Meet The Editor
Hello! I’m Abby—a freelance editor for Christian writers and the human behind Shining Waters Editorial. I’ve always been drawn to words, from my early days of devouring tween and teen magazines and penning rhyming poetry to my career pursuits as a writer, editor, and content marketer. I’m an avid consumer of books and digital content, and I’ve been honing my editorial expertise for nearly two decades.
On a personal note, my husband and I have been married for fifteen years, and we’ve been blessed with three wild and wonderful boys. Yes, I’m a boy mom who is learning every day how to be the best version of myself for my sons. As a family, we love movies, trail walks, games, pizza, and Jesus. We also enjoy soaking up the experiences each season brings here in our lovely Midwestern state of Indiana.
Background & Qualifications
My professional editorial journey started about twenty years ago. Since then, I’ve amassed experience with relevant tools and resources, such as word processors, document and content management systems, design software, dictionaries, and style guides. Most often, you’ll find me hanging out with Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Adobe Acrobat, Canva, The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, The Chicago Manual of Style, or The Christian Writer’s Manual of Style.
I have a bachelor’s degree from University of Indianapolis, where I completed a major in communications (with an emphasis in journalism) and a minor in writing/publishing. I graduated summa cum laude and received the Outstanding Student in Journalism award my senior year. Currently, I’m a gold member of The Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network and a member of the Christian Editor Connection.
I’ve been an independent editor since May 2023. In that time, I’ve worked on more than one hundred projects, including long-form books, Bible studies, kids picture books, journals, planners, workbooks, and magazine issues. In total, I’ve edited more than 15,000 pages. Here are a few of the manuscripts I’ve helped refine:
Before becoming a freelance editor for Christian writers, I spent seven years as an editor for an educational publishing company serving adult learners and eight years as a marketing content writer, editor, and manager for a B2B software company. I also volunteered as a blog editor for a Christian church for seven years. And I’ve been a board member for a local literary nonprofit since 2020.
About Shining Waters Editorial
Shining Waters Editorial partners with Christian writers, authors, publishers, ministries, nonprofits, and small businesses to refine and elevate their written words. As a freelance editor for Christian writers, I help shape and polish books, Bible studies, devotionals, magazine articles, journals, planners, blog posts, newsletters, web pages, and more.
The name Shining Waters Editorial is inspired by the beloved novel Anne of Green Gables. The first time Anne Shirley sees Barry’s Pond, she imaginatively dubs it Lake of Shining Waters. I love this imagery and its reflection of God’s beauty, and the name reminds me of the many nature references in the Bible.
In my editorial work, I focus on five core values:
- Faith | Put God first
- Intentionality | Make purposeful decisions
- Goodness | Spread hope
- Learning | Lean into curiosity
- Quality | Raise the bar