Crayle edits fiction novels of all lengths, with a focus in fantasy and sci-fi.
She is currently booked or on leave until May, 2025. You can still inquire about her availability using the form at the bottom of this page, or ask questions to determine if Crayle’s services are the best fit for your manuscript.
On how she became the sort of person who helps writers, she says:
“An instructor suggested I become an English Literature tutor when I was 16. Nerd alert, right? But I accepted, and I learned to measure what students wrote against the stated goals in a rubric.
At 21, I spent time in career services, teaching resume writing. When applicants only have a single page to paint a picture of themselves, every word you use needs to have the right connotation, and describe what you mean as accurately and succinctly as possible.
Shortly after that, I began working in marketing, where I spent 7 years learning different brand manuals, different writing voices, and different styles of communication. I often presented on those topics and trained employees or new co-workers.
Through it all, I never stopped reading fiction. So I was pleased as punch to be asked to beta read a few times before one of my author friends hired me to edit a novella.
Those varied experiences in guiding and shaping others’ work have led me here, helping authors make sure that the words they put on the page meet their goals – that they convey the feelings they imagined, that they describe what they see in their minds, and that they never lose their own voice in the process as they work with someone like me, the editor.”
Crayle is exceptionally proud to have worked with the writers below. It’s a privilege to be involved in bringing their stories to life.
Credited on:
SCORCHER
Supervillains are people too. They’re not always megalomaniacs with dreams of world domination. Sometimes they’re just people doing whatever they must to get by.
Aidan Grey is a college student with goals for the future, a drive to succeed, and little time for romance. She’s also a woman with a secret. At eleven, she was orphaned due to the accidental use of her pyrokinetic abilities. She was taken in by the secret criminal organization known as Iris and trained to use her abilities for the organization’s profit.
Marty Knox is a police detective who loves his family, tries to genuinely make a difference in the world and falls hard for Aidan. He shows up just as Aidan is starting to question her loyalties to Iris and she’s surprised to find that she can’t resist him, even if it would be dangerous to get involved with someone on the right side of the law.
What Aidan doesn’t realize is that Marty has a secret of his own, one that would endanger both their lives if discovered by Iris.
THIN ICE
After quite literally burning their bridges with the villainous organization Iris and the super hero alliance known as the Solaris Circle, Marty and Aidan are living on the run.
After a traumatic childhood, Aidan, a.k.a Scorcher, was taken in by the villainous and elusive organization known as Iris.
Meanwhile, police officer Marty was living a double life as well under the moniker, Chill, alongside the other super heroes in the Solaris Circle.
Now, they’re a couple, pursued by villain and hero alike. But they still have a common mission.
Will they be able to take down Iris all on their own? Will their relationship survive the strain of life on the lam?
On top of everything else though, an even darker plot emerges as they grapple with the challenges they already face. Can they set everything else aside to thwart this greater evil?
Thin Ice, the thrilling sequel to Scorcher, answers these questions, and asks new ones too.
THE RISE OF CASE
Vincent Caine, aka Black Rain, is missing and presumed dead. Case refuses to believe so. She believes that he is still alive in the wastelands of Atlanta, Georgia. With the help of Ivory, the sexy yet deadly assassin, they agree to take on a job for a dangerous crime syndicate that promises to get them a way into Atlanta. Little do either of them know… the mission may not be as simple as it seems…
THE MYSTERIES OF ZILLAH HARVEY: VOLUME ONE
Zillah Harvey was once just another faceless worker in the grimy underbelly of Victorian London. A chance encounter with a knife-wielding madman almost ended her life… and awoke the preternatural powers in her blood. Using those powers to become a medium, communing with the spirits of the dead, she soon found herself swept up in the horrifying realities of the occult. From sinister Carpathian noblemen and ancient Greek monsters to ghostly Templar churches and haunted idols, these thirteen tales see Zillah investigate and battle evil from the lonely Atlantic coast of Ireland to the rural heart of France…
THE GOVERNESS OF GREENMERE
Britain, 1899. Young orphan Elise Cooper applies for a job as governess. Leaving the bustling city to work for a rural aristocrat should have been peaceful, and yet… Hardly has Elise settled in at the remote Barsetshire estate of Greenmere House before she finds evidence that her employers are at the center of an ancient mystery. She quickly realizes that her understanding of history and the world around her are about to be fundamentally challenged. Armed only with her good common sense and strange abilities she didn’t know she had, Elise finds herself pulled into a shadowy otherworld, the scene of a great battle between good and evil.
Can she prove her worth and rise above the challenges, and in the process save Britain from the evil powers that lurk in the darkness?
THE HUNGRY DEAD OF YU-CHING AND OTHER STORIES
For twelve thousand years, a war has been fought in the shadows of our world, a war fought with fangs and malice, against the souls and courage of man…
In the darkness of the deepest forests and within the shadows of the greatest cities, the night people – vampires, ghouls, imps and even stranger, more sinister foes – hunt and horrify the living.
