long ramble somewhere with my camera. Because you never know where inspiration will strike.
RIANA'S LINKS:
www.rianaeverly.com
www.facebook.com/RianaEverly
www.amazon.com/RianaEverly/e/B076C6HY27
EMAIL: riana.everly@gmail.com
THE HISTORICAL FICTION CLUB
CHRYSTYNA LUCYK-BERGER
THE HISTORICAL FICTION CLUB
ADMINISTRATOR
Hello! I'm Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger. I was born in Minnesota in 1969 and grew up in the culture-rich neighborhood of "Nordeast" Minneapolis. I started my writing career with short stories, travel narratives, worked as a journalist, and then as a managing editor for a magazine publisher before jumping the editor's desk and pursuing my dreams of writing and traveling. In 2000, I moved to western Austria and established my own communications training company. I have won several awards for my short stories and novels and now primarily writes historical fiction. During a trip into northern Italy over the Reschen Pass, I stood on the edge of Reschen Lake and desperately wanted to understand how a 15th-century church tower ended up sticking out of the water. What stories were lying beneath? Some eight years later, I launched the "Reschen Valley" series with five books and a novella releasing between 2018 and 2021, in parallel to my WW2 novels and short story collections.
For more on my writing life, dive in at:
www.inktreks.com
JONATHAN C. DIXON
AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR
40 years of acting and reenacting experience. Strong rich baritone, but great with accents.
Your work defines you. It is your creation. You have dedicated your life to bring this creation to life. You have an idea on how it should sound clearly in mind. Although a novice to this arena I have been acting semi professionally since I was 12 years old, performing on stage and in open air arenas. My greatest strength is that I bring words to life in the style you want them delivered. I have a wide range of accents at my disposal and study regional variations before attempting recording. I research my roles thoroughly to get the "feel" of the character. I leave nothing to chance. Conversely I am open to criticism and alterations. I will not audition unless I believe that I can add something to your writing. My main ethos is to get the book sounding as YOU the author intend. I liaise regularly and provide updates to progress, and receive feedback before proceeding. I have spent the last 20 years raising my family together with my wife of nearly 30 years. Now with my children grown and forging their way in the world I am now free to pursue something my friends have been encouraging me to do for years. At 56 I have gone through every emotion perceivable and can convey that through narration adding rich nuances to the written word. Simply put, I am new to this industry. I am fresh to the market, but hungry to do well. What I lack in experience in this genre I have done in others. All I can say is please listen to my uploads. I am happy to answer any questions you may have.
2018. Blood and Ink by DK Marley
2019 The Road to Balcombe Street, the IRA Reign of Terror by Dr Steven P Moysey
2019 The Smuggler of Reschen Valley by Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger
2020 Souvenirs from Kiev by Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger
ACX PROFILE:
https://www.acx.com/narrator?p=A16ANR7DK20RZN
ALMA ALEXANDER
LINE & DEVELOPMENTAL EDITOR
My life so far has prepared me very well for my chosen career. I was born in a country which no longer exists on the maps, lived and worked in seven countries on four continents (and in cyberspace!), climbed mountains, dived in coral reefs, flown small planes, swam with dolphins, and touched two-thousand-year-old tiles in a gate out of Babylon.
I am a novelist, anthologist, and short story writer who currently shares my life between the Pacific Northwest of the USA (where I live with two obligatory writer's cats) and the wonderful fantasy worlds of my own imagination.
You can find out more about me and my books, as well as more information about my editorial and mentoring availability, on my website at www.almaalexander.org.
Other links of interest:
Amazon author page: https://amzn.to/2N6xE9u)
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlmaAlexander
Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAlmaAlexander/
Patreon https://www.patreon.com/AlmaAlexander
JULIA UNDERWOOD
PROOFREADER & LINE EDITOR
Based in the UK, I am a London University graduate who once worked for a
major publishing house. Since retiring, I have been a writer and freelance copy/line editor for many years. I have clients in several
countries including the United States, Germany, France and Ethiopia.
Many of my clients are people for whom English is a second language.
I am a writer of historical novels and that is my favourite genre, although I have no particular preference in what genre I edit as, in publishing, I did not have a choice. My goals are thoroughness, precision, and the pleasure I get in helping authors make their work the
best it can be.
I offer a short editing sample (about 1500 words) so that I can evaluate your work and you can see what I do and decide if you would like to work with me. I supply a quotation based on the amount of work that may need
to be done and charge by the thousand words. At present, on average, this is about $9 per thousand words - 50% in advance and 50% on
completion - or we can arrange a payment plan if you need that.
SARA MILLER
PROOFREADER, LINE &
DEVELOPMENTAL EDITOR
Hi, everyone! I am Sara Miller, and I have a BA in Fine Arts from Hendrix College. I worked as a freelance editor and proofreader since 2008 in both indie and traditional publishing, and I have run my own business—Pretty Little Book Editing full time since 2015.
