ANDREA RIECK
AUTHOR & GAME WRITER/DESIGNER
ABOUT
NOTE: This page was last updated on April 2019; see www.rowanrook.com for more recent updates and portfolios.
WHO I AM
I'm a creative writer, game writer, and game designer with a passion for immersive worlds, player experience, and interactive storytelling. I'm a storyteller in many mediums. Many of my projects emphasize narrative depth, atmosphere, character diversity, and unusual themes. I aim to evoke ideas and leave behind lingering emotions.
WHAT I DO
I write and edit novels, short stories, poetry, and non-fiction. I've also worked both independently and with student teams to develop full games. My roles have included narrative designer, scriptwriter, mechanics designer, level designer, and director. I have claimed prizes in several contests and have a diverse educational and employment background.
HOW I CAN HELP
I would love to exercise my storytelling, writing, and game design skills - much of my past work revolves around creating cohesive worlds for players to explore. I will adapt to many other roles, including gameplay scripter, level designer, UI designer, A/B tester, and more to deliver your project's vision. I strive to make games and stories that players remember.
BOOKS & SHORT STORIES
NIGHT PLAGUE
Length: Novel
Publication: Severed Press (2014), Self-Published (2018)
Humankind will soon be extinct.
A mysterious pandemic cut through two-thirds of the population in just four short years, and within another four, it will decimate everything – and everyone – left.
As the last days tick by, relentless and ruthless, the reclusive Mason Mild finds himself torn between a peaceful end and a brutal immortality. Between his hopeless, but comfortable days with his family, and something new…something violent and wild.
Have the fang marks above his heel dealt him an early demise or a second birth?
Night Plague, my first novel, was published by Severed Press in the August of 2014. I re-published it independently after rights reverted in 2018. Since Night Plague's completion, I have never looked back from writing.
Note that most of my prose fiction is published under my pseudonym, Rowan Rook.
The world ended before Sun was born, but her world ended just under a year ago, when her sister, Moon, disappeared. According to Mama, the Woods shield Haven farm from the decay left behind by the End, but now she hates them for swallowing up her sister. Her curious, starry-eyed sister who dreamed too much for her own good, while Sun responsibly wrote her Archive, chronicling their lives as the last human beings on Earth.
Sun dismissed her sister's bizarre behavior leading up to her disappearance as madness, but when she finds Moon's diary and strange visitors come in the night, she begins to understand far more than she wishes she could. Where her sister found dreams, she sees nightmares. Questions that Mama can't, or won't, answer escape her errant tongue.
The truth she seeks waits for her within the Woods.
The Woods at the End of the World combines many of my favorite genres and themes from a variety of my other projects. I feel passionately about the message of this story, which made it rewarding to draft, edit, and publish in 2019.
​
Note that most of my prose fiction is published under my pseudonym, Rowan Rook.
THE WOODS AT THE END OF THE WORLD
Length: Novel
Publication: Self-Published (2019)
SERIAL NOVELS
Length: Split into Chapters
Publication: Various (2019)
I'm currently publishing two full-length serial novels, with new chapters posted every month.
The Atlantean Crown: An LGBTQIA+ YA SFF novel about merfolk and mad science, dreams and desperation, responsibility and freedom. It explores not only what it means to be a leader, but what it means to be yourself in a world that wants to define you by the circumstances of your birth. Who will take the crown?
The Atlantean Crown is published monthly for supporters on Patreon.
Apocryphal: An epic-length LGBTQIA+ paranormal fantasy novel about claiming your place in a world that doesn't always understand you. It will eventually take the form of a three-book series.
Apocryphal is published on the semi-pro rate Channillo serial site.
Serials offer great fun as a chance to connect with readers throughout the development of a story.
Each year, the fast-paced Writer's Games competition takes place, challenging writers to complete themed short stories in 72-hour bursts for several weeks and submit them to judges. The top five winning stories in every theme are published in the annual Writer's Games anthology.
Two of my short stories were chosen for the 2018 collection:
-
New: A post-apocalyptic fairy tale about an android named Buddy and the mermaid-like creature who comes to his door. Written without dialogue.
-
In the Blink: Bad Luck Lila is cursed - not only does she foresee every tragedy that will befall anyone around her whenever she blinks her eyes, she also suffers from crippling anxiety and is the only lesbian in her small town slice of rural America. Her luck finally seems to take a turn for the better when Harley moves in...until she blinks her eyes and foresees her new friend's death.
