Testimonials

[To the publisher],

“I wanted to pass along just how fabulous Arlene’s efforts with our book have been – her assessments, questions, suggestions, comments, and thoroughness speak volumes about the time she devoted to this project. It’s such a revelation to see what kind of in-depth study an editor must do to ensure the accuracy and authenticity of any book that is put before them. It’s been a very rewarding experience for me. Every communication was courteous, to the point, and professional. Arlene generated good discussion between me and John [the co-authors] about different details, and she applied some great detective skills as well: checking mileages, dates, names, and titles, and even currencies! I can speak for both of us when I say we were in very good hands with Arlene and she made our book stronger with her input and attention to detail. Thank you for assigning such a talented editor to this portion of the work; it’s been a very rewarding process so far.”

— John MacFarlane and Lynn Salmon
Around the World in a Dugout Canoe: The Untold Story of Captain John Voss and the Tilikum
Harbour Publishing, BC
August 2018
[email protected]

“Arlene, thank you for all your hard work in helping me bring my published book to the world. I’m so grateful for all your tips and guidance. I’ve learned so much through the editing process that I’ll apply to my writing going forward. It’s been a pleasure working with you!”

— Linda Hopkins
Moondance
Calgary, Alberta
May 2017
www.lindakhopkins.com/moondance/
[email protected]

“I have nothing but good things to say about Arlene. Writing my first book was an exciting adventure, and Arlene helped my book be the best version it could be. Not only is she a great editor, thorough and professional, but what stuck with me was her kind, collaborative, and supportive personality. This is my first book. I was completely out of my comfort zone, but Arlene’s work left me feeling confident that my book was worth reading. She helped me bring my story to life. Thank you, Arlene—I am forever grateful for your talents and I look forward to working with you again soon.”

— Kim Standeven
Stand Even: A Mentorship Memoir. A Mentorship Philosophy
Winnipeg, Manitoba
October 2016
www.kimstandeven.com/book
[email protected]

“My book, The Science God, is focused on an esoteric area of moral philosophy that would ordinarily be of interest to only a small percentage of readers. I needed help with making the material as accessible as possible, and I valued Arlene’s work on matters of style and vocabulary a great deal. Her editing knowledge is deep and thorough, and she is very personable as well. But I was most impressed by her willingness to research fine points of historical and philosophical detail and then give me useful suggestions, both for my presentation of those details and for the integration of them into my larger argument. This took more than a solid knowledge of current English usage and style; it took a level of diligence—a work ethic—that one encounters only a few times in a career. She made so many suggestions that helped me to make my book clearer and more interesting for ordinary readers. I am still, months later, deeply grateful. Thank you, Arlene.”

— Dwight Wendell
The Science God
Kelowna, BC
October 2016
[email protected]

“Arlene Prunkl made an invaluable editorial contribution to the final draft of The Idealist. Thanks to her expertise and guidance, I was able to correct several point of view issues, create more effective foreshadowing for several major plot revelations, tighten the prose overall (even though I ended up with 565 pages of historical fiction), and, Dieu merci, smooth out my rough French inserts. She is a gifted and inspiring editor, very patient and always, always willing to talk through issues, major and minor. She’s also got a tireless work ethic that ensures you hit your deadlines. I came across Arlene reading through a bunch of editorial blogs and found her writing refreshingly conversational—and I sent her a note that led to a very positive working relationship. Turned out to be one of the best emails I ever sent.”

— George Hirthler
The Idealist: The Story of Baron Pierre de Coubertin
Atlanta, Georgia
June 2016
www.coubertintheidealist.com/
[email protected]

“Arlene, I’ve published four books and have had lots of editors, but none have been half as thorough as you. I’m gob-smacked, to tell you the truth. My patients read my books, of course, and a few have pointed out editing failures. Good luck to them this time around. I’m a fussy author, but there’s little to fuss about with your editing.”

— Gordon Warme
Brain Evangelists: How Psychiatry Has Convinced Us to Believe in Its Far-fetched Science and Dubious Treatments
Toronto, Ontario
March 2016
[email protected]