Editor
Mary Torjussen
Mary Torjussen has an MA in Creative Writing from Liverpool John Moores University and writes psychological suspense. She loves to write about women who find themselves in a perilous situation where the danger is close to home. She lives near Liverpool and likes to use local settings for her novels.
She was previously a teacher who took a gamble when redundancy was offered, deciding she’d take time off work to write a novel. Luckily this paid off when her first novel, Gone Without a Trace (2016) was simultaneously bought by Headline in the UK and Penguin in the US. Ecosse bought the TV option and it was also translated into nine languages. Her follow up novels are The Girl I Used to Be (2018) and The Closer You Get (2020).
She gives talks in bookshops, libraries and to students on creative writing courses, and has been on panels at CrimeFest in Bristol, ThrillerFest in New York, Bouchercon in Toronto and Iceland Noir in Reykjavík.
- Chris S.
- Jonathan B.
- Anonymous
- Lucienne Sharpe
- Paul C.
Mary's specialties
WHY WE LOVE MARY
Mary is prominent in the crime-thriller writing scene and has travelled the globe furthering this passion and experience. It is for this reason she brings a well-rounded perspective to her edits and is clued in on a variety of writing techniques that are important to, not only crime, but all commercial fiction. Her books have been translated into three languages and demonstrate she knows how to elevate manuscripts to have widespread appeal – this shines through in her tremendously observant reports. Knowing what works and what doesn’t is integral to any author, and Mary is a wizard with character, plotting and pace. The key ingredients to any gripping book.
WHAT MARY SAYS ABOUT EDITING
Editing is something I love most in writing. The blank page is both exhilarating and terrifying, but once the words are down, there’s something so creative about editing it into shape. We can be too close to our own work, especially if we’ve spent a really long time on it and the story’s changed many times; it’s great to get another perspective from someone who has respect for the work you’ve done and can give kind and constructive criticism.
I love to look at other writers’ work in the raw. With each editorial project my goal is to see what the novel is actually about. Does the story arc work? Are the characters convincing? Whose point of view is the most interesting? Most of all: do I want to keep reading and if not, why not?
I also love line edits, where I can suggest changes line by line which would make such a difference to a book. After teaching for so many years, I’m also a wizard proof-reader!
What Mary works on
By purchasing any of these products, you'll have the opportunity to express your interest in working with Mary.
Perfect for authors with a finished draft
Manuscript assessment
Perfect for authors with a finished draft
Developmental Editing
Perfect for authors querying agents
Agent Submission Pack assessment
Perfect for authors querying agents
Post-editorial guidance
Line-editing
Copy-editing
Proof-reading
Mary's published books