One of my short stories was chosen for the 2019 collection:
​
-
​A Contributing Member of Society: In a dystopian future, inmates compete on a game show to prove their "worth to society" and win the ultimate prize—their lives. Janie has always wanted to be a singer, but according to the judges, the arts aren't vital in the way her friend's, Frieda's, job as a doctor is. Janie and Frieda survived years in prison by supporting each other, but will both walk off the stage alive?
The Writer's Games were a fantastic, but challenging, experience. Adapting to each prompt, and writing a fitting story within the time limit, emphasized both creativity and productivity. The feedback from the judges, and the comradeship with other participants, also provided great growth opportunities. I was honored to land among the winners.
72 HOURS OF INSANITY
ANTHOLOGIES
My short stories appear in volume 4 and will appear in volume 6, and hopefully more in the future!
Length: Multiple Anthologies
Publication: The Writer's Workout (2018, 2019)
42 STORIES
Length: Anthology (Featuring 1 of my Flash Fiction Stories)
Publication: BAM (Upcoming, 2019 - 2020)
The 42 anthology will contain 42 chapters, based on distinct genres and tropes. Every chapter encompasses 42 micro-fiction stories of exactly 42 words each. Every story has a 42 character title.
Chapter topics range from crime fiction to clowns, satire to science fiction, humor to horror, and so many more.
One of my micro fiction stories will feature in the apocalyptic category:
-
I Will Watch the End of the World With You: Two people sit side by side beneath their last sunset.
​
​
I love stories in any form, whether spread across 142,000 words or simply 42. Setting a scene, telling a story, and making an impact with such few words was a rewarding challenge.
A dark fairy tale about a monster, their corrupt creator, and the girl who swears revenge against them both.
​
​
​
I wrote this story for a contest centered on themes of redemption, and it underwent an online workshop session where I both received feedback and provided feedback to other writers. When the contest results were announced, The Puppet Beast placed among the top 3 stories. It has since remained one of the most popular fantasy stories in the Short Fiction Break literary magazine.
THE PUPPET BEAST
Length: Short Story
Publication: Short Fiction Break Literary Magazine (2018)
A Top 3 Winner in Short Fiction Break's
2018 Fall Writing Contest
A Top 5 Most Popular Fantasy Story in Short Fiction Break
August 2018 - the Present (2019)
HALLOWEEN HOUSE
Length: Short Story
Publication: Short Fiction Break Literary Magazine (2017)
Shortlisted in Short Fiction Break's
2017 Fall Writing Contest
A woman named Emma finds her annual Halloween rendezvous with her former lover, Clyde, interrupted. She has an important choice to make before dawn.
​
​
​
I wrote this story for the 2017 iteration of the same contest for which I wrote The Puppet Beast. In 2017, the contest was themed around love. It similarly went through a workshop where I received and provided feedback. When the contest results were announced, Halloween House was shortlisted.
​
A boy makes an important decision while his family sleeps. He wants to sleep, too. How can he when he's seen what comes out in the dark?
​
​
​
This story was written for submission to a literary magazine specializing in stories with exactly 101 words. Telling an immersive, impactful story with so few words was a fun challenge. It was selected for publication by the magazine upon submission.
​
NIGHT SENTINEL
Length: Micro Fiction
Publication: 101Words Literary Magazine (2018)
CHILDHOOD FRIEND
Length: Flash Fiction
Publication: WriterWriter Literary Blog (2018)
1st Place Winner in WriterWriter's
2018 International Halloween Competition
Flash Fiction Division
An unexpected - but all too familiar - friend visits Megan in the middle of the night. Does she dare to open her eyes?
​
​
​
This story was written for the flash fiction division of WriterWriter's Halloween horror contest. It took first place. This was especially rewarding, as Childhood Friend was my first attempt at horror - a genre I've always loved reading.
​
Harper hoped the invitation to the Solar School of Sorcery would be their salvation. They're determined to graduate as a hero - a Sunweaver, a protector of the mundane world above when the shadowy Phantoms rise from the center of the Earth each night. Being non-binary in a school where magic is segregated by sex, however, means that not everyone wants them to succeed. The sweat, the tears, the anxious nights full of dread and dreams...it's all come down to the final exam. If Harper can slay a Prime Phantom before dawn, they'll prove everyone wrong. If they fail, they'll lose even their memories.
