Interview with Editor and Author Christina Herrera

[image error] You recently started up an editing service, what made you take the leap?

It’s something I have always wanted to do. Holding a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing and serving as an intern with a publisher helped me feel more qualified. 

Since you read and edit for a living when it comes time to read for fun, are you able to read without analyzing the books?

It’s hard to find a read that I truly enjoy. I’ve always been a picky reader. However, attending all those classes at university helped me look at books with a more critical eye. 

What are some of your “not so well-liked” genres and why?

I am not a fan of horror stories or stories with a lot of language or graphic scenes. I believe that there are many ways to make a novel interesting–and it shouldn’t have to involve indecent content. When a novel is published, anyone is able to read it. I can’t even imagine putting out a book that wasn’t clean because I wouldn’t ever want to pollute the minds of others. Especially since children and younger teens now have access to the internet. 

You live in Tennessee, what is the reading and writing community like there?

I was more involved with it while I was at university. I’d like to become more integrated into local activities, but time never seems to permit me to do that. There are local authors around, but I believe we are very few in numbers. I know there are local RWA meetings in Nashville and Atlanta. I’m about two hours from both of those locations. Someday I would love to attend one of their meetings. 

Is there a book that you wished was made into a movie but has not been done?

I’d love to see my sister’s books become a movie. Her name is Cindy Ray Hale, and she’s the writer of the Destiny series. 

Since you’re also a writer, is it easy to catch your own mistakes in your manuscripts?

At first, it was a struggle to edit my own work. But over time I became better at fixing whatever went wrong. I used to not be able to notice plot holes in my stories, and sometimes, I still don’t. However, I have become better over the past several years at revising, editing, and applying feedback to my work.  

Do you listen to music while you edit, or do you have to have the room quiet?

I love to make YouTube playlists dedicated to the theme of each story. I have written a couple of scenes while I listened to music, but I prefer to write in a quieter environment.

Is their one genre you wish you could write in, but know it will never happen?

I started writing a fantasy with strong romantic elements a few months back. But I wrote it during a busy semester at school, so I only got through the first 40 pages or so. Sometimes it feels like it will never be finished. And yet, at the same time, I really believe that if I did finish it that it could truly be good work. Only time will tell. 

 

You can follow and contact Christina regarding her editing services by checking out her:

Newsletter, Blog, Author Facebook Page, Editing Facebook Page, and Twitter.