cinder Archives - Wit & Travesty

meet the mcgruders

She's Whitney and he's Travis. We've been best friends since high school because of our passion for writing novels. Together, we publish books and encourage others to follow their author dreams with us. If you're a writer, reader, or editor, take advantage of our monthly tips and be the first to hear about our updates, sales, giveaways, and more. Click the button below to add yourself to our email list.

2 Major Ways to Create a Fairy Tale Retelling

OUR WORK

I love fairy tale retellings. I read a lot of them growing up and a few treasured stories are the reason why I write today. I’ve taken a lot of what I’ve learned from fairy tales to craft my own retelling, Speechless. There’s so much material to work with because . . . there’s no material, if that makes sense. If you go back and read some of the originals, the stories lack details that make the characters realistic. For example, ... Read More →

The Power of Book Recommendations

WRITER'S LIFE ADVICE

For Valentine’s Day, I participated in a blind book date at work—a glorified book recommendations party. We all brought in a book that was covered with thick paper, with a ... Read More →

Jessica Frazier

Whitney McGruder has created a vast and imaginative world in Destiny Seeker with surprises to delight the reader at every turn. Readers can settle in to devour the diverse and ingenious magic Destiny Seeker has to offer. I highly recommend it.

Jessica Thompson

Whitney was great to work with. The whole experience was professional, yet flexible. Helpful, yet kind. My manuscript improved so much through Whitney's guidance that I received my first book deal!

Brittany Olsen

Whitney helped me with two short projects written for children, and she was very pleasant to work with. She has an eye for detail, helping me with small grammar errors as well as insights about adding scenes that would enhance my story. Her turnaround time was extremely quick, which I really appreciated when on a deadline!

Angelika Offenwanger

Whitney did a copy-edit on my third novel, Checkmate. She was a pleasure to work with, and helped me give my novel that final polish that it needed before publication. Put her on your list for editors that help your work shine!

Jonathan Baker

Whitney and I worked together in a writing feedback group some years ago and have remained in touch since then. From the beginning, I was struck by her absolute responsibility as an editor. Even in the capacity of a group member, not even being employed or contracted by me to edit my work, Whitney was unerringly punctual, thorough, and accurate with her feedback. Her advice is genuinely insightful and I believe the marketability of my work was noticeably increased due to her guidance. I so value her skills that I still turn to her as a resource after three years of working with her in-person have passed.

Tori Nix

Working with Whitney was a breath of fresh air! I enjoyed every minute of my experience with bringing my book to life! Whitney not only did an exceptional job, she is also a very kind, patient, and I hope to continue to do business in the future!

Rachel Barnard

I won a contest via Wit & Travesty in the summer of 2017. The prize was a professional edit of the first 100 pages of a WIP. My middle grade fantasy was only 90 pages, so she read the entire manuscript. She was communicative and positive about the project. Her edits markedly polished up my manuscript and were easy to understand.

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2 Major Ways to Create a Fairy Tale Retelling

The Power of Book Recommendations