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Storia Book Editing and Coaching

 

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A good editor doesn’t rewrite words, she rewires synapses.

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                                                            —S. Kelley Harrell                                                

 

                         

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              Testimonials 

     from some of the amazing

     writers I’ve worked

     with . . .

 

Grazie infinite to my amazing editor, Jalina Mhyana. No one could have asked for a better friend, compatriot, collaborator, listener and champion.

                                                               

                            – Angela Guido, Author of Interview Hero: How to Ace your Interviews, Find your Voice,

                             and Direct the Narrative of your Life

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After carrying a memoir around on my shoulders for seventeen years,  I found Jalina. She is more than an editor. She is a visionary who expresses ambitions for her authors’ work they dare not dream for themselves.

                                                                                    – Joan Kovach, Author, 100 Mondays in Budapest​​

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Working with Jalina is nothing short of life-changing. She is amazing; disciplined, structured, creative, and a delight to work with. She will push and challenge you while ultimately yielding to your judgement. But perhaps best of all, she will believe in you and cheer you on. After 10 years of trying to finish a book, I am now finally a bestselling author thanks to Jalina. Could not have done it without her help.

                                                                                     —Angela Guido, Author, Interview Hero

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Jalina edited my fiction manuscript. Her work was thorough and she gave very insightful comments, from punctuation and grammar to the overall structure of the book, which greatly helped to improve and refine my writing.

 

                                                          —M.E. Walsh, Artistic Director, St. Mark’s Cultural Association;              

                                                             Founder, Florence Writers’ Group and Editor, Sigh Press

 

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After carrying a memoir around on my shoulders for seventeen years,  I found Jalina. She is more than an editor. She is a visionary who expresses ambitions for her authors’ work they dare not dream for themselves. Jalina is an educator, a personal trainer, and a cheerleader for those discouraged by the inevitable slumps when all one can think is, “Oh why bother?” 

She is an inspiration. I could not have reached this stage on my own.         

                                                                         —Joan Kovach, Author, 100 Mondays in Budapest

 

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I knew from the first edit that Jalina was the editor for my book of translated Tuscan fairy tales. She was clear, consistent and meticulous, and obviously had a good grasp of the tone I was trying to capture. I never felt as though her hand was heavier than strictly necessary. 

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     I’m a translator and author living in Florence and I first came in contact with Jalina in the context of a local writers group three or four years ago. As my trust in her grew through her thoughtful, constructive comments within the group, I knew that as soon as I had a manuscript ready for editing I wanted to hire her. 

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     That first project was a 60,000-word translation from Italian of a female author who has never before appeared in English. With Jalina’s attentive editing and support I secured an agent; an extract of my work was published in a specialized journal last autumn while the full manuscript is being considered (with help from my agent) by several top publishers in the US and the UK.

     I felt her bill was reasonable and fully justified for the work rendered. Since then, I have referred to Jalina for various projects, both works in progress and texts I felt were complete. I always welcome her comments as she is skilful in bringing positive points to the forefront so I can highlight them and equally proficient in suggesting ways to improve passages that miss the mark. When it comes to deeper, developmental aspects, her comments come with reason and insight.

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     Within our writing community here in Florence Jalina is highly regarded. I know of at least three authors who have used her services: one writing a memoir, another has successfully indie published a work of nonfiction, the third has a novel.  In two of the cases, I’ve seen their work before and after Jalina’s intervention and can confirm that her input was instrumental in moving the manuscript forward, preparing it for publication. I wholeheartedly recommend her services!

 

                                                                                  —Lori Hetherington, Author, Tuscan Tales

 

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Ms. Mhyana has become our go-to editor. She has been a great support since the beginning, not only owing to her good disposition and erudition but also thanks to her deep knowledge of the English language and her innate style of writing. I will definitely recommend Ms. Mhyana and I would love to work with her again in the future.

                                               —Pedro Canicoba, Editor-in-chief, Many of Them Magazine

 

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Working with Jalina on preparing my short stories for submission has been an absolute pleasure. Her critiques are clear and professional, and her knowledge of grammar and formatting are invaluable. Working with Jalina is like having an angel editor on your shoulder.

       

                                                                                                                                                 —Lynn Cole, Author