Testimonials

Aldo A. Quintana, author of Sweating in the Land of Smiles: Living in Bangkok During the Year of Radical Change

Christie Stratos has been the go-to person to edit and proofread my manuscripts for a few years. She’s the fresh pair of eyes every writer needs before publishing their written work. Since Christie owns Proof Positive and is a writer and published author, she understands that independent writers have their own voice and doesn’t take that away when she’s checking my writing for errors. Whenever I have a completed book or online story, I go to Christie for professional, reliable, and hassle-free editing.


Josh de Lioncourt, author of The Dragon’s Brood Cycle

Ask any author and they’ll tell you that the two words most likely to send them into paroxysms of terror are “editing” and “editor”. The best cure for this affliction, in my experience, has been working with Christie Stratos. Not only is her attention to detail second to none, her boundless enthusiasm and dedication to making sure my stories shine makes her a joy to work with. As a visually impaired author, I appreciated Christie’s willingness to adapt her process to work with the tools most accessible and comfortable for me.
Christie has been editing my fantasy fiction for years, across multiple short stories and two novels, and receiving her feedback, suggestions, and edits is now one of the highlights of the entire writing process for me. My stories are immeasurably better because of her work. I even had Christie re-proof my first novel once we started working together, and the final product is all the better for it. Now, I can’t imagine publishing a story without her!


Mackenzie DeBruin, author of Murder by Gaslight

As someone navigating the waters of writing their first novel, I cannot recommend Christie and Proof Positive enough. Even before I was a client, and just talking with Christie, it was clear how passionate she is about writing and publication. Submitting my manuscript to her, I found her edits, suggestions, and comments more than helpful. A huge relief is felt seeing that parts of my writing were understood and if it wasn’t, she helpfully pointed out what changes needed to be made. Writing a story set in the past, I found Christie’s suggestions to make the writing historically accurate to be invaluable and am beyond impressed with her dedication. I will certainly be using Proof Positive for all of my future writing projects.


Julie Holland, author of That Summer in Nautilus Cove

I so look forward to receiving my copy edits from Anita and Christie, particularly their ‘What about …’ suggestions. They have worked on two of my manuscripts, and their clear communication and flexibility for both edits are greatly appreciated.
As I am in Australia, their eye for detail on what wouldn’t work or be understood by readers in the United States is essential.


Ann Ormsby, author of Living in the Rain 

I had been working on my novel for six years before I sent it to Christie. I had the action down, but the characters lacked emotional depth. Christie helped me to show the emotion my characters were feeling and made them come alive. I felt that she really cared about making my book the best it could be. I highly recommend her and Proof Positive for all your editing and proofreading needs.


LeeDawna Sunshine, author of Something So Beautiful 

Under promise and over deliver is an old business saying. While this isn’t Proof Positive’s motto, it’s exactly what I feel I received. I hired them to copyedit a manuscript and wasn’t only pleased with the level of skill but impressed with the other notes Anita made. Overusing the exclamation point may seem like a small thing but it makes a huge difference in the overall feel of my manuscript. She also pointed out a couple of plot issues and provided many other invaluable comments. Christie’s clear and professional communication left nothing open to interpretation and both she and Anita edited other short pieces of my work, giving me the confidence to move forward with my publishing endeavor. They delivered this level of excellence for less than any individual editor I’ve used to date. The ease of the transaction coupled with the expertise has made me a loyal customer.


Jessica Bakkers, author of The Armageddon Showdown series

I went over my manuscript at least six times before sending it to Christie, and I was pretty sure she wouldn’t have much to change. Boy was I wrong! Christie found so