Meet Kathi Macias Interviewed by Janie Orman Meet Kathi Macias in our first PEN Points “Featured Editor” interview.   First, tell us a little about yourself.   I was born and raised in Ventura, California. My husband, Al, lived three blocks from me. We met in first grade and began “going steady” when we were fourteen. He is, without a doubt, my best friend and the love of my life. We have three grown sons and nine grandchildren.   What were your childhood dreams and ambitions?   I can’t remember ever wanting to do anything other than write (except, of course, read). In fact, my husband always reminds me of the day when we were walking home from junior high together and I told him I was going to be a writer when I grew up.   Did writing influence your decision to become an editor?   My first “real” publishing job was for Gospel Light Publications in Ventura. It was an entry-level, part-time, no-benefits position as an editorial assistant in adult curriculum, but it was the foot in the door I’d been praying for. It led to my first ghostwriting job as well as publication of my first book, A Moment a Day, a women’s devotional that became one of Gospel Light/Regal Books’ bestsellers. Throughout that time, I continued to work as an editor at Gospel Light, eventually launching out on my own and working as a full-time freelance writer and editor.   What type of material do you edit?   I write and edit absolutely anything, as I love words. I prefer to write and edit novels, though I have also done a lot of nonfiction books and articles. The only thing I refuse to do, regardless of money, is something that would compromise my walk with the Lord, whether my name is on it or not.    What editing tools do you use?   The Chicago Manual of Style is my writing/editing “bible,” though I have used the AP Stylebook a lot in the past, when I did more newspaper and magazine work.   Is a contract a necessity?   I didn’t always use a contract in the beginning, but I learned the hard way that it is absolutely necessary. I keep it simple but specific, and make sure signatures (my own and the client’s) are dated and either witnessed or notarized.   Do you take electronic submissions or hard copy?   I do both, although I prefer electronic if the editing/rewrite is extensive. When it’s more of a line-editing or proofing project, I prefer hard copy, simply because I can get “up close and personal” with the project, as well as take it with me to work on during downtime at doctors’ offices, etc.   How does one break into the editing field?   Breaking into writing and/or editing is tough, more so all the time as competition increases and job openings decrease. The important thing is being willing to start at the bottom, learn from those who have gone before you, and “bloom where you’re planted” until God decides to transplant you to a larger pot!   Now, tell us about your writing.   I have published fifteen fiction and nonfiction books (number sixteen is due out in June), and edited and/or ghostwritten more than a hundred others, in addition to countless short stories, articles, etc. Books twelve through fourteen are my current fiction series (Obsession, The Price, and The Ransom, a suspense series published by Broadman & Holman), and book number fifteen is titled The Train-of-Thought Writing Method: Practical, User-Friendly Help for Beginning Writers. Book number sixteen is another novel, titled Emma Jean Reborn, co-authored with an African-American pastor/psychiatrist from Nashville, Dr. Cupid Poe.   Where can we find you on the Web?   Visit my website.