Associate Editor
Hi, I'm Jessica!
I’ve edited everything from science to sociology to those crazy texts and worksheets you may remember from your school days. I’m thrilled to help authors with literary fiction, all kinds of fantasy, and those genres that are hard to pin down. My passion is, of course, historical fiction, where I balance accurate immersive information with a story you can’t put down. I love getting up to speed with any time period or place, but if your novel takes place during the European Middle Ages, I’m the editor you’ve been looking for.
I’m the author of Seven Noble Knights, a novel that emerged from some documents I read while studying for my PhD in medieval Spanish literature at Brown University. I also earned a distinction from the Medieval Studies MA program at the University of Leeds, where I learned more than anyone should know about Anglo-Saxon England. You may have seen me at Kalamazoo or the International Medieval Congress. I’m a member of the Historical Novel Society, and at its conference in Portland, Oregon, I met the fabulous Jenny Q.
I also write contemporary fiction. My paranormal urban fantasy, Awash in Talent, was published by Kindle Press through the Kindle Scout program. I’ve studied writing with such luminaries as Shay Youngblood, Margot Livesey, Aimee Bender, and Manuel Gonzales at the University of Iowa and the Tin House Summer Workshop, among others. Check out the madness at my author website.
I got my editorial start at a small press that specialized in historical fiction and went on to cofound a tiny literary publisher. I’ve worked with HarperCollins, Hawthorne Books, The Worcester Review, university presses, and educational publishers, where I became proficient with the Chicago Manual of Style, MLA, the Real Academia Española, APA, and in-house style sheets. Please see my editorial page for a publications list and testimonials. I’m a member of the Editorial Freelancers Association and the American Literary Translators Association.
After wandering all over the United States with my beloved departed husband, I’ve settled down in Castilla y León, Spain, my favorite place in the world. When I’m not editing, writing, or teaching English at the local high school, I get to visit castles, palaces, churches, and even Paleolithic caves that reach across time with their compelling stories. You’re as likely to find me at an early music jam as at a Spanish pop rock concert, and I love rhinos.
Jessica is currently scheduling copyediting for historical fiction, literary fiction, contemporary/mainstream, and short stories as well as historical/biographical nonfiction. She is willing to consider manuscripts from other genres on a case-by-case basis.
If you're interested in working with Jessica, please submit this form.
Jessica is our best editor. ~Tom Grundner (Author of many books and Founder and Senior Editor of Fireship Press)
I was rescued. Before the prayer made it into print, my excellent editor, Jessica Knauss, pointed out that it was much, much shorter in the Dark Ages… ~Kim Rendfeld, author of The Cross and the Dragon and The Ashes of Heaven’s Pillar, on a potential historical issue avoided
As an editor myself, I was wary of putting my novel into someone else’s hands. But Jessica Knauss seemed to understand my book as well—if not better—than I did. She not only improved my novel’s internal consistency, pacing, and flow, but she also identified superfluous and missing components that brought the book to a new level. ~Scott E. Blumenthal, author of The Kiss
I’ve enjoyed working with Jessica. She made some great suggestions for revisions, and did a very thorough job of line editing. ~Gary Inbinder, author of The Flower to the Painter and Confessions of the Creature
Appreciation and many thanks go to Jessica, the best of editors, for many corrections, suggestions and improvements that made the manuscript ready for publication. ~Seymour Hamilton, author of The Astreya Trilogy and The Laughing Princess
My thanks to the staff of Fireship Press, especially my erudite, energetic and patient editor, Jessica. ~Moonyeen Blakey, author of The Assassin’s Wife
First on the list is my editor, Jessica. She was invaluable in guiding me through the publishing process. ~B. N. Peacock, author of A Tainted Dawn
I got my editorial start at a small press that specialized in historical fiction and went on to cofound a tiny literary publisher. I’ve worked with HarperCollins, Hawthorne Books, The Worcester Review, university presses, and educational publishers, where I became proficient with the Chicago Manual of Style, MLA, the Real Academia Española, APA, and in-house style sheets. Please see my editorial page for a publications list and testimonials. I’m a member of the Editorial Freelancers Association and the American Literary Translators Association.
After wandering all over the United States with my beloved departed husband, I’ve settled down in Castilla y León, Spain, my favorite place in the world. When I’m not editing, writing, or teaching English at the local high school, I get to visit castles, palaces, churches, and even Paleolithic caves that reach across time with their compelling stories. You’re as likely to find me at an early music jam as at a Spanish pop rock concert, and I love rhinos.Jessica is currently scheduling copyediting for historical fiction, literary fiction, contemporary/mainstream, and short stories as well as historical/biographical nonfiction. She is willing to consider manuscripts from other genres on a case-by-case basis.
If you're interested in working with Jessica, please submit this form.
Testimonials from Jessica's clients:
Jessica is our best editor. ~Tom Grundner (Author of many books and Founder and Senior Editor of Fireship Press)
***
I was rescued. Before the prayer made it into print, my excellent editor, Jessica Knauss, pointed out that it was much, much shorter in the Dark Ages… ~Kim Rendfeld, author of The Cross and the Dragon and The Ashes of Heaven’s Pillar, on a potential historical issue avoided
***
As an editor myself, I was wary of putting my novel into someone else’s hands. But Jessica Knauss seemed to understand my book as well—if not better—than I did. She not only improved my novel’s internal consistency, pacing, and flow, but she also identified superfluous and missing components that brought the book to a new level. ~Scott E. Blumenthal, author of The Kiss
***
I’ve enjoyed working with Jessica. She made some great suggestions for revisions, and did a very thorough job of line editing. ~Gary Inbinder, author of The Flower to the Painter and Confessions of the Creature
***
Appreciation and many thanks go to Jessica, the best of editors, for many corrections, suggestions and improvements that made the manuscript ready for publication. ~Seymour Hamilton, author of The Astreya Trilogy and The Laughing Princess
***
My thanks to the staff of Fireship Press, especially my erudite, energetic and patient editor, Jessica. ~Moonyeen Blakey, author of The Assassin’s Wife
***
First on the list is my editor, Jessica. She was invaluable in guiding me through the publishing process. ~B. N. Peacock, author of A Tainted Dawn