Selected Works
Testimonials
"This was the first time I've hired a content editor, and while I didn't quite know what to expect, I can honestly say that I never expected such a thoughtful, thorough, and helpful critique. Not only did Lourdes offer suggestions, she explained why she suggested modifications, all the while respecting my own vision. She was prompt and complete in every interaction I had with her, and will definitely use her services again in the future." |
"Lourdes played the pivotal role in whipping my first novel into shape, taking a hard-headed approach to structure, plot, character development, and other key aspects, while also being extremely pleasant to work with, responsive, professional and encouraging at all times. She repeatedly went above and beyond to answer questions, review changes and provide extra help. The editing process can be a grind. With Lourdes, it was a joy!" |
"The novel that took a year or two to write is finally complete. And no matter how careful you are, therein lies hundreds of mistakes. I know firsthand. Lourdes caught mine. I can tell you that she is thorough, reasonable, and, if you dare, not reluctant to add insightful criticisms. For me, this meant a rewarding experience." |
"Lourdes Venard has the best traits of an editor—expertise, professionalism, and collaborative skills. She has expert copyediting knowledge, honed by years of experience, and a deep reading background to ensure your manuscript follows it genre requirements. Your needs and deadlines are her focus. Best of all, she is encouraging, but also makes suggestions for you to consider. One of her questions made all the difference in my book." |
"I hire Lourdes to tell me the truth—what works, what doesn’t, what’s not clear. She is able to do this time and again without making me cry. I find the written critique to be invaluable, and consult it repeatedly while rereading the draft. She is a pleasure to work with, completing the job in the time frame quoted, responding to emails in a timely fashion, and providing quality editing services." |
"Lourdes is an excellent editor, knowledgeable, precise, and easy to work with. She knew where I wanted to take The Spider Catchers, helped me get it there, and held my hand while I got it up on Kindle." |
“Finding an editor who I felt could speak my language was difficult. Lourdes is the first editor to do both editings in my manuscript as well as send me an eight-page letter to review before looking at the notes in the MS. The combination of her letter with the comments inside my MS was priceless. I learned so much throughout the process of working with her. As a first-time mystery writer, I needed an editor I could trust to help with structure and style, all the while tracking grammatical and mechanical issues. Lourdes was the best fit for me in all respects. I plan to continue to use Lourdes for all future fiction writing.” |
"I used her services for a substantive edit … I fully expected to incur many difficulties. Lourdes ensured there were none; she shaped the content of my manuscript, asked me questions I never thought of, kept me motivated, and kept to her assigned timeline and costs. The quality of her work is exceptional and working with her was a pleasure." |
"Lourdes is the best of a great editor. She understands how information is absorbed by readers on several levels (the nitpickers, but also the grazers)—and she heightens the writing's impact accordingly. But she also understands the notion of lyricism in fiction. Plus, she's just a lovely human being." |
"Ms. Venard is nothing short of remarkable. Her work was efficient, exemplary and very professional. I highly recommend her and her services to any author who wants to see the best done to their manuscript." |
"Since working with Lourdes Venard at Comma Sense Editing, my books, my writing, and my knowledge have grown and grown!" |
"It was a delight having someone with as vast editing knowledge as Lourdes. She had answers to questions I could not form and always welcomed my unending questions." |