The theme of 2022 was balance: creative writing, editing, reading, studying Spanish, traveling, etc. This year, I want to focus more on work—specifically my editing service—while, of course, maintaining some equilibrium.

Does your résumé need to be updated, reorganized, and edited? Are you trying to revive a short story or book? Is your bio or website not generating the response you had hoped?

Surf the recently updated OES site (link below) and see how we can help you! If you’d like a price quote, submit the Get Started form or email me via the contact form on this site.

Also, please feel free to spread the word. I pay referral fees.

Happy new year! And thanks for your support!

https://www.obrieneditingservices.com/

It has been an incredibly busy two months for O’Brien Editing Services. I have edited a résumé, a Substack essay and six books, two of which are under contract with a publisher!

I plan to take a few days off from editing and get back at it later this week or on Monday. Thanks again for the work, referrals, shares, positive vibes, etc.!

If you read my book Beneath the Neon, you may recall that I became interested in exploring the underground flood channels of Las Vegas after reading about a murderer who used the tunnels to evade the police. That murderer, Timmy “TJ” Weber, died recently. Here is the Las Vegas Review-Journal story about his death and the heinous crime he committed.

https://www.reviewjournal.com/crime/homicides/notorious-las-vegas-killer-timmy-tj-weber-dies-2580985/?itm_source=parsely-api

Another early milestone for O’Brien Editing Services: I currently have three books in the editing queue. One is an academic work about health and nutrition co-written by two young women in Lithuania. (Thanks to my friend Jaq, who lives in Lithuania, for referring the women to OES!) Another is a memoir of sorts written by a client of a marketing and communications firm based in the States. The third is a short-story collection penned by a talented, bilingual filmmaker and writer who lives in San Salvador.

My office this week will be Manuel Antonio National Park on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. (I’m scheduled to arrive on Tuesday.) I plan to finish editing the health and nutrition book there and start on the memoir.

Thanks again to everyone who has supported OES in some form or fashion! Strong verbs, rich imagery and no typos to you all!

I had a delightful online discussion this morning with students and teachers from the Academia Británica Cuscatleca (the British School), as part of its “Book Week.” We discussed writing, reading, my books, the Shine a Light nonprofit and assorted other related topics. Kudos to the student who asked me, “Do you have any regrets about choosing this career?” Indeed, some students have profound insight!

Seriously, with the gang lockdown in El Salvador dominating the headlines, it’s nice to be reminded of institutions and events like these. Special thanks to poet and British School director Steve Lang for arranging the discussion.

Yesterday, I caught up with “Half Pint” and “One Shoe Sue,” two of the people I interviewed for my latest book, Dark Days, Bright Nights: Surviving the Las Vegas Storm Drains. I’m pleased to report they’re both doing incredibly well! #DarkDaysBrightNights #ShineALightLV #TheyDoRecover

It has been a busy first six months for O’Brien Editing Services. Thanks to everyone who has supported the venture in some form or fashion!

If, in the new year, you find yourself in need of fast, professional and affordable feedback on your résumé, cover letter, bio, academic paper, book, website, etc., please keep OES in mind. And if you’d like a price quote, submit the Get Started form on the website or contact me through this site.

Happy holidays—and thanks again for your support!

https://www.obrieneditingservices.com/

I’ve signed a few book contracts as an author, but signing one as an editor (pictured below on the table) hits a little differently—and is a nice early milestone for O’Brien Editing Services. I’m excited to start this project and to hopefully edit more books for established publishers!

The first book review I’ve written in a while. Of Maegan Poland’s auspicious debut, What Makes You Think You’re Awake?

https://thenewsstation.com/new-book-explores-the-awkwardness-of-modern-existence/

I’m a contributing editor at The News Station (https://thenewsstation.com/), a national alt-weekly, and we are looking for flash fiction (under 1,500 words) and short stories (1,500 to 10,000 words) for our Lit arts journal. The stories must be unpublished and, ideally, would be edgy or quirky and national or international in scope (i.e., not overly local). They should have an alternative (unconventional) perspective. Pay is, generally, $50 for flash and $150 for short stories.

If you have a quality story that fits these specifications, please send it to me through my website’s contact page or email it to matthew@thenewsstation.com. I look forward to reading your work!