My portfolio showcases various projects created throughout my career. Most recently, I’ve been writing and editing fiction. One of my novels earned a five-star Readers’ Choice classification. It also hit number one in a category on Amazon. I edit for fiction and nonfiction clients across multiple genres, many of whom consistently place high in their categories. Before my fiction concentration, I worked in technical communications, marketing, and development in the corporate sector. (I still freelance in these areas.) Samples of these works can be found below, and more information can be found on my LinkedIn profile.
Note: Because some of the work I’ve done has been proprietary and confidential in nature, excerpts were carefully selected and may not be representative of the true scope of my writing and/or editing abilities. If you would like to view any of these in their entirety or are interested in additional samples, please contact me.
Published Fiction
I published my first novel in 2012, a cozy mystery in shared world. Since then, I’ve released:
- the Cathedral Lake series (three novels and a short story in the drama/suspense genre)
- the Medici Protectorate series (four novels and a short story in the paranormal/romance genre)
- the Keystone Couples series (three novella in the clean romance genre)
- the Astral Conspiracy series (five novels in the sci-fi/dystopian genre under the pen name D.L. Cross; currently unavailable for purchase but book 1 is still listed on Amazon)
- a crime series (three ghostwritten novels in the serial killer/psychological thriller genre; due to contractual obligations, I cannot reveal the name here)
- several single titles of varying lengths across a wide range of genres
Those interested in my body of work can find more details on my website, on my Amazon author page, or on BookBub.
Industry Blog Posts
Since I began writing and editing fiction, I’ve been asked to write for several industry blogs about the craft. I’m also one of the founders of a readers’ favorite writing blog (Story Empire) and was a full professor at another (Romance University, which is now defunct). Below is a representative sampling of posts. (Click the graphics to be taken to the articles.)
Character and Plot
Mystery Novel
Author Marketing Part 1:
Eight Action Items
Robicon Ads
These are a selection of advertisements I wrote and/or edited for Robicon variable speed drives, power supplies, and power controllers. The focus was on the benefits of negligible harmonic distortion on the power grid for various industries. (Clicking a graphic will open a scalable version in a new window.)
Robicon Journal Placements
A step or more up from a product ad, these are product placement pieces — documents designed to reveal product specifications for the experienced buyer. The Plant Engineering pieces were contests, where in addition to unveiling technical details, our equipment finished among the top in the industry for their respective years. I wrote and submitted these pieces. (Clicking a graphic will open a scalable version in a new window.)
Robicon Brochures
Robicon offered equipment for various needs and wide-ranging price points. The variable speed drive and power supply departments worked with cutting-edge technology. Consequently, they had a generous advertising budget, and we put it to good use. That didn’t mean the power controllers were ignored. We did a lot with a little, and though the brochures weren’t quite as sexy, they were written and edited with the same level of care. (Clicking a graphic will open a scalable version in a new window.)
Marketing Materials for the High-Budget Line
Marketing Materials for the Low-Budget Line
Robicon Technical Manuals
A great deal of care went into selecting text from the technical manuals, as this content is proprietary. The examples are taken from pages with more generalized content rather than from pages specific to the patented technology. Photos and graphs were taken in-house; line art was created by me. (Clicking a graphic will open a scalable version in a new window.)
Stargrate Systems Presentation
This Stargrate Systems presentation was ghostwritten by me for the owner of the company. He was selected to present his new technology for weldless bridge construction at a technical conference in Canada. In addition to the writing, the line art was created by me. (Clicking a graphic will open a scalable version in a new window.)
Baptist Homes Grant Proposal
When I worked in the Development Department for Baptist Homes of Western Pennsylvania, we were given the opportunity to apply for a grant to improve the facility for our Alzheimer’s and dementia patents. The grant was awarded, and the new wing was created to the delight of the patients and their loved ones. (Clicking a graphic will open a scalable version in a new window.)
Baptist Homes Newsletters
In addition to grant proposals, I had several other duties in the Development Department — special events planning, donor and family communications, bulk mailings, advertising, and photo shoots. This is a small sample of a family newsletter. The design template was already created for me, so I had to tailor my written content to fit the space provided. (Clicking a graphic will open a scalable version in a new window.)
Carnegie Mellon University
College of Humanities and Social Sciences Brochures
When I was an intern in college for our Humanities and Social Sciences department, I was tasked with creating several brochures for the department. I handled the writing, and my boss and I worked together on the graphics and layouts. (Clicking a graphic will open a scalable version in a new window.)
I hope this representative sampling was enough to show you who I am as a professional writer and editor. I’m happy to discuss any of this in further detail. Contact me to get the conversation started.
Staci Troilo 