​
​
​
This story was my first with a nonbinary protagonist. I'm passionate about including diverse character casts, so it certainly won't be the last. I had a lot of fun with the setting for this story, and would love to develop it into a full length novel. It was self-published on Prolific Works for an LGBTQIA+ event.
​
LIKE THE STARS
.jpg)
Length: Short Story
Publication: Self-Published on Prolific Works (2018)
THE LONG NIGHT
Length: Short Story
Publication: Self-Published on Prolific Works (2018)
Two weeks ago, the sun went down and never came up. Bay stares through her apartment window - longing to see the first suggestion of sunrise, longing for answers, longing to see her girlfriend Cass come home - but all she sees is a single candle flickering across the street. One half of her yearns to run to this sign of life; the other clings to the safety of home. After all, anything could happen if she opens up the door to the darkness outside.
​
​
This story was born from a prompt based on the 2017 lunar eclipse. I enjoyed experimenting with mixed genres while writing this one. I self-published it on Prolific Works for a post-apocalyptic fiction event.
​
Henrique falls prey to the sirens' song of his library's strange books, but can he stop his lover from suffering the same fate in her desperation to save him?
​
​
​
This mixture of genres made this story fun to construct as a submission to Short Fiction Break.
​
THE LIBRARIAN'S GHOST
Length: Short Story
Publication: Short Fiction Break Literary Magazine (2019)
ACADEMIC GAME PROJECTS
Grief and fear: two emotions that can drive a sane man mad. After his wife dies during a fire in her art studio, a farmer finds himself drawn into a cult that promises her resurrection through a strange ritual. He agrees. When his wife returns, she's not the way he remembers - she's made of shadow. Rather than bringing her home, he'll have to escape the temple, or she'll be the one bringing him with her to the other side.
​
Candlelight is a story-driven horror game emphasizing light and sound. So long as the player doesn't let their candle go out, the dark remains at bay...but no temporary safety can block out the sound of sobs from the shadows.
​
​
I worked on Candlelight for one semester, before financial issues prevented me from continuing school. During that time, I served as the director and narrative designer, guiding the game's identity.
Accomplishments:
-
Orchestrated and successfully pitched the core game concept with a fellow designer.
-
Outlined the narrative beats and game progression.
-
Incorporated literary themes into an story told with mechanics and environmental storytelling, without narration or dialogue.
-
Worked with other designers to develop mechanical systems.
-
Documented the game's design and production progress.
-
Performed and analyzed extensive playtesting.
CANDLELIGHT
Genre: Horror, Adventure
Engine: Unity3D Engine
Project Date: Fall 2018
School: DigiPen Institute of Technology
Team Size: 9
My Roles: Director, Writer, General Designer
NEGATIVITY
Genre: Puzzle, Platformer, Cooperative
Engine: Custom Engine (C++)
Project Date: Fall 2017 - Spring 2018
School: DigiPen Institute of Technology
Team Size: 10
My Roles: Director, Playtest Lead, Level Designer
In Negativity, a curse splits a spirit of the forest in two, and with it, its world. With each half existing inside the other's negative space, two players must work together and solve spatial puzzles to help the spirit reunite within what gray space remains. After all, nothing is ever quite black or white.
​
During the development of Negativity, I have served in flexible roles, ranging from director to level designer to playtest lead. Negativity is the product of a large team with many different talents, and being a part of it was an exciting experience. What I enjoyed most about the game was working with its simple but interesting core concept, its emphasis on player-to-player connection through metaphoric mechanics, and its atmospheric, environmental storytelling. As director, part of my responsibility was ensuring that the team worked toward a cohesive final product that embodied our vision for the game.
​
Accomplishments:
-
Constructed cooperative, two-player levels.
-
Designed puzzles utilizing negative space and the environment.
-
Conceptualized and playtested gameplay mechanics.
-
Composed and managed game design documents.
"It was just another day at the office. I hadn't had a worthwhile case in weeks. Burglaries, murder, suspicious spouses. It was all the same, and the dullness was starting to get to me. But as I sat there, dozing off in my favorite chair, I had no idea what madness awaited me..."