My Social Media Links are:
Pretty Little Book Editing Business Facebook Page—
Instagram @saramiller85, @prettylittlebookediting
Twitter @saraandgizmo
LikList @Saramiller709
LAURIE COCHRANE
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Highly experienced editor, writer, and proofreader with concentrated work in corporate communications, including annual, sustainability and corporate responsibility reports, as well as non-fiction projects, magazines (Kitchen Drawer, Griffin GA), and published fiction novels. Engaging blog posts, press releases, marketing, and team training materials. Equally comfortable with print and interactive. On project teams for some of the largest global corporations and nonprofits in a vast range of industries to refine and clarify their message to stakeholders.
Intensive copy editing, writing, and/or proofreading work for clients that include: Campbell Soup Company, Caterpillar, Chick-fil-A, Clorox, Coca-Cola Enterprises, Delta Air Lines, Duke Energy, General Motors, Grady Health System, Hilton, Hitachi, LabCorp, Lowe’s, Manheim, MassMutual, Mitsubishi, Newell-Rubbermaid, Nissan, Office Depot, Panasonic, Phillips 66, Rollins, Synchrony Financial, The Task Force for Global Health, Toyota, UPS, Walmart and Yamaha, among many others.
To have Laurie work on your next historical fiction novel in proofreading or line editing, please message us to request a consultation or her availability.
MARY ANNE YARDE
THE COFFEE POT BOOK CLUB
FOUNDER
Mary Anne Yarde is a multi-award-winning and bestselling author of Historical Fiction, as well as being an award-winning blogger. She studied History at Cardiff University and went on to study Equine Science at Warwickshire College.
Mary Anne is a passionate advocate for quality Historical Fiction and became a professional Editorial Reviewer in 2016. She has worked closely with publishing houses, and authors (both traditionally and independently published) to successfully market their books.
When Mary Anne is not promoting books, she tutors History from Year 5 to Year 10. She is also a member of The Historical Novel Society.
THE COFFEE POT BOOK CLUB
CATHIE DUNN
THE COFFEE POT BOOK CLUB
SOCIAL MEDIA AND BLOG TOUR
COORDINATOR
Cathie Dunn is a writer of award-winning, Amazon-bestselling historical fiction, mystery, and romance.
Ever since she learned to read, she has enjoyed losing herself in books and stories. For several years, she reviewed novels for the Historical Novel Society in the UK, and she has been an active reviewer for a number of blog tour providers on both sides of the Atlantic. She loves reading a wide range of books, but her favourite genres continue to be historical fiction (including various sub-genres) and romantic women’s fiction.
In her spare time, she loves exploring historic sites and uncovering hidden (hi)stories.
Cathie is a member of the Historical Novel Society and the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi).
THE COFFEE POT BOOK CLUB
PROOFREADER
CLAIRE SELISHTA
HELEN MCNAUGHT
COPY EDITOR
Hello, my name is Claire Selishta. I am originally from the UK but I am now living in Tenerife. I have recently set myself up as a freelance copy editor and proofreader. In my previous employment I was a sales and events manager in which I was proofreading all kinds of documents before they went out to the public. I have a degree in history and during lockdown I completed a level 5 diploma in copy editing and proofreading. I have also had experience proofreading my daughters and her friend's university course essays and dissertations.
I am an avid reader and love historical fiction and non-fiction. I like other genres as well but I have a great love for history.
I am a very meticulous worker and love challenges; every piece of work will be given the same conscientious diligence.
I provide a tailormade service at an extremely high standard and at the moment I am offering discounts in exchange for a testimonial to build up my portfolio.
I will edit, proofread a sample of your work, between 1000 and 1500 words so you can see what I do and then you decide if you would like to work with me.
I ask for 50% on signing of a contract before I start then 50% on completion.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any queries.
Email: selishtaclaire@gmail.com
Instagram: @claireselishta
Twitter: @Selishtaclaire
I’m a New Zealander and my main editing language is British English, but I'm comfortable with US, Australian and Canadian English. If you’re a US writer setting your work in the UK, I can help ensure your characters don't put cream in their cups of tea and other similar cultural crimes, and that the words you use are the ones used in England rather than the US.
As a copyeditor, I don't just check spelling, punctuation, and grammar. I look for consistency in word usage, make sure character names stay the same and that no one's eyes change colour half-way through the book. I look at the sequencing of the story to make sure things happen logically and that characters know what they're meant to, when they're meant to, and not before. I keep an eye on how characters develop, and make sure everyone has the right rank or title. As a historical specialist, I have a knack for identifying words, ideas and things that are anachronistic, and recommending alternatives better suited to the time period. And I do all the technical bits of style, like the correct formatting for abbreviations, contractions, numbers and dates, and ensuring all your en and em dashes, and quotation and speech marks are consistent and behaving in an orderly manner.
I like to do a sample edit of around 1500 words, ideally from the middle of your book – that gives me the opportunity to look at the work involved and you get to see if my approach works for you. I’ll give you a quote and if you accept, it’s 50% upfront and 50% on completion.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helen.mcnaught.33/
Contact: helen.mcnaught@xtra.co.nz
Paypal email: helen.mcnaught@xtra.co.nz