Against them stand brave warriors, some mortals, others the immortal Champions of the angels of Limbo – mortal or immortal, none of them are merely ordinary.
THE THIRD CROWN AND OTHER WEIRD TALES
This collection of short stories by speculative fiction author Paul Leone (The Hungry Dead of Yü-ching and Other Stories and Kung Fu Antipopes and Other Strange Stories) contains nine tales of paranormal action, alternate history, period fantasy and horror.
Travel from the nightmarish streets of Berlin in a world where the Third Reich survived into the 21st century to ancient China, the empty mountains of Afghanistan at the height of the war against the Taliban and finally a quiet twilight in rural England.
WEBS AND SHADOWS: STRANGE STORIES OF BARSETSHIRE
In a quiet corner of England lies the county of Barsetshire, nestled between Somerset and Wiltshire. This rural landscape is of little note to the average Briton today, who sees little more than woodlands and fields, and not the strangeness that lurks beneath. In the shadows of the Lobwold and the back alleys of Barchester, mystery abounds if you know where… and how… to look.
Webs and Shadows pulls back the curtain on the hidden history of Barsetshire, from the aftermath of the Ice Age to the end of the second Elizabethan Age, and contains nine weird tales set in ‘the edge of nowhere.’ Pierce the webs and cast light into the shadows as you tread the secret paths of Barsetshire between the First and Final Champions of the British Isles.
THE DWELLER IN DRURY LANE AND OTHER CURIOUS CHRONICLES
The Dweller in Drury Lane contains six period horror stories set in 1st century Judea and 17th century England – tales ghosts, witches and more!
Fans of Paul Leone’s Immortal Champions and Tales from Barsetshire will delight in these stories, featuring Ya’el of Betheny and Lady Renee de Launcey.
Buy The Dweller in Drury Lane and other Curious Chronicles here.
Cormanthor: The First Flowering
A Historical Sourcebook for Fifth Edition Dungeons & Dragons
Before the Retreat…
Before the Crown Wars…
Before the Sundering…
There was the First Flowering.
Cormanthor: The First Flowering is a historical sourcebook for your Forgotten Realms game, one easily adapted to homebrew campaign worlds. It contains everything you’ll need to run a game set in Toril’s deep past or an adventure or full campaign exploring the ancient mysteries.
Dive deep into the history of the Forgotten Realms and explore the hidden history of the vast and ancient forest that will one day become the heart of elvish life on Faerûn. Carve out your own legends in a forgotten time and place. This book includes:
* An overview of life among the forest elves of the First Flowering
* A full listing of weapons and gear from the ancient world
* Ten new magical items suitable for any era
* The lost history of ancient Cormanthor
* A detailed geography of both the forest and the nearby regions, including encounter tables
* The many kindreds of Cormanthor, including a new type of elf — the Feyblooded
* The archfey powers worshiped by the ancient elves
* A full-color map and illustrations by Robert Altbauer, Franziska Wenzel and Jenny Dolfen
KUNG FU ANTIPOPES AND OTHER STRANGE STORIES
Kung Fu Antipopes is the latest collection of short stories from Paul Leone, the author of The Mysteries of Zillah Harvey and The Hungry Dead of Yü-ching, gathering together thirteen tales that range across the sci-fi, fantasy and horror genres – and more!
Encounter werewolves in the icy-cold depths of Alaska, an enigmatic biker drawn into a bizarre mystery in a rural setting, the brutal fate of a colony at the far edges of space, antediluvian enigmas in North Africa, and a twisted nature spirit that inhabits an entirely different world.
From the streets of New York City to the depths of outer space, let Kung Fu Antipopes take you on a journey that will demonstrate, once and for all, that our universe is far more dangerous than we could ever begin to comprehend.
THE TALES OF HAVERA: ORB OF EMANCIPATION
Five-hundred years after Earth vanished, the remnants of humanity live as subjugates of an oppressive alien race, the Bokori. Resisting their egalitarian at any costs culture, a burgeoning Human separatist movement thrives by occupying the Bokori homeworld’s jungle moon.
Adam Mortis finds himself unwillingly at the helm of this crusade upon the death of his father. Ignored by the wider galactic community and even opposed by many members of his own race, Adam must battle against all odds to free his people, as well as confront his inner demons spawned by the months of torture at the hands of the Bokori’s cultural police, allowing humanity to chart their own path with a sense of cultural identity they’ve not had in centuries.
Unbeknownst to everyone, a whisper in the depths of deep space heralding the awakening of far greater, ancient powers threaten to render Adam’s cause moot.