​
When the office cookie jar is smashed to bits, a cynical detective is enlisted to expose the culprit. But secrets run deep, and the truth he discovers might be far stranger than he could have imagined.
​
During the development of The Cookie Jar, I served as both the lead designer and the lead developer, as well as the writer. A short parody of the murder mystery genre, The Cookie Jar was created to adhere to DigiPen's family friendly content policy, which prevented an actual crime story. However, a certain amount of dark humor remained in the final product, and The Cookie Jar is a far bleaker tale than one about cookies perhaps has any right to be. With an emphasis on comedy and puzzle solving, The Cookie Jar was one of my favorite academic game projects.
​
Accomplishments:
-
Authored a dark humored, interactive mystery with branching paths and multiple endings.
-
Coded dialogue, inventory, and progression systems.
-
Delegated tasks to and coordinated the rest of the team.
-
Documented the game's design and production schedule.
-
Performed and analyzed extensive playtesting.
THE COOKIE JAR
Genre: "Murder" Mystery Adventure, Puzzle
Engine: Zero Engine (similar to Unity3D Engine)
Project Date: Spring 2015
School: DigiPen Institute of Technology
Team Size: 3
My Roles: Director, Lead Designer, Lead Programmer, Writer
ARTIFICIAL PLATFORMER
Genre: Puzzle, Platformer
Engine: Zero Engine (similar to Unity3D Engine)
Project Date: Fall 2015
School: DigiPen Institute of Technology
Team Size: 4
My Roles: Level Designer, Writer
Artificial Platformer is short puzzle platformer where players take the role of an intelligent robotic prototype staging an escape from its lab...and perhaps rescuing its metallic kin along the way.
Players traverse the labs by shooting bullets which spawn new platforms for the robot to use. By utilizing the three different types of platforms, players can solve puzzles and overcome the obstacles impeding their escape. However, limitations on the amount of platforms spawned mean players must carefully plan their actions if they have any chance at freedom. Should they choose to have sympathy for their fellow machines, there are even more secrets to find.
​
​
During the development of Artificial Platformer, I served as the lead level designer and the writer, as well as an assistant programmer. I especially enjoyed adding secrets and collectible challenge items for players to discover inside the maps.
​
Accomplishments:
-
Composed puzzle platformer levels emphasizing multiple solutions, optional secrets, and player freedom.
-
Authored dialogue for NPCs and level transition scenes.
Quantum is a physics based platformer where players guide a particle through quantum space. The particle can split itself and reunite as a whole as it moves. When separated, both pieces of the particle follow the same mirrored control scheme. However, in order to advance, players must keep both pieces safe from obstacles, and lead both to the goal at the same time. Players will have to use their wits and their reflexes to succeed in this odd world.
​
During the development of Quantum, I served mainly as a level designer, puzzle designer, UI designer, and an assistant programmer. I also playtested the mechanics and puzzles during development. This game was enjoyable to work on as it was my first experience creating physics focused puzzles.
​
Accomplishments:
-
Crafted physics-based levels where players control two characters.
-
Designed the game's menu systems, including the main menu screen, level results screens, and the level selection screen.
-
Playtested puzzles and mechanics for difficulty.
QUANTUM
Genre: Puzzle
Engine: Zero Engine (similar to Unity3D Engine)
Project Date: Fall 2015
School: DigiPen Institute of Technology
Team Size: 4
My Roles: Level Designer, UI/UX Designer
PUSH THE BUTTON
Genre: Adventure, Puzzle
Engine: Zero Engine (similar to Unity3D Engine)
Project Date: Fall 2015
School: DigiPen Institute of Technology
Team Size: 4
My Roles: Lead Writer
Push the Button is a short, experimental point-and-click puzzle game, where players must make decisions based only on environmental storytelling, audio and visual feedback, and sparse dialogue.
​
Players take on the role of a man inside a strange machine. He is alone. Only cryptic text on a screen, written by the so-called Director, keeps him company. And these digital words guide him towards one simple task - pressing the mysterious big red button.
​
Will you follow orders and push the button?
​
​
During the development of Push the Button, I served primarily as the lead writer, and also worked on the progression pathways that resulted in unique endings. I worked as an assistant programmer and A/B tester, especially as related to the game's narrative elements, as well. The emphasis on feedback and experimentation made this game interesting to work on.
