Pa Theriot

Meet

Hello!

Pa here, delighted to welcome you to my little patch of the internet.

I'm an editor, ordained Daoist priest, and our resident shenaniganer.

Book recommendations are my love language. It's an eternal delight of mine to hear the last book you read that left you feeling completely seen and satisfied.

I've written eighteen novels, which have all been therapy for my soul. I keep intending to pivot to more marketable content, but I am a nonsense person, and the heart wants what it wants.

Surprise breadwinner for my three small children, I'm surfing the waves of these wild times, and keen to form community with kindred spirits.

Success in writing is all about community.

Excited to meet you, laugh unreasonably, and stay up far too late over a pot of tea to hear all your gorgeous stories.

Happy writing,

Your Pa.

Bless

Hello!

Pa here, delighted to welcome you to my little patch of green on the internet.

Whatever trail of breadcrumbs or floral scent on the wind lead you here, I'm delighted you've come.

If you're ready to dive in for the next episode of Bless, enter your information here: Bless Me.

And if you've come here for deep cut information on the serial as a whole:

Deep in a wilderness full of spooks, Sophia the widowed pregnant ex-doctor, heals family grief with her children, attracting ardent support and ominous attention from dear friends and mysterious creatures.

For vibes, it's Gilmore Girls meets Song of the Sea.

In a deep movie announcer voice: In a story through realms of reality... Pregnant widow Sophia protects her children, newly teen and seven, through their labyrinthian process of grief. We'll see grief journals (free therapy!), deep friendships, and cheeky supernatural beings. She's left medicine, but her family and the mysterious creatures who support and feed off her need healing. It's a Coming of Age story into womanhood, as she individuates into what she is in the wake of everything that was expected of her.

My goal with this work was to write a feminine story in feminine voice – did I obsess over Cixous' deconstructionism, Hofstadter, and the structure of fugues? Why yes, yes I did. And why? Because I wanted to. I wanted to represent the process of pregnancy and labor more fully and truly than with ice cream and pickles, spontaneous water breakage, and one scene of screaming. To explore the awkward process of learning to love again after a lifetime promise with signed contracts and children breaks. To steep in a warm bath of friendship, love, and humor, when everything falls apart.

I hope you find something to love in it. It's packed to the gills with meaning, laughs, and healing, and has taught me so much.I hope you find something to love in it. It's packed to the gills with meaning, laughs, and healing, and has taught me so much.

Have you read Lesser's Cassandra Speaks, or Monk Kidd's Dance of the Dissident Daughter? Through modernity, bad actors have not only suppressed the feminine voice, but actively and systematically destroyed it. We can make different choices now, if we dare. This is a long, goofy, challenging narrative—not for the faint of heart. You'll have access to it here in its raw, unpolished form. Are you ready?

Bless.

Happy dreaming,

Your Pa.

Do Edits Make You Cry?

Hello!

Pa here, delighted to welcome you to my cozy little nook of the internet.

Whether you've clicked through during the talk or during the afterglow of the summit, I'm so glad you've come.

Filling out this quick form will get you access to the free materials for our talk today: CLICK HERE

Our workshop guidebook includes additional resources (like the slides and full transcript) and journaling prompts. Purchase yours here as a printable PDF or digital workbook:
PDF:

Me + You

Are We a Fit?

I manage urgent editorial for romance authorpreneurs, championing pleasure-based revision.

The heck does that mean?

I think if edits make you cry, it's worth exploring why. But more about that later.

My whole jam is working with writers consistently and developing relationships.

Rapport is everything in this work. I want to know a writer's heart so I can hear their voice in the story, and make it sing.

I work exclusively with independent authors. The pace and passion give me juice.

My preferred rhythm with regulars is one novel a month. Under 50k gets a one week turnaround, beyond that we can work it out with rush rates up to 100k in a week. (I am a machine. Thanks, Autism!) Regular clients have access to priority scheduling.

I'm also delighted to work with niche publishers on a case-by-case basis.

* I specialize in they/them pronouns and neurodivergence *

Excited to meet you, and learn the worlds you dream into being!

Happy writing,

Pa

Philosophy

Writing is an isolated adventure.

Success in writing is all about community.

Neurodivergence and intersectional identities can compound that heavy, gnarly feeling of being all alone in this.

You are not alone.

We get to grow faster, thanks to the outstretched hands from writers on the next rung up the ladder. And our need for contribution is fed when we can extend our hand to writers on the rung below.

We're building a community here, with opportunities to give back and get a leg up that prioritize gratitude, consent, and true connection.

Yes, our profession necessitates deep silence and long hours braving caves of the collective psyche alone. No one can walk this path for us.

But, to be greeted with warmth on our return?

To be held with understanding and delight in the work we pour our whole selves into, time and time again?

We get to do the hard work and laugh together. Revision can feel good.

If that excites you, join me for more.

Yours,

Pa

Connect

Payments accepted through Zelle (and for a 5% processing fee, through PayPal). 50% Deposit required on sending document.
If requesting editorial work more than a month in the furture, a 10% holding fee will secure your place on the schedule. Holding fees are non-refundable, and deduct automatically from the final payment.

