Today is the start of Banned Books Week.
“Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. Held during the first week of October, BBW highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted banning of books across the United States.
I was beginning to think this particular treasure was very bad luck. — Dani O’Rourke
Dani O’Rourke, chief fundraiser at San Francisco’s prestigious Devor Museum of Art and Antiquities, knows a thing or two about both treasures and bad luck. In her position at the museum, Dani has the good fortune to be surrounded by some of the greatest paintings, sculptures and relics from the world of art, past and present.
“Elizabeth gives you more than suggestions or corrections. She works on character motivation, a key element in any novel but especially in mysteries. She thinks of ways to improve the story line. For me, she twice suggested changing the order of events in ways that clarified aspects of the protagonist. Elizabeth’s insights into story and characters are such that I’ll never send a book to a publisher without first getting her input.” — Scott Lipanovich
One more mystery, I thought bitterly. I kept adding mysteries but didn’t seem to be making progress solving any of them. — Dani O’Rourke
One wouldn’t expect the chief fund raiser for a posh art museum to find herself at the center of a murder mystery, yet that is precisely where Danielle “Dani” O’Rourke finds herself in Susan Shea’s novel Murder in the Abstract.
Originally published in 2012, Back Roads and Frontal Lobes, a collection of twenty-three short stories by Brady Allen, has been given new life by Cemetery Dance Publications. The new edition has a bonus story added to the collection, “Crap-Covered Diamonds,” which Allen co-authored with his father, Harley Allen. 
“Choosing an editor is tough. It’s supposed to be. You want people on your team who are as passionate about your work as you are. Elizabeth edited my novels The Prison Guard’s Son, Mirage Man, Five Will Die, Catch and Release, and The Wicked Side, and she consistently delivers. She has surprised me several times with her comments and level of detail. In short, she knows her stuff, and she made me look like a better writer. Elizabeth will provide the critical eye that you need. She’ll ask the right questions and poke holes in your work. And then she’ll help you fix it. And that’s what a damn good editor should do.” — Trace Conger
“Whether you’re putting your stuff out there on your own or sending it out into the world of agents and publishers, you need to have your work as close to perfect as humanly possible. I’ve worked with Elizabeth on over a dozen published books. Each time, I found her to be extremely professional, timely and she provided a great knowledge of the genre of crime fiction, as well as fixed my grammatical travesties. I could go with any number of people to correct my spelling, but Elizabeth gives my writing a bit more that I feel really helps push it to its final stage.” — Mike McCrary
“At some point in the revision process, writers inevitably lose sight of the words they’ve written. The sharp eye and mind of Elizabeth White can help you see your work anew. She tells you where you’ve done your job well, and where you’ve made a mess of things—story notes, line edits, fact checking, you name it. And all this feedback comes with the vibe of a smart friend who gets what you’re doing.” — Jeff Hess