Havera, a mysterious scholar of the influential, colorful Cauduun race, is a harbinger of events to come. Her own personal mission will unknowingly drag Adam and a group of ragtag alien partners into a primeval conflict involving deities, a near-mythical alien race of unspeakable destruction, and long-lost magical artifacts that form the very core of life itself in our galaxy.
The first of these “Vitriba” is the…ORB OF EMANCIPATION.
VIVIENNE
the blood is the life-Deut. 12:23
In medieval France, two girls, as close as sisters, grow up together… but their paths could not have diverged more as they came of age. After Vivienne’s father separates the girls before they reach adulthood, Alida takes solace in travel, learning and growing as she meets people of every kind.
She returns to find Vivienne exactly where she was, in her father’s castle, but some things have undeniably changed. Strange things are happening in their hometown, and Vivienne’s castle seems to be at the heart of the foreboding and tragic incidents.
As Alida learns the depth of her best friend’s involvement, it will take all of her strength, courage, and most importantly, an abundance of faith to save herself and others… Though salvation does not always come in the form we expect.
🏷️ Crayle’s editing packages can be combined at a later time with Phoenix Sisters Entertainment’s other self-publishing services, for a discount! 🏷️
Reviews
“I’ve had the pleasure to work with Crayle on several books now. In each case she’s been very helpful in rooting out my mistakes, untangling awkward prose and helping me improve the text and stories alike. I definitely recommend taking advantage of her editing services!”
-Paul Leone
Author of The Immortal Champion Series and much more!
“Crayle is a blessing to work with. She’s patient, she has a knack for knowing what you’re writing & how you’re writing it & she works to blend her editing with your work so that the process is fluid. Crayle is like a good iron who smooths out the hideous creases in your story. I’m grateful that she is my editor.”
-Cody J. Flores
Author of the Black Rain series
“Crayle is a godsend. I never would’ve been able to get my book off the ground without her. She helped me from the very beginning with character arcs, plot development, and writing patterns that strengthened my book to my complete satisfaction. You cannot go wrong with Crayle as your editor.”
-Derek Spicer
Author of the Tales of Havera
“I’ve had Crayle McDonald edit all of my prose fiction—short stories and a novella—and I never want to work with another editor!
Even though I teach English at a college level, I trust her to catch the punctuation and grammatical errors that always slip through in my drafts. No matter how well you know the rules, there is something different about trying to correct your own work. Everyone needs someone trustworthy to double check your work before it goes to print. For me, that person is Crayle.
A good editor does much more than flag slip-ups, though. Crayle also provides detailed notes on such critical matters as flow, descriptions, and pacing. She has a great insight into how good prose fiction works, and she has given me great revisions that make the stories better! She will even rewrite sections of the book to show how they could be more effective. No matter what genre I’m writing in, Crayle has always helped me know which sections are working and which ones need revision. Her summation notes at the end of the manuscript also help show me what overall message she is getting from the story, helping me know if it was the one I want readers to take away.
Crayle also has a background in advertising, which means that she can tell what kinds of readers will be interested in your work and how the book will come across to your primary audience. She is very well-read and was able to help me with urban fantasy, high fantasy, and gothic stories with the same amount of precision. Her insight into marketing has been essential to getting my book to those who want to read it! She wrote the back cover text for it and gave me tons of marketing material, including social media posts and scripts for pitching the book in real-life conversations! Crayle also helped me be more sensitive and ethical in my writing. She gave great insights into how to approach difficult topics, such as abuse and sexual violence, in a way that both respects victims and stays true to their experiences. If you’re working on the difficult task of juggling these goals, Crayle is a great ally to have in your corner.
If you want to be a professional author, hiring an editor is not optional. Crayle offers the most talent at the most reasonable cost that I have encountered. She does take her time editing the manuscript; do not expect a fast turnaround. But, the care that she takes in the work makes the wait worthwhile. Letting someone else help improve your book is one of the riskiest things an author must do. It requires a great deal of trust in the person you give this task to— trust that they really do know where a comma goes, trust that they will tell you the truth, trust that they will understand your goals, and trust that they actually care about your work. Crayle is the person I put my trust in when it comes to my fiction, and you can trust her, too.”
-Hollis Thompson
Author of Vivienne
“Crayle goes above and beyond with her editing packages! She is very good at giving constructive criticism that can strengthen a story. She picks out areas where the story and characters can be expanded on and developed further, as well as unnecessary elements of the story and she helped me so much in getting over certain parts of my story that had me stuck. She’s also an expert when it comes to grammar and crafting writing that is concise and flows beautifully. She is also very good at giving the feedback in a way that is both direct and honest while also being sure to affirm and uplift and encourage the writers she works with. 10/10, would absolutely work with her again!”
-Kelly Guentner-Edwards
Author of The Forces of Nature series
Contact Crayle about her editing services using the form below
Please include your deadline, manuscript length (in number of words), and any other relevant details.
