ABOUT
After studying Russian and Italian at university (useful only when it came to meeting Gorbachev and ordering pizza – though not at the same time), I did a stint as a journalist, writing for the Daily Mirror, the Sunday People and Just Seventeen magazine.
I also ran the student radio programme on LBC and threw myself out of an aeroplane with a microphone in a (futile) bid to become the next Blue Peter presenter.
When this didn’t work, I went into television production instead, working with the likes of Terry Wogan, Clive Anderson, Paul Whitehouse, Jonathan Ross and many more.
I left TV after the birth of my daughter and have been an editor and a writer ever since. When I’m not welded to my laptop you will find me with my nose in a book, walking, baking or watching football (generally not all at the same time but not for the lack of trying).
EDITORIaL
“Cari is an absolute pleasure to work with. She has an invaluable eye for detail, and a sure but sensitive editorial hand. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her.” (Ruth Hogan)
SERVICES
Fiction/narrative non-fiction
*Copy/line editing
*Structural editing
*Developmental editing
*Commissioning (fiction)
*Sensitivity/accuracy reading
*Book doctoring
Other
*Ghostwriting (non-fiction)
*Research
*Consultancy
I offer a range of freelance editorial services, including copy and line editing and structural editing, as well as sensitivity/authenticity (or ‘accuracy’) reading for books with Jewish themes, storylines or characters, including the Holocaust. I work with both major publishers and individual authors, primarily in commercial fiction – reading group, women’s fiction, historical, psychological suspense, crime/thriller and more – with some narrative non-fiction and memoir.
I also ghostwrite non-fiction (publishers include Penguin Random House, HarperCollins and Bloomsbury); the last two books have been instant Sunday Times top five bestsellers. I am a member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading and the Society of Authors (you can see my profile here).
For further details on any of the above, please get in touch.
In terms of commissioning, a few of my recent acquisitions for Legend Press are highlighted below. They include:
A Trace of Sun – Pam Williams … longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2024
Cuckoo in the Nest – Fran Hill … runner-up for the Paul Torday Memorial Prize 2024
Evergreens – Liam Brown … winner of the RNA Contemporary Fiction Novel Award 2024
Femicide – Pascal Engman … winner of the Petrona Award 2023
Greener – Gráinne Murphy … Booksellers Association Indie Book of the Month (May 2024)
"It’s both daunting and exciting to hand your words over to a new pair of eyes – Cari understands that completely. She combines experience with empathy. I’d recommend her wholeheartedly.” (Janet Ellis)
WRITING
The Secret Diary of a New Mum (Aged 43 ¼) is published by Duckworth. More details and information here.
The New Granny’s Survival Guide (Ebury) was published in 2013.
Northern and Proud of It (Summersdale) followed in 2015.
I also ghostwrite bestselling non-fiction lifestyle and celebrity books, as well as writing features, articles and copy for various newspapers, magazines and websites, including pieces for The Times, the Guardian, the Telegraph, the Express, Bella, My Weekly, the JC and many others (available on request).
MEDIA APPEARANCES
BOOKS
The Secret Diary of a New Mum (Aged 43 ¼)
“Sparky, funny and brutally honest”
The number of babies born to mothers over 40 has doubled in a decade – and one in every five births is to a mum aged 35 plus. But are all the tabloid headlines about ‘older’ mothers being ‘selfish’ and ‘career-obsessed’ really true?
How do you cope when you are old enough to be the mother of everyone else in your NCT group? What do you say when people start asking about baby number two? And how do you survive a career break and get back to work before you are pensioned off?
The Secret Diary of a New Mum (Aged 43 1/4) is the story of one woman, one baby and a slipped disc – and tells is as it really is for the very first time. This new and updated edition from Duckworth takes readers from the early days of pregnancy right through to the combined delights of puberty meeting perimenopause (in a pandemic).
“Hilariously candid” – Daily Mail
AVAILABLE FROM: Waterstones / @bookshop_org_UK / Amazon / Kindle and all good bookshops
MORE REVIEWS
“Brilliantly observed. Reading this book about motherhood is like looking in the mirror, funny embarrassing and yet cruelly honest. It feels good to laugh about …now the stitches are out” (Fay Ripley)
“Warm, witty and very, very wise – the perfect antidote to all those po-faced pregnancy books ... I found myself constantly laughing and nodding along in agreement.” (Imogen Edwards-Jones)
“I laughed out loud and cried in buckets and it has been a long time since I enjoyed a book quite as much … An amazingly entertaining read…I can’t praise it enough!” (mostlyyummymummy)
From Amazon:
“One of the funniest books I’ve read in a long, long time. Absolutely brilliant.”
“Best book I have read in years.”
The New Granny’s Survival Guide – Ebury
With half of the UK’s grandparents aged under 65, it’s time to forget about blue rinses, hip replacements and bingo; the modern gran is worlds away from the little old lady stereotype.
If you’re a new gran – or about to become one - The New Granny’s Survival Guide is an essential handbook filled with sanity-saving advice from Gransnet – the number one online platform for grandparents. Practical guidance, hilarious insights and fresh ideas – this book covers everything you need to know to be a brilliant gran.
reviews from amazon:
“Well written, funny, insightful with plenty of quotes and advice from real-world grandparents. Well done!”
“Absolute MUST read, both funny and informative, and definitely should have five stars.”
Northern and Proud of It – Summersdale
There’s no two ways about it, the North has got it all. It founded a nation during the Industrial Revolution and it’s led the way for a new cultural revolution since the millennium.
Celebrate your roots and explore some of the most fascinating facts about the North in this miscellany for anyone who’s northern and proud.
From Amazon: “Really interesting. I bought one for a friend who lives in the Midlands but is originally from the North and she loved it.”