​
Accomplishments:
-
Wrote a science-fiction script with multiple branching solutions.
-
Playtested the narrative and puzzles for logical branching and player satisfaction.
Harmony Tactics is a short strategy RPG where players command armies of musicians against each other. Each tile on the map represents a music note, and configuring units on different spaces creates chords that form powerful combos.
​
During the development of Harmony Tactics, I served primarily as the UI designer and UI programmer, as well as the level designer for the combat maps. The musical themes added a fun twist to this project.
HARMONY TACTICS
Genre: Competitive Strategy RPG
Engine: Microsoft XNA (C#)
Project Date: Spring 2012
School: Edmonds Community College
Team Size: 8
My Roles: Level Designer, UI/UX Designer
FIRELINE
Genre: Simulation
Engine: Microsoft XNA (C#)
Project Date: Fall 2012
School: Edmonds Community College
Team Size: 6
My Roles: Level Designer, UI/UX Designer, 3D Model Artist
Fireline is a strategic, 3D simulation game in which players command a team of firefighters working to extinguish a summer blaze while keeping themselves alive.
​
During the development of Fireline, I served primarily as the UI designer and UI programmer. It was also the only project on which I've served as a primary artist. Fireline was my first academic game project, and I enjoyed working to bring its unique concept to life.
INDEPENDENT GAME PROJECTS
INBETWIXT
Genre: Cooperative Tabletop RPG
Engine: Analogue
Project Date: In Production
You’re dead. Unfortunately, your soul wasn’t deemed fit for the Next. It’s not all bleak, however - your soul still carries too much potential for condemnation in the End. You have a second chance to earn your way to the eternal bliss you surely feel you deserve. All you have to do is work hard, redeem yourself...and loyally serve the Judge.
In an afterlife where the dead embody their emotions and monsters are real, in a purgatory that's neither a paradise nor a prison but somewhere in Betwixt, you must rediscover everything you know about life, death, and doing what’s right.
​InBetwixt is a gothic fantasy RPG that incorporates interactive encounter maps, narrative branching via chapter booklets, strategic combat, and character growth. It's a challenging, but rewarding, project.
​
Accomplishments:
-
Designed tabletop RPG systems, including encounter, combat, movement, character customization, and narrative progression.
-
Crafted encounter maps.
-
Constructed a deeply branching narrative.
-
Performed detailed fantasy world building and character design.
-
Playtested extensively for balance and player engagement.
"The fragility of the human spirit is like glass – it can break at even the slightest disturbance. Sometimes the pieces are big enough to easily put back together, and sometimes the fragments are so small that it is almost impossible to tell what they once were. But regardless of whatever beauty and perfection the original work held, and whether by accident or with will, each shattered piece carries an edge sharp enough to draw blood.”
Glass is an atmospheric RPG combining traditional combat with fresh storytelling. Set inside a dreamlike castle, Glass unravels the tale of a troubled boy through turn-based battles, dark corridors, and lethal enemies.
With an emphasis on exploration, storytelling, and environmental puzzle solving, Glass is a favorite personal project. A demo, featuring the first 2 - 3 hours of gameplay, was released in March 2017.
​
Accomplishments:
-
Designed digital RPG systems, including combat and progression.
-
Crafted nonlinear area maps, towns, and dungeons.
-
Built complex boss encounters.
-
Composed stats and descriptions for items and skills.
-
Authored a supernatural mystery emphasizing character growth and serious themes, such as anxiety, empathy, and identity.
-
Playtested for balance and player engagement.
GLASS
Genre: Turn-Based RPG
Engine: RPGmaker VX Ace
Project Date: In Production
​
Find out more and play the demo at DawnSeeker Studio.
ERASE ALL MESSAGES
Genre: Platformer
Engine: Unity3D Engine
Project Date: Spring 2018
VIA - a virtual assistant - adores their human, Emily, who's voice commands are their only tie to the physical world. When Emily starts acting strangely and decides to delete every message from her inbox, VIA takes initiative - they'll recover the messages and discover what's wrong with their only friend, even if they have to survive the mail server's firewalls to do it.
​
Erase All Messages is a fast-paced platformer in which players must constantly collect energy to avoid falling victim to the server's security, while also searching for messages and the truth they hold about Emily. Working with an unusual mix of elements made for an enjoyable project.