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Services

 Developmental Editing:
This service is ideal for a story either in the conception stage or final polish. If you’re looking for feedback on voice, plot, pace, character development, world building, emotional resonance, etc… you’ve come to the right place. I’ll touch on these concepts (and more, as relevant) for feedback, as well as any questions you want answered! This includes in-line comments, a "track changes" document, a clean revision document, updating series style guides, with the option to schedule live video coaching. Please include your goals for the work along with the submission, and make note of any supplemental documents available on my request (the preceding book in the series and first chapter of the following, for example).
 From 3¢/w, estimate two business days for every 15k words

 Sensitivity Reading:
This service is ideal for a story either in the conception stage or final polish — preferably nothing in between. For stories in the conception stage, please provide either an Inside Outline or Story Grid foolscap. For stories in their final polish, they must be publication-ready before submission to get the greatest value from the service. This generally includes in-line comments with the option to schedule live video coaching. This service will always maintain privacy and anonymity on both sides.
 From 1¢/w, estimate one business day for every 10k words
 Add-on to any other editing service for $600
Available Topics:
 Learning disabilities
 Autism spectrum
 ADHD
 Dyslexia
 Chronic illness
 Diabetes
 Queer characters
 Asexual spectrum
 Female characters
 Intersectional feminism
 Trans non-binary characters

 Line Editing:
This service is ideal during the first stage of the writing/publishing process. Once you have a solid first draft and are ready to refine the style, pacing, logical and emotional flow, that’s where I can help! This includes in-line comments, a "track changes" document, a clean revision document, with the option to schedule live video coaching. Please include your goals for the work along with the submission, and make note of any supplemental documents available on my request (the preceding book in the series and first chapter of the following, for example).
 From 4¢/w, estimate one business day for every 10k words

 Copy Editing:
This service is ideal after the first few stages of the writing/publishing process. Once you have a solid first draft and have revised it to the best of your ability, it can be beneficial to get feedback from another person to make sure you’re on the right track. That’s where I come in! This includes in-line comments, a "track changes" document, and a clean revision document. Please include your goals for the work along with the submission, and make note of any supplemental documents available on my request (the preceding book in the series and first chapter of the following, for example).
 From 2¢/w, estimate one business day for every 10k words

 Proofreading:
This service is ideal for a book that’s been fully revised, sent through a few beta readers, and is now ready to be tidied up before launching it into the publishing process! In this stage, most rough mistakes should already be removed from the writing. (If the prose requires a coarser grit of sandpaper, I'm happy to offer a Copy Edit instead at no additional cost.) I’m here to give a last minute polish to grammar and spelling, and make sure nothing is out of place or missing. This includes in-line comments, a "track changes" document, and a clean revision document. Please include any necessary style sheets along with the submission.
 From 2¢/w, estimate one business day for every 10k words

 Book Doctoring:
This collaboration provides the most bang for its buck when you have a completed draft and a clear sense of what isn’t working, with zero spoons to touch the tangle again yourself. Book doctoring is what many people imagine editors do: Take your ideas, reorganize them, rewrite them, and hand the draft back, wrapped in a silk ribbon. I do whatever it takes to make your book shine: handle the global issues, reorganize your thoughts, write transitions, add content (with consent), then polish to completion. Unlike content editing (all of the above services), where making the editorial revisions is up to you, in book doctoring, I suggest edits, then implement them myself. This can include asking you to draft b-plots or backstories that I can refine and drop into the manuscript. My job is to play doctor (steam-consensual), perform surgery where necessary, and stitch up all the seams, all in service of making your book the best it can be.
 From 6¢/w, estimate two business days for every 10k words

 Coaching:
These packages are ideal for published authors with a regular rhythm to their work, but my coaching is available to all writers. If you’re looking for feedback on emotional resonance, voice, plot, character development, world building, craft, etc… you’ve come to the right place. I’ll touch on these concepts for feedback, as well as any questions burning inside your writerly pockets. Packages include document editing through all stages of revision (up to 100k/mo) and live video coaching (weekly, fortnightly, or monthly). Packages vary, and are outlined in detail on the application form. Please submit your application before scheduling your first session here, and make note of any supplemental documents available on my request (the preceding book in the series and first chapter of the following, for example). CLICK HERE TO BOOK.
 Hourly rate, sold in packages

Rates

** Rush Rates are available for all services **

Developmental Editing
$0.037/word
Example: a 60k word edit would be $2220

Sensitivity Reading
$0.017/word
Can be added on to any editing service for $600
Example: a 60k word read would be $1020

Line Editing
$0.045/word
Example: a 60k word edit would be $2700

Copy Editing
$0.027/word
Example: a 60k word edit would be $1620

Proofreading
$0.027/word
Example: a 60k word edit would be $1620

Book Doctoring
$0.067/word
Example: a 60k word revision would be $4020

Any submissions under 10k charged by hourly rate, apart from sample edits (like the first chapter in the novel) which honor the rate per word, and can be deducted from the final invoice.

All live video coaching and meditation sessions, hourly rate

Payments accepted through Zelle (or PayPal with 5% processing fee). 50% Deposit required on sending document.

Timing

Estimate one to two business days for every 10k words, depending on the service and current stage of revision.

Regular clients have priority scheduling.

Time estimates can be lessened up to half for commensurate rush rates (up to 3x).
Examples:
Copy edit a 40k novel in 2 business days, $0.081/word, $3240
Proofread a 30k novella in 2 business days, $0.054/word, $1620

Regular clients and heavy producers can arrange for repeating one-week novel turnarounds monthly (limited availability).

*** SCHEDULE PRIORITY AND COMPLIMENTARY COACHING (up to an hour per month) FOR RETURNING CLIENTS ***

Boundaries

I specialize in Romance, Speculative, and Literary Fiction

Sensitivity Reading Topics:

Content I will not read:

Please alert me if any of these topics are in your story and we can discuss whether or not I’m comfortable with the work. This is decided on a case-by-case basis, depending on the length of the project, how graphic the descriptions are, length of passage discussing these topics, etc.

I have a strong boundary around reading any AI generated content. No shade if it's your thing, but it dizzies my eyeballs enough that I can't touch the stuff.

Elements

i = 0;

while (!deck.isInOrder()) {
    print 'Iteration ' + i;
    deck.shuffle();
    i++;
}

print 'It took ' + i + ' iterations to sort the deck.';