Editorial Team
Our Arborists
Rooted in Writing consists of a small team of editors who work together to grow, prune, and nurture our authors’ novels. You’ll work with Amber as your project manager and publishing consultant throughout the project while her team works on the edits themselves.
Meet the Owner
Amber Helt
Owner, project manager, coach
Amber Helt has her Bachelor of Arts in creative writing and has been working in the publishing industry for over ten years. She was the co-chair of the North Texas chapter of the Editorial Freelancers Association for five years and teaches courses on writing and editing for the Editorial Freelancers Association, DFW Writers Conference, and other professional organizations. She’s worked for major and indie publishers, editing fiction and nonfiction work in all stages of production. Her short fiction and ghostwriting projects have won several awards, and although she specializes in speculative fiction, she’s passionate about helping fellow creatives reach their full potential. She is the author of the grimdark fantasy short story “Tooth Faerie” in The Lost Legends: Book of Monsters.
Outside of Rooted in Writing, Amber writes short stories and dark fantasy. She lives in Plano, Texas, with her small zoo of animals and toddlers. She’s a strong believer in the Wordsworthian Stroll, and you can often find Amber along one of Plano’s many walking trails.
Meet the Team
Our team consists of contracted editors who have been tried and tested by Amber before working with clients.
Below are some of our most frequent (favorite) editors.
Katherine Kirk
Line Editor, Copy Editor
Katherine Kirk has one Bachelor of Arts in English literature and another in philosophy, as well as a PGCE in English language and literature. She has been editing full time since 2020. She is a professional member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading and was a panelist at their 2023 conference in Glasgow. She works with indie authors, traditional and hybrid publishers, packagers, and game developers on a wide range of genres, with a particular interest in wibbly-wobbly science fiction and the vast worlds of fantasy.
A lifelong traveller, she has lived in five countries, speaks six languages (but only edits in one of them), and serves two feline overlords. When she isn’t editing, you can find her throwing shiny math rocks, stabbing fabric to make fiber art, or reading under a tree.
Richelle Braswell
Content Editor, Line and Copy Editor
Richelle has a Bachelor of Arts in English with a creative writing minor at Stetson University, where she graduated with honors. Then, she received her publishing certificate from the University of Denver Publishing Institute (DPI). She’s a member of ACES: The Society for Editing and the co-coordinator for the North Texas chapter of the Editorial Freelancers Association.
When she’s not editing, you can find her with her nose stuck in a book, riding her horses, watching TV, or solving puzzles. She’s a small-town cowgirl who grew up on a ranch where her dad strapped her—a few-months-old baby—to his chest and went horseback riding. She lives with her husband, two cats, and a black lab mix.
Services
Manuscript Assessment
Developmental Editing
Line Editing
Copy Editing
Typesetting
Proofreading
Packages
The Arborist
The Florist
The Gardener
The Botanist
Rooted in Writing
For Editors
The Garden Shed: An Editor's Toolbox
Editor Education
Join Our Team
Resources
Story Soil: The Blog
The Craft Book Library
Upcoming Courses & Webinars