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About Me

Good evening! I’m Cara Walker, a developmental book editor in Indiana.

I help authors bring out the best in their stories and craft books their readers will love and obsess over.

Portrait of the editor as a young woman with brown hair and glasses, smiling

Cara Walker, Developmental Editor
Founder of Midnight Quill Story Development Services
Unabashed Nerd

Experience & Education

Informally since 2019 and formally since 2021, I’ve helped authors in many genres strengthen their stories, deepen their craft knowledge, and even find the light in their stories again. 

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I've trained with professional organizations like the Editorial Freelancer’s Association (EFA), Editorial Arts Academy (EAA), and Club Ed to hone my developmental editing and develop adjacent editorial services. Even though I’m a professional, that doesn’t mean I’ll stop learning – continuing education is an important part of my business as editing best practices and conscious language evolves.

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As for education, I have a bachelor’s degree in English with a Creative Writing concentration and Spanish literature from Indiana University Bloomington, where I graduated with high honors after taking every elective I could about science fiction and fantasy.

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A year of that degree was spent at the University of Oxford at St. Anne’s College, where I kept my writings trained on the weird, magical, and feminine aspects of literature, from Chaucer to the Victorian era. 

Genre Specialties

I specialize in: 

  • Fantasy (adult & YA)

    • Especially epic fantasy, high fantasy, urban fantasy, grimdark, and crossovers.

  • Science fiction (adult & YA) 

    • Especially ​soft sci-fi, space opera, dystopian, and post-apocalyptic. 

  • Speculative fiction (adult & YA)

    • Especially magical realism and gothic fiction. 

  • Literary fiction (adult)

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I'm also comfortable editing stories that feature violence, mature themes, gore, and any level of spice (sexual content). 

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I am happy to beta-read and do manuscript evaluations for any and all genres! For developmental edits, I edit within my genre specialties because I am most familiar with the expectations, tropes, and executions of these genres. Contact me if you have any questions!

Training & Professional Memberships

  • Editorial Freelancer's Association (EFA) - Developmental Editing Suite (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)

  • EFA - Introduction to Professional Beta Reading

  • EFA - Book Mapping for Fiction

  • EFA - Line Editing (Intermediate)

  • Editorial Arts Academy (EAA) - Introduction to Developmental Editing

  • EAA - Developmental Editing Practicum

  • Club Ed - Editing Science Fiction and Fantasy

  • Club Ed - Editing Query Letters, Synopses, and More

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Personal Details & Interests

Oh, me? I’m the grown-up version of the kid who got in trouble for reading in math class.

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I live in northeast Indiana, USA, with my family. I connect with a network of writers and creatives that has been absolutely central to my journey so far. I can only hope that I can be as helpful to them as they have been to me.

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I have most of the typical editor hobbies, like reading, writing, playing video games, nerding out over select fandoms (ask me about Dragon Age: Inquisition, I dare you!), and staying cozy indoors no matter the weather. I also enjoy cooking, dogsitting, music of all kinds, daydreaming (who doesn’t need an escape from reality every once in a while?), and affectionately bothering my newfangled husband.

Acknowledgements

Logo design by Nicholas J. Klein of NJ ProductionsPhotos by Pexels, StoryBlocks, and Freepik (licensing provided by NJ Productions).

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