Maria Scala is the kind of editor every writer wants to work with—someone who gets the project, sees where it is going, and helps guide you there. She edits with a light hand, but whenever I wandered off-course or was uncertain of my voice Maria was there to help. I started with a draft that was like the Blob That Ate Chicago and ended with a Governor General’s nomination. I couldn’t have done it without Maria.
—Ted Bishop, author of Riding with Rilke: Reflections on Motorcycles and Books
Maria is a terrific and careful editor, very attentive to the writers and editors she works with at Literary Mama. She’s always timely and organized, so I never have to worry about deadlines on her work: she tends to meet them before I even realize they have arrived! She’s perfectly professional, cheerful, and a true pleasure to correspond with. I trust her work implicitly.
—Caroline M. Grant, former Editor-in-Chief of Literary Mama, and Associate Director of Sustainable Arts Foundation
Being edited by Maria is like having a literary massage. She is wonderful to work with—insightful and wise, incredibly supportive, Maria’s always able to steer me in the best possible direction with my Literary Mama columns. I wish Maria would edit all of my writing!
—Jessica Berger Gross, author and columnist
I learned about Maria Scala from Ted Bishop, who was my English professor at the University of Alberta. I was looking for help with my manuscript and wasn’t sure what steps to take. Maria edited my book numerous times and provided invaluable feedback. She was able to mine through a lot of extra words I’d written to find the story I really wanted to tell. I extracted that story and it became Back Over the Mountains, published in 2015 by Hay House India. Maria helped me find my voice as an author and I would highly recommend her to anyone embarking on the often lonely journey of writing a book. Having a professional editor makes a world of difference and provides a sense of support.
—Jane Marshall, author of Back Over the Mountains: A Journey to the Buddha Within
Maria Scala was the Editor for my monthly column at Literary Mama from 2009 to 2015, so we worked together several times a month for 6 years. Maria was consistently an excellent editor—precise, careful, thoughtful, and thorough. She helped me improve my writing in ways that allowed me to grow as a writer and a person. In addition, my column featured a guest writer every other month, so I had the opportunity to see how Maria edits other people’s writing, and she always brought the same clear focus and gentle shaping to their projects. After I left Literary Mama, I hired Maria to help me with a manuscript and she brought the same care and precision to it. If you have a writing project that you would like to take to the next level, I highly recommend Maria Scala for the job.
—Cassie Premo Steele, author of 14 books including Earth Joy Writing
I hired Maria to edit my manuscript because I wanted a trained professional to read and evaluate it. Her input has given me the confidence to send it out to publishers for consideration. I will hire her again.
—Greg Randall, author
Maria Scala: Editor and Writer 