About Me
Hi, I'm Cathy.
I have 30 years of editing experience.
I earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Brigham Young University, and to top off that top-notch education, I was granted a prestigious Dow Jones News Fund editing internship.
Much of my editing work has been for newspapers, so I am well-versed in Associated Press style. But more recently my projects, including copy editing a magazine and book manuscripts, require Chicago Manual style, so I have added familiarity with that style to my skill set.
Words are my currency; even more, they are my lifeblood.
I love vocabulary and language, and I have been a walking thesaurus since college. I bring my passion for the written word to every project I undertake.
Reading voraciously since I was a preschooler is what created that passion. Books are hallowed ground for me! I have been a book reviewer since early in my journalism career, writing reviews for several newspapers I edited for. For two years, I got to be a book page editor, which was tremendously fun.
Because of my well-known love for books, many people would ask me for recommendations, so I started a website to share my reviews. Rated Reads is now going on 15 years old and has almost 2,000 reviews. What sets it apart from other review sites is that it gives content ratings along with the reviews, so readers who want to know about any potentially vulgar content can be forewarned.
On the most personal note, I am a mother of four and grandmother of three. If you even mention those grandchildren, I WILL show you photos.
Specialties
Editing for accuracy, grammar, & style usage (Associated Press or Chicago)
Proofreading
Reporting, reviewing, & editorial writing
Creative writing for adults & young readers
Nonfiction writing & research
Like Clean Reading?
Check out Rated Reads for book reviews that feature content advisories on almost 2,000 books!
