Dark Quest Editor: Meriah Crawford

Meriah Crawford is a writer, an assistant professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, and a private investigator. She has also been a horseback riding instructor, library page, programmer, prepress tech, graphic designer, technical editor, software tester, systems analyst, program manager, and has even been paid to put M&Ms into little baggies for bingo.
Meriah’s published writing includes short stories, a variety of non-fiction work, and a poem about semi-colons. A few of her most recent publications include a story about a promise kept; a story about an artist, set in 17th century Germany; and the real explanation for the Virginia Earthquake. For more information, visit www.mlcrawford.com.


1.      Tell us how you came to work with Dark Quest.I’m not employed by DQ. My co-editor Day al Mohamed and I developed an anthology: Trust and Treachery: Tales of Power and Intrigue. Once the book was complete, we pitched it to DQ and they bought it. This process was great for us for a number of reasons. It was our first anthology project, so getting a publisher in advance wasn’t a practical option. And we’d met the publisher Neal Levin and several others from DQ at conventions, so we knew them and liked them, and we knew we could work together.
2.      What does your job entail? Day and I came up with a concept, found cover art by a fantastic Turkish artist, and I designed the cover. We put together a website and sent out a call for stories. And from there, it was “simply” a matter of reading 440+ stories and selecting the very best. Once we had our stories and signed contracts, I went through a detailed editing process with each author. Once that was done, we spoke with Neal and then sent him our manuscript. He made us an offer veryquickly, and we had a deal. Day also wrote a foreword for the book, and I wrote an afterword, in the form of a comic. And of course, we’ve both been involved in the promotion process.
3.      What do you enjoy most about being an editor? I’m a slow editor, but I think I’m great at it. Helping the authors to refine their stories and make them better--usually in small ways, but sometimes in large ways--is quite gratifying. Often, it’s the details that really make a story great. Not every anthology editor does much editing, but I have a ton of experience at editing and working with people on their writing, and it’s a process I’m quite comfortable with. This approach also allowed us to accept some stories that had real issues, but that we knew would be fantastic with a bit of work.
4.      What have your experiences been like working with the authors?Nearly all of them were so fantastic. They’ve been enthusiastic about the project, appreciative of our efforts, and quick to respond. Not all of them, of course—but what we ended up with is a book I’m enormously proud of!
5.      What is the hardest part of being an editor?The editing. J Sometimes, authors are reluctant to change something that doesn’t make sense or just doesn’t work. I understand that, because I’ve been that person myself—though I usually don’t argue with editors. As a writer as well as an editor, I know how important it is to maintain a positive working relationship with the editor, and to take a step back from the story and really think about what’s being proposed in the way of changes. Editors aren’t always right, of course, but if you’re going to argue, it has to happen in a very calm, diplomatic way, with a carefully-thought-out and non-defensive explanation.
6.      And what is the best part?
The end result. In this case, we have a book I’m extremely proud of. It looks beautiful, and the stories inside are outstanding. And we’ve had enough positive reviews and recognition of the quality of the work that I know we built something really special.
7.      Last question; If you could bring any book/movie/TV show to life, what would it be and why? I am such a big Star Trek fan—I would really love to have a new series on television. And none of that prequel or new timeline nonsense. They ought to base something on Starfleet Command and Starfleet Academy. I have a whole plan in mind—all they have to do is call me. My ideas are so brilliant, I can essentially guarantee its success. In the meantime, I’m pretty excited about Star Trek Axanar, which I backed on Kickstarter and follow on Facebook. Very cool project!