LUMINOUS EDITS
LUMINOUS EDITS
CLAIRE MULLIGAN
Bio
Claire Mulligan at Luminous Edits in Victoria, BC, will bring to your project over twelve years' experience as an editor of fiction, creative non-fiction, short stories, essays, screenplays and screenplay adaptations.
As the author of two novels of historical fiction and a passionate student of history, Claire Mulligan can be of particular help to authors of historical fiction, memoirs, family history, historical non-fiction, and historical fantasy.
Claire holds an MFA in screenwriting and a BA in English. She teaches creative writing at Camosun College and the University of Victoria. Her courses include: Writing History, Writing the Family Memoir, Writing Historical Fiction, Dialogue Bootcamp, and Screen Adaptation.
She is a member of PEAVI (Professional Editors Association of Vancouver Island and Victoria) and is on the board of CineVic,Victoria's independent film society. Her literary work is represented by Cook McDermid.
Reviews
Claire helped me tear the first draft of my historical novel, Anna, Like Thunder, to shreds and put it all back together again. She has this amazing ability to see both big picture things alongside the tiniest details (ship's lighting, pockets , 19th century names of body parts, etc.) and the book is so much better because of her. Claire, thank you.
Peggy Herring, Anna, Like Thunder, Brindle & Glass, 2018
Claire helped me tremendously in organizing a long story. Her help was invaluable and took my work to the next level. I highly recommend her as an editor and mentor. As a result of her help my novel is ready to send to an agent. Thank you, Claire, a big hug.
Armando Garcia, The Trip
Claire was the main editor for my first young-adult fiction novel Forgive Me, Mr. Hunter, and I was incredibly impressed with her knowledge, her insightful advice, and her efficiency. She brought to my attention so many important elements that I otherwise would have overlooked. I will call on her professional wisdom for my next novel, to be sure. I highly recommend Claire's services.
Tom Cullen, Media kit website: www.tncullen.ca
In the nicest way, Claire offers a candid and comprehensive 360° critique of my historical fiction and teaches me what makes interesting reading and what doesn’t. If I am boring she guides me to clearer thinking and better ideas. Claire brings an encyclopedia of helpful fixes to your writing problem – new learning, changes in viewpoint, voice, conflict and drama. With sensitivity (she’s been there herself) she gives you the tools and encouragement to rework your story so that it shines brighter.
Erik Perterson
Claire’s ability to write award-winning stories makes her an impeccably effective editor. I sent her my memoir with a question about verb tense in Chapter 8. After answering my question, she then assured me that, for initial impact, Chapter 8 was my story's prologue. I knew immediately that she was right. All her suggestions made my memoir more powerful, powerful enough for me now to seek an agent with confidence.
Susan Mongar, Shame on Me: A Memoir
In my opinion Claire is one of the finest editors I have had the privilege to learn from. Claire is a detailed person who quickly grasps the whole picture and makes constructive recommendations while respecting the students/clients needs.
Marilyn Holman, Rylan's Highway, YA novel
Fiction
Claire Mulligan’s first novel The Reckoning of Boston Jim (Brindle & Glass) is set in British Columbia in 1863 during the tumultuous building of the Cariboo Wagon Road. It was nominated for the Giller Prize and the BC Book Prize.
Her second novel The Dark ( Doubleday) was nominated for the Canadian Authors Award and was translated into French by Sophie Voillot as Dans Le Noir (Editions alto). The Dark is based on the true story of the infamous Fox sisters and the rise of Spiritualism in the 19th century.
Claire Mulligan’s multiple-award-winning short fiction has appeared in The Hourglass, The Antigonish Review, Grain, The Tulane Review, and Canadian Author, among others.
The Dark is a triumph. It delves into the past with skill and precision. It feels palpably real and it is hugely entertaining. — Vancouver Sun
Style meet content; content meet style—Mulligan’s novel has it all. Emotionally resonant and artfully drawn. Mulligan’s style is wry, assured and gorgeously wrought. An equal stylistic phenomenon is that the 500 pages feel as precise as a novella. -- The Globe and Mail
[An] intricately detailed venture. Boundaries of all kinds are thrown into shadow—not only between life and death, but between truth and mystery, fraud and sincere longing. — Georgia Straight
Mulligan has a historian's eye and a storyteller's touch. She is a master at capturing the cadence--and the spirits--of the time. -- The Gazette, Montreal
The Dark walks a tightrope between mystery and literary fiction. Mulligan's writing is sharp and propulsive ... and the dense, detailed plot refuses to buckle. -- Quill & Quire
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The historical milieu is breathtakingly convincing ... The Reckoning of Boston Jim marks the appearance of a writer fully in command of her talents. It deserves every accolade that can be applied to it. -- Vancouver Sun
Mulligan writes with compassion for her characters and a sharp eye for detail. So deft is Mulligan’s touch and so skillful is her writing that the larger themes of the novel never overwhelm what remains. A sensitive and first-rate piece of story-telling. -- BC Studies -
Rich in character and detail. It is a novel of obsession, constructed through an intricate weave of stories. A clever and assured first novel that deserves to be noticed. -- Quill and Quire
A complex and evocative exploration of the repayment of ethical debts and the power of human memory .... Mulligan's novel leaves readers with despair at human greed and cruelty and simultaneous hope through its rich evocation of time, place, and the force of human character. -- Can Lit
TESTIMONIALS
Claire helped me tear the first draft of my historical novel, Anna, Like Thunder, to shreds and put it all back together again. She has this amazing ability to see both big picture things alongside the tiniest details (ship's lighting, pockets, 19th-century names of body parts, etc.) and the book is so much better because of her. Claire, thank you.
-Peggy Herring, Anna, Like Thunder, Brindle & Glass, 2018
Claire helped me tremendously in organizing a long story. Her help was invaluable and took my work to the next level. I highly recommend her as an editor and mentor. As a result of her help, my novel is ready to send to an agent. Thank you, Claire, a big hug.
-Armando Garcia, The Trip
Claire was the main editor for my first young-adult fiction novel Forgive Me, Mr. Hunter, and I was incredibly impressed with her knowledge, her insightful advice, and her efficiency. She brought to my attention so many important elements that I otherwise would have overlooked. I will call on her professional wisdom for my next novel, to be sure. I highly recommend Claire's services.
-Tom Cullen, Media kit website: www.tncullen.ca
In the nicest way, Claire offers a candid and comprehensive 360° critique of my historical fiction and teaches me what makes interesting reading and what doesn’t. If I am boring she guides me to clearer thinking and better ideas. Claire brings an encyclopedia of helpful fixes to your writing problem--new learning, changes in viewpoint, voice, conflict and drama. With sensitivity (she’s been there herself) she gives you the tools and encouragement to rework your story so that it shines brighter.
- Erik Perterson
Claire’s ability to write award-winning stories makes her an impeccably effective editor. I sent her my memoir with a question about verb tense in Chapter 8. After answering my question, she then assured me that, for initial impact, Chapter 8 was my story's prologue. I knew immediately that she was right. All her suggestions made my memoir more powerful, powerful enough for me now to seek an agent with confidence.
-Susan Mongar, Shame on Me: A Memoir
In my opinion, Claire is one of the finest editors I have had the privilege to learn from. Claire is a detailed person who quickly grasps the whole picture and makes constructive recommendations while respecting the students/clients needs.
-Marilyn Holman, Rylan's Highway, YA novel