Meet Lisa Lee

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lisa Lee. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Lisa, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

I actually had to find a NEW purpose, a new professional purpose. I suffered a mysterious health decline that was finally diagnosed as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS). I lost my online business, I lost a profession of over 25 years, I lost the ability to pursue those aspects that helped define me for years, so I lost a part of myself. As an avid reader, and with my husband’s support on many levels, I decided to start a review blog to combat the depression and fill the time while I figured things out. It focused on indie horror books and became rather popular rather quickly. That led to opportunities to do beta reads, where you read a story before final editing and give feedback to the author.
When doing beta reads, I also offered copy editing suggestions because I simply felt compelled to. I had a secret dream from the time I was young to be a book editor for a major publishing house, but it was something I never pursued. Times were different back then (I’m in my 50s now): it was horribly competitive, jobs were only in major cities, and women were still struggling in the job market. Doing light editing in beta reads brought me a tiny bit of joy during that time, a small pretense of living that old dream. Then one day, I was offered the opportunity to edit. Then another. Then I was invited to edit an entire anthology. Then the real opportunity came.
One morning, I was contacted by Lisa Vasquez of Stitched Smile Publications and offered a position to be an editor for the publishing house. It was an indie publisher and not Tor, but for me, it was a dream come true. But it was also more than that. It was my new inspiration. It was my new purpose. It was an opportunity to pursue my dream of being an editor. I knew it would take a bit of time to learn the industry before it was a lucrative position, but I was fortunate at that time to be able to do that.
Lisa Vasquez became both a mentor and friend, and she still boosts me through moments of imposter syndrome and frustration and laughs with me at the hilarities of the industry. As I was and still am a contract editor, she encouraged me to pursue other opportunities and advised me when I had questions during my branching out. She still celebrates my victories with me and boosts me when I need it. And I still work for her and with her.
While she is a major factor in my new purpose journey, she always reminds me of how I got to that first opportunity, how I enabled my own journey. I had felt broken, and physically, I was, but I allowed myself to soothe my depression with something I loved (reading and reviewing), pursued it with intent (created a nice blog instead of a generic one), and cared about doing it (my goal was to uplift indie authors). I poured my professional ethics into a beloved interest and, in doing so, didn’t lose myself after all. I still struggle with my health and always will, but being able to work remotely at something I love gives me purpose on days I don’t want to get out of bed (because it is physically painful to do so).

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

My name is Lisa Lee, and I am an editor, a book reviewer, a bibliophile, and an Ehlers-Danlos syndrome hypermobility zebra (EDS patients are called zebras, and that is a whole other subject). Another fun fact about me is circumstances allow me to have a personal library in my home. I call it the Templum Library, a reference to my review blog, and it has books from multiple genres, including nonfiction. It is another small version of a dream come true. I love the written word and always have.

I received my very first book that was mine and not part of the family/sibling collective on my 4th birthday, and my big sister taught me how to read it, all of it, within a week. I still have that book. Reading is my passion, my escape, my drug of choice. Now, it is also my profession. While I enjoy many genres and subgenres, my current focus as an editor and reviewer is horror, indie horror specifically. I work with both indie publishing houses and indie authors who are self-publishing. I do not make as much money editing in the indie scene as I would in the enterprise-level publishing sector, but I enjoy it, and right now, I prefer it. I enjoy being part of what the indie scene represents and working with authors who are working to pursue their own dreams. It’s rewarding. I have built a clientele by word of mouth alone, always a good feeling, and have reached a point where I have to be and can be selective when taking on new clients, when I have the time to take on new clients.

Similarly, I have many authors and publishers sending me books to review, both ebooks and paperback copies, and that combined with books I may have gotten for myself means my to-be-read review list is always wonderfully full. That is its own level of joy. My website is Bibliophilia Templum. It has my review blog and editing information, and I need to take more time to post more fun things and have more fun with it.

I have also done contract editing for an IT research firm for the last couple of years because a girl’s gotta eat. That was an unexpected opportunity, and even though it is a bit sideways from living the book editing dream, it has its own rewards. I do find the subject matter interesting, and I appreciate the contracted rate. It is another part of the profession to explore, and I have learned that opportunities can be worth exploring. After all, that is what led me to finally being an editor later in life.

Later in life? I am 57 years old, and I began this journey about 8 years ago when my life changed. And yes, it is still a journey. A good editor is always learning because the rules are always changing. And I love that.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

One of the most important things for me was pursuing skills and knowledge that pertained to something I enjoy. I know it sounds cliche, but our knowledge base often comes from things we enjoy and are inherently good at. What are you good at? What do you enjoy? It really is a good place to start.

Another important thing for me was being teachable. A willingness to learn new things is so important. Things change. New information is always becoming available regarding everything from how words are spelled to how computers are programmed. It’s not just about social media trends; it’s about information and ideas and processes. I enjoy learning, but even if you don’t have a passion for new information, be teachable.

Know how to use social media and how to do productive searches and get relevant results as opposed to trusting wiki-sites, Quora, or the first website to pop up (no matter how old you are). The other side of this coin is difficult for some people, but it really is important. How you present yourself on social media matters. In this day and age, we are proponents of self-expression and acceptance, but if you are pursuing something in a professional capacity, you have to be aware of how you are perceived in regards to that. Some people choose to have separate social media accounts for personal and professional, which is a great option, just remember to lock down the personal account to private and keep the friends list exclusive. And this is not about authenticity. Be true to yourself and be authentic out there, but keep more personal things and view points personal while you build a professional presence.

Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?

One particular challenge I am facing is the effects of having Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is a group of disorders that affect connective tissues supporting the skin, bones, blood vessels, and many other organs and tissues. It’s a degenerative condition, which means it can get worse and worse over time, as my condition has. I have hEDS, h being hypermobility. I am in pain all the time. I am at a point of having limited mobility because the connective tissue in my feet, ankles, knees, and hips is degenerating. Some ligaments have failed altogether. But it also affects my spine and hands.

Sitting up at my computer can be painful and difficult, especially as the day wears on. My back doesn’t just ache, it stops supporting an upright position due to ligament failure. I get spasms and pain in my hips and knees. I can develop muscle spasms in my neck that lead to headaches as well. And more and more, I have difficulties with my hands. I used to type 60 wpm but certainly can’t now. I often mistype simply because my fingers no long obey commands. I will make inadvertent mouse clicks, left and right, due to muscle spasms. It can all really slow my work down, it can be incredibly frustrating, and, as I mentioned, it can be very painful.

Then there are the other effects involving other joints and my organs.

My hEDS is an ongoing challenge I face every day. There is no cure and only limited treatments.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bibliophiliatemplum.wordpress.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bibliophiliatemplum