More to Crow About

Craig Evans, Licensed Realtor at Silvercreek Realty Group

After writing a memoir/self-help manuscript with 46,000 words, I felt there were a few loose ends, but couldn’t seem to convey those thoughts to paper—I felt stuck in the story. After receiving Karen’s first edit, I knew I’d found the right editor. Somehow she managed to keep my voice while making edits and suggestions. Her developmental edits and feedback gave me just the inspiration I needed to put on paper what I wanted the book to convey to help the reader. I don’t know how she does it. Karen is serving humanity one book at a time. Thank you so much, Karen.

Shay Kelley, Author

Karen’s expertise and positive feedback and suggestions have made me a more conscious writer as I process and evaluate my work. I analyze and evaluate my work to be sure I am aware that I am saying what I intend to say. It has been a long process back, following a stroke, to be confident again on my writing. Thanks for all your help, Karen; you have helped me overcome barriers.

Aaron Hunnel, Author

“Karen helped bring my story to life by editing my manuscript and giving me thoughtful recommendations to enhance my stories. Her attention to detail, creativity and professionalism make Karen a top notch partner for any business endeavor you seek. I highly recommend her services.”

Shonda Brown White, Author

“​I recently worked with Karen on my book and she was my editor. She was wonderful and taught me so much even within this single project. I’m looking forward to using her again in the future.”

Athanasios Rozou, Attorney at Law

“​Working with Karen is always a pleasure. She is not only a professional and conscientious editor, but also a perfectionist. She won’t stop editing your manuscript until it really shines. I am very satisfied.”

Jayne Heggen, CEO​Heggen Group

“When it comes to business writing… give me a Powerpoint doc, Visio workflow or a tweet and I’m golden. When it comes to writing my own storyline, I’m all thumbs. That’s where Karen came in and saved me! She looked at all my factual stuff and then began to weave a story that people could really read and understand! I am in awe of her talent and skills, a true professional. Importantly, I am honored she could take the time to help me while authoring her own books and maintaining her publishing business. Final note, she’s a great teacher, listener and supporter. I highly recommend Karen to anyone with a writing need and intend to engage her in several more projects going forward.”

Johnny B. Dunn, Playwright

“Words with depth, structure smooth and poetic, and a level of professionalism unmatched by other writers I have worked with, best describes my experience working with Karen. She holds such command of the English language that it has been a pleasure and relief to find someone so capable of leading me through the journey of crafting and polishing my thoughts to the page.”When I began my search for a writer, I had hoped to find someone capable of anticipating my needs and expectations. Karen works very quickly and accurately. Her work ethic has helped me stay on task to diligently complete my work. I would highly recommend Karen to anyone who seeks creative and professional hand holding through the development process. She easily adapts her voice to ensure consistency. She manages her time to achieve and in most cases, exceed timelines. She ensures there is alignment before moving forward minimizing the need for rework due to lack of clarity.”I encourage anyone in need of a quality product to engage Karen to help mold and polish their fact or fiction. From blogs to novels, I have extreme confidence in Karen’s capabilities and drive to get me where I need to go with the level of sophistication I know my audience expects of me.”

By Leonard Bernard, Jr., PMP, CSM

“​Karen is an exceptional fantasy writer. I am working with her in a few projects and I could not be more happy with her attention to details, delivery times, and professionalism.”

Kyle Galindez, Author

“I hired Karen Smith to review my unpublished, high fantasy manuscript. I asked Karen to provide a general critique and answer some specific questions I had. Karen was extremely helpful, identifying several problems that needed to be corrected. These included problems related to character development, world-building, and the quality of writing. I appreciated Karen’s attention to detail and her breadth of knowledge, especially regarding topics I knew little about.”It was gratifying to know Karen enjoyed my story, but I was more thankful for her honest and thoughtful criticisms. I am also grateful for Karen’s advice in improving my story and for answering follow-up questions I had upon receiving the critique. I highly recommend writers of any genre to consider enlisting Karen Smith as a critic or editor, especially new or inexperienced writers.”

Cindy Draughon, Freelance Editor

“​I’ve edited more than 60 manuscripts in the last several months, as well as prodigious amounts of documents written by senior-level executives over the course of five years. Rarely have I found someone who writes as well as Karen. Her thoughts are lucid and well-organized and, in my opinion, her skills really shine when it comes to fiction flavored with paranormal nuances. She masterfully draws 3-D or even 4-D characters and weaves stories the reader does not want to put down, even to grab a bite to eat. Karen is a prolific writer, and when I asked how she manages that…she said if she didn’t write, her mind would explode. Now that’s the sign of a true writer!”

Greg Laux, Marketing Committee​Wallcovering Installers Association

“I just wanted to say thanks and congratulations for making us appear far more polished than we really are!”That was a pleasure to read and the wordcraft involved made [the newsletter] an easy–and enticing—flow. I am betting our members will find similarly. Thank you for both your skills and the time you have devoted to upholding our professionalism.”

Charles Leveilee

“Wonderful experience to work with Karen, effortless to communicate with her. She’s super knowledgeable how to write an excellent article. Hope to work again with you.”

John Guagliardo, Ph.D., Executive Director​World Library Foundation

“I have had the distinct pleasure of being able to work with Karen for the past several years. During that time, she has done a wonderful job as the World Library Foundation’s monthly newsletter’s senior editor. Karen created the page layouts, wrote articles, and edited the articles of the other four staff writers. We could not have done it without her. She never was late or under preformed. Karen was always a pleasure to work with.”​I wanted to post this recommendation, to express my sincere appreciation for all she had done to help our Foundation.”

Mary Hoy

“Highly recommended writer. High quality work!”

Dominic Brogsdale, Author

“And a very special thank-you to my consultant and editor, Karen M. Smith (Hen House Publishing). She’s extremely professional. She edits your work quickly and gets it back to you fast. She fixed grammar and punctuation, gives top-notch advice, and wants nothing but the best for you and from you. Anything else you can think of in terms of writing she does and she does it well.”I produce 7,000- to 15,000-word stories and Karen gets it back to me within one to three days! If she’s late or working on it because she’s assisting another, she has the courtesy to get back to you and let you know she’s a bit behind: you can’t beat that type of professionalism. Karen also helped me with a public reading of my story, ‘Evil On Top of Evil: Part 2.’ I needed it within 24 hours; she got it back to me with in a couple of hours and sent me three different formats. Again, you can’t beat that type of professionalism. She’s been wonderful.”