​
Accomplishments:
-
Implemented and designed all aspects of platformer gameplay, including controls, camera, feedback, and objectives.
-
Focused on challenging gameplay and player achievement.
-
Emphasized audio feedback and sound design.
-
Designed the narrative structure and wrote the contents of Emily's deleted messages.
-
Crafted 8 levels, including an unlockable finale.
When a party for a wealthy family’s ten year old daughter ends with the birthday girl dead, her older sister missing, and her father refusing to call the police, the detective isn’t exactly conventional. She finds herself at the site of the crime – an old mansion – without any trace of memory. It’s the landlady who tells her that she is a private investigator who’s been hired to catch the culprit and bring them to justice.
Happy Birthday was my first game project of any kind, and I still hold a fondness for it. Murder mystery is one of my favorite narrative and gameplay genres, so bringing my own mystery to life was a delight that hooked me on game design and interactive storytelling.
The game has gone on to receive over 25k downloads, numerous Let's Play videos, and acclaim from a variety of players.
​
Accomplishments:
-
Designed and implemented mystery solving mechanics, including evidence collection and interrogations.
-
Crafted atmospheric maps and environments.
-
Wrote a tragic, paranormal mystery with the intent of moving and surprising players.
-
Watched Let's Players' eyes go wide during the twisting finale.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Genre: Murder Mystery Adventure, Visual Novel
Engine: RPGmaker VX Ace
Project Date: Fall 2013
​
Find out more and play the game at DawnSeeker Studio.
AWARDS & CONTESTS
The Game Developers Conference (GDC) Narrative Review Competition challenges game design students to analyze a game's narrative elements for merits, faults, and what storytelling lessons the game industry as a whole can learn from it.
My essay on Spike Chunsoft's Super Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair placed in the Gold Winner category in 2017, and my analysis of Square Enix's NieR: Automata earned the top title of Platinum Winner in 2018.
​
I attended GDC in 2017 and 2018 to give poster sessions based on my winning essays during the Game Narrative Summit.
AWARDS
Game Developers Conference Narrative Review Competition:
Platinum Winner (2018)
Gold Winner (2017)
​
Read the essays on GDC Vault.
FICTION CONTESTS
The Writer's Games:
Top 10 overall in three rounds of the Writer's Games (2018, 2019)
1st Place in Event #2 (2018)
3rd Place in Event #6 (2018)
3rd Place in Event #1 (2019)
​
WriterWriter's International Halloween Competition:
1st Place in Flash Fiction (2018)
Short Fiction Break's Annual Contests:
Top 3 in the Fall Writing Contest (2018)
Shortlisted in the Fall Writing Contest (2017)
​
The Writer's Workout:
1st Place in the September 500 (2018)
​
Whidbey Writer's Association:
1st Place in High School Poetry (Prior to 2010)
1st Place in Grade School Poetry (Prior to 2010)
1st Place in Grade School Fiction (Prior to 2010)
Fiction contests provide exciting opportunities to push my literary comfort zone, get feedback, and meet other writers. I participated in as many as I could manage while I was attending college.
Writing contests were also a medium through which I developed confidence as a young writer during high school and grade school.
Some successes include placing in the top 10 overall during three rounds of the 2018-2019 Writer's Games, held by the Writer's Workout, with top 3 wins in three individual events.
I also placed in the top 3 in the 2018 Fall Writing Contest themed around redemption, held by the Short Fiction Break literary magazine. This short story - a dark fantasy fairy tale told from the monster's point of view - is one of my favorite pieces of work.
One of my horror stories placed first in WriterWriter's International Halloween Competition - this one was especially exciting to me as I love the horror genre.
I'm looking forward to participating in more contests in the future!
EMPLOYMENT & EDUCATION
I'm currently writing, designing, and developing a game for a mobile interactive fiction company called Tales as an Independent Writer. The game, called Shields in the Stars, is a science-fiction/horror story where player choices have a dramatic effect on the narrative and decide who lives and who dies, whether humanity survives, and perhaps most importantly, what sort of person the player character becomes in a world that fears them. It also explores LGBTQIA+ themes.
I'm currently pitching projects for another company, as well.
​
I love contributing to interactive fiction or otherwise story-driven game platforms and am open to further contracted or freelance game writing projects.
