Getting real

Most people in Eureka Springs know Lisa Lockwood as the friendly hippie chick behind the Eureka Market checkout counter. But as with many Eurekans, her unassuming exterior hides a deep, dark secret.

Lisa writes haiku.

When I asked her for a brief bio, her response was:

meet lisa lockwood
human editor, writer
& haiku poet

I’m still savoring that one. It somehow manages to raise questions about how we define ourselves and whether any of that reflects who we really are.

On a more prosaic level, Lisa has a master’s degree in journalism and has worked as a freelance copy editor for books, magazines, and other publications for many publishing industry clients.

That’s why I turned to Lisa when I needed a copy editor for the recently completed first half of my book. Copy editors check a manuscript for spelling and grammatical errors, as well as more subtle issues of usage, style, and flow.

Thanks to a chapter outline, I knew where the halfway point would be. I split the work there so that copy editing, layout, and design can begin while I’m still working on the rest.

I’ve given up speculating on a time frame for when the book will be published, but this step makes it a little more real.

I’ll leave you with another of Lisa’s secrets: One of her clients at Meredith Publishing (now Dotdash Meredith) admired her hands, so she also hand modeled for the 1996 edition of the Better Homes and Gardens classic red plaid cookbook.

I shit you not.