About

         ​In the early 90s, a dream deal for Elaine's first novel fell through with Ballantine Books in New York. After three agonizing days of disappointment, she pulled herself together and made a plan to self-publish 10,000 paperbacks. Living in Toronto at the time, she negotiated a distribution deal with Coles, the largest book chain in Canada. The book landed on national bestseller lists and enjoyed an extraordinary 80% sell-through at retail across the country.

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         Today, Elaine puts her drive and innovation to work for unpublished writers who have their own dreams and goals...

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         In 2017 she shepherded law scholar M. Todd Henderson all the way to an Edgar Award publisher nomination--arguably the biggest mystery-writing award in the world.

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         Soon after, ex-CIA researcher Susan Ouellette sent Elaine a manuscript she'd hidden in a drawer for many years. After developing and editing the story, Elaine connected Susan with a literary agent who pitched her to a publisher Elaine suggested! The Wayward Spy landed a publishing contract with a cash advance.

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         After meeting at a writers' event, Neil V. Young hired Elaine for development and editing of his sci-fi fantasy novel. Children of the Stars was just added to the U.S. Naval Academy's canon of literature taught in classes (2025).

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         These are just three of the many writers Elaine edited, and then assisted to success. Some writers utilize her expertise to win awards and contests, or find  literary agents. Others turn to Elaine's team of creatives to self-publish at a professional level of quality, and avoid the expense and drawbacks of hybrid publishers. They turn to her as a marketing and advertising resource, as well.

         Among the titles Elaine edited and produced, Walking the Dunes with Tennessee Williams is especially notable. A first-person memoir by the late Mia Elkovsky Phoebus, it fills in a small piece of history from 1940, when Mia shared a ramshackle house with America’s great playwright, Tennessee Williams (The Glass Menagerie, A Streetcar Named Desire). The book rests with his papers at the University of Texas at Austin.

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         During a stint in Hollywood, Elaine wrote script coverage and notes for hundreds of aspiring screenwriters and independent producers. She interviewed famous directors and producers such as Jerry Bruckheimer, Terry Gilliam, Roland Joffe, Mike Figgis and Lars Von Trier for cover stories in Creative Screenwriting Journal, MovieMaker Magazine, Venice Magazine and more. She met one-on-one with respected thespians such as Helena Bonham Carter, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Molly Ringwald and many more, to discuss characters and roles. Advice and assistance on navigating Hollywood is another aspect of Elaine's resourcefulness. 

         Under the pen name “Anonymous-9,” she writes the Hard Bite series, published by Down and Out Books, making yearly “Best of” lists and winning two People's Choice Awards from the House of Crime and Mystery. Her work has been praised by T. Jefferson Parker, Ray Garton, Johnny Shaw, Douglas Lindsay, Josh Stallings, Robert Randisi and many others.

         Organizations seek out Elaine for speaking and teaching engagements, such as the Greater Los Angeles Writers Society, Southern California Writers Association, Sisters in Crime SoCal, the Author Learning Center, Mystery Writers of America, Coffee House Writers’ Group, and more.

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