I work as a freelance fiction editor, specializing in speculative and LGBTQIA+ fiction, as Speculative Soul Story Editing Services.
I offer editing at any stage, including developmental editing, line editing, copyediting, proofreading, and manuscript critiques. I also offer sensitive readings for marginalizations such as asexuality and aromantisism, nonbinary genders, and certain mental health disorders.
My goal is to emphasize the author's creative vision and respect the author's voice during edits while providing thorough suggestions.
It's rewarding to hone my story craft skills while helping my fellow authors extract the maximum potential from their own stories.
MISC EMPLOYMENT
​English Tutor: DigiPen Institute of Technology (2017-2018)
​
Game Design Tutor: DigiPen Institute of Technology (2018)
​
Event Coordinator: DigiPen Institute of Technology (2018)
​
Freelance Writer: WriterAccess (2016-2017)
​
Tech Support/Security: Whidbey Telecom (2013-2014)
​
Customer Service: Best Buy (2012), Target (2016)
I've worked in a variety of different industries, including retail, sales, and security. I learned a variety of skills from these positions, including customer service and calming techniques to use during a crisis.
​
I found my way into positions more closely related to my passions. I worked as a freelance writer, which taught me skills related to meeting client expectations and sharpened my overall writing and editing abilities. Eventually, I shifted to focusing on my own fiction.
I also worked as both a game design and writing tutor at DigiPen Institute of Technology. In this position, I shared my passion and knowledge to help fellow students improve in the arts of storytelling, narrative design, playtesting, and more. I also provided feedback with the mission of empowering students with the skills to analyze their own work and express themselves efficiently.
I'm a submissions editor at All Worlds Wayfarer, a speculative fiction literary magazine focusing on character-driven and theme-driven stories.
​
We celebrate stories that take readers on tours through wonderful and terrifying realms, evocative visions, and eye-opening new lives. When our readers come home, they should return ever so slightly changed for having made the journey. After all, the most powerful stories transcend, enlighten, and entertain at once.
Founded in 2019, All Worlds Wayfarer is a passion project that publishes quarterly.
I'm passionate about providing an exciting publishing opportunity to fellow speculative fiction authors and offering powerful stories to readers who relish the same magic that I do.
.png)
EDUCATION
DigiPen Institute of Technology: Game Design Major/English Minor, 2015-2019
​
Edmonds Community College Game Programming Certification, 2010-2012, Graduated 2012
​
Skagit Valley College: Associate of Arts Degree, 2008-2010, Graduated 2010
​
Online Courses: Highlights include Poetry Workshops, Marketing Workshops, and Unity3D Skills Workshops
I studied at DigiPen Institute of Technology, where I pursued my passion for game and media design. This diverse program, focused on crafting ideal user experiences, encompassed topics related to interactive design, computer science, narrative design, level design, art direction, sound design, marketing, and the psychology of consumer interactions with content and media. I also pursued an English minor due to my love of writing, encompassing fiction and non-fiction topics, including scriptwriting, mythology, and interactive storytelling.
I ultimately did not graduate because of financial obstacles that arose during my senior year, but I enjoyed my time at DigiPen and learned many skills to take with me.
​
I also studied game programming at Edmonds Community College, where I graduated with a certificate, and obtained an A.A. degree from Skagit Valley College. My love of learning leads to me a variety of online courses, where I continue to develop my skills.
Universal Class' Proofreading and Copyediting 101 course incorporates assignments and exams that demonstrate basic proofreading and copyediting skills for fiction and non-fiction. I graduated with a perfect score.
​
TestOut's PC Pro certification recognizes practical abilities to install, configure, secure, and troubleshoot computer hardware and software, mobile devices, and basic networking devices.
​
HubSpot Academy's Inbound Marketing certification denotes familiarity with the inbound marketing methodology - a strategy focused on providing useful and enjoyable multimedia content through social media, blogs posts, e-books, SEO, and other forms to engage an audience.
Hubspot Academy's Content Marketing certification denotes familiarity with other aspects of marketing, including creating service-oriented content, blogging, and content performance analytics.
CERTIFICATIONS
Universal Class: Proofreading and Copyediting 101 (Editing)
TestOut: PC Pro (Information Technology)
​
​HubSpot Academy: Inbound Marketing (Marketing)
​HubSpot Academy: Content Marketing (Marketing)
