I found Elise to be an extremely supportive and constructive editor. She not only gave me an objective overall assessment of my piece, but also very specific feedback on how I could improve it. In addition, Elise illuminated alternative ways my story could be told that I doubt I'd have been able to arrive at without her unique perspective and insight."

Walt Randall

When I realized my manuscript needed copyediting, I turned my pages over to Elise Chidley. In addition to an eagle eye for detail and consistency, Elise offered numerous thoughtful suggestions. When I thought I had the perfect word, she came up with a better one. She asked questions that made me rethink—and improve—scenes and plot. Thanks to Elise, both structurally and thematically, my story’s in much better shape!"

Ted Olson 
Cape Wrath

Elise’s editorial comments are clear, cogent, and insightful. She recognizes and generally corroborates my character development, mentioning the strong points, but always pointing out where something’s missing or weak, and she offers excellent suggestions about how to address these issues. Her knowledge of the craft of creative writing is thorough, and being a published author herself, she’s intimately aware of what agents are looking for. She offers guidance about ways I might develop greater awareness of POV, and consistency in holding to it throughout a chapter or section. And finally, she’s ever so encouraging. I needed that!"

Lynda Pinto-Torres

I was very fortunate to have signed up for a short fiction workshop led by Elise Chidley. Elise helped me immensely to get to the heart of the story I was working on in that forum. When just recently I had two pieces to ready for publication, I immediately called on Elise to ask if she could put her editorial eye to work on both. Elise's edits and counsel for both were spot on. Her technical editing was thorough and complete, and her creative insight into the content and theme of each piece made them both so much better. I very much look forward to future collaborations with Elise!"

Kenneth Murphy

What Elise did in a very short time was start with a rough version of a long story and add style and structure that made it readable and less amateurish. I was especially impressed with how quickly she did it."

Jim Perakis
Fighting for Peace

Elise stands out by offering clear, concise, and engaging comments on one’s manuscript. She also demonstrates a genuine commitment to the needs of the author. I am happy to be working with her!"

Abeer Kashmeeri

It took me 18 months to complete my manuscript after innumerable revisions. I thought I was ready to publish my book, but I wasn’t. I believed my 'literary sculpture' was ready to be revealed, but I was wrong. What I needed was someone who could bring an experienced, objective, caring eye to my creation; someone who could ‘polish the stone’ to the point where it glowed. That person was Elise Chidley. Elise saw the need for edits, and opportunities for improvement I had missed. When Elise was done, not only had she helped me produce a better book, she had enabled me to sleep better, knowing that I’d worked with a true editorial professional."

Larry Ackerman
Jones of the Old Shoes