Today we’d like to introduce you to Staci Mauney.
Hi Staci, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
My journey into freelance writing and editing began in 2015 when a friend and I decided to combine our two passions: editing and helping people. We started Prestige Prose, LLC, a professional editing and writing company, and I now run the business full time and am also an independent author.
Many years before starting Prestige Prose, I earned a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in mass communications, graduating summa cum laude. My original goal was to be a journalist because I wanted to help other people tell their stories, but I discovered through my course of study that I didn’t enjoy the format that journalism provided. What I did know was that I enjoyed the craft of writing and also polishing other people’s writing.
After earning my undergraduate degree, I went in a different direction and found a position with a local government agency, where I monitored and wrote grants for senior services as well as edited and developed public relations and marketing information. Grant writing provided the outlet to help people that I needed.
I continued my education with a Master of Education in secondary education, again graduating with honors, and received my Oklahoma teaching certificate. I also moved into a new position with a local non-profit agency where I continued to write grants, this time for youth programs.
This paved the way for my work as a freelancer. As a freelance writer, I write and edit grant proposals, blog posts for businesses and ministries, and website content. As a freelance editor, I have worked on all levels of the editing spectrum to edit both fiction and nonfiction manuscripts, genre fiction series, and short stories.
As an independent author, I maintain an award-winning devotional blog, Echoes of Joy, and have published six devotional books in a series of the same name. I have also ventured into the world of fiction with my first-in-a-series Christian cozy mystery, Death by Dice: A Bunco Club Mystery.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road that led to freelancing and to being an independent author has been a long and winding one. Freelance editing and writing started as a side gig for me. After a year and a half of building a clientele ever so slowly, I ventured into full-time freelancing. Freelancing is feast or famine work, and I hustled to get jobs anywhere I could find them—from online freelance job boards, friends, friends of friends, and former business associates. I became more involved in the Oklahoma Writers’ Federation, Inc. (OWFI), a regional writing association, and served as OWFI president in 2019. I joined local writing groups and attended various writing conferences so that I could stay connected to other writers and keep my finger on the pulse of what was happening in the publishing world. Several times, work slowed to a crawl, and I looked for something else—preferably, a job with a steady paycheck and benefits. But before I could step away, someone would contact me—a new author needing a copy editor an organization needing a grant writer or a blog writer, or a proofreader—and I was able to keep doing the work I love.
My journey to being an independent author started over a decade ago when I had a creative nonfiction story published in Chicken Soup for the Shopper’s Soul. To be honest, I didn’t know where to go from there, and I almost stopped writing. A few years later, a friend suggested that I start a blog, and Echoes of Joy, my devotional blog, was born in 2011. The blog provided an outlet to produce content on a regular basis and practice my writing skills. In 2017, I published my first devotional book based on entries from my blog, and I published my sixth devotional this past October 2021. I’ve also ventured into the fiction-writing world. What started as a novella in 2016 became a novel that took five years to complete. I finally published my first Christian cozy mystery in October 2021 and am working on the next book in the series.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Prestige Prose?
As a freelancer, I specialize in writing and editing grant proposals, blog posts for businesses and ministries, and website content. I also work with both new and established authors on all levels of the editing spectrum to polish their manuscripts for publication, but my specialty is editing nonfiction Christian books.
In addition to my specializations, another thing that sets me apart from others are my professional affiliations. I’m a past president of OWFI, a member of the Christian Editor Connection, a gold member of the Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network, and a member of several local writing groups. I’m a frequent guest speaker at these groups and others.
The thing that sets my devotionals apart is that each one is only thirty days (the Christmas one is twenty-five days), and the entries are short and written for those with busy schedules who are looking for something to point them to God. Through my devotionals, people get to know my Yorkshire terrier, Lilly Doggins and read about our adventures and the lessons God teaches me through her. Lilly has been known to take over my Facebook page and post directly to her fans while I’m not watching. Her portrait also graces the cover of Echoes of Joy: A Devotional for Animal Lovers, which means that it’s my favorite cover, of course.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Growing up, I was introverted and shy, which are common traits for those of us who like to write. I was and still am a voracious reader. During my senior year of high school, I served as editor of my school newspaper. Because I went to a small, rural school, I was also involved in sports. I enjoyed playing basketball and softball, the only two sports for girls my school offered and developing a camaraderie with my teammates. I played video games with my younger brother, and we would often team up when the game allowed (and when we could stop arguing long enough). My grandparents lived just half a mile away while I was growing up, and I spent countless hours with them, watching TV, playing card games and teaching my grandma how to play, and cooking with my grandma.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://prestigeprose.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sdmauney/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prestigeprose
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRp5hpiCdDr6apEQyTFzOcw
Image Credits
Staci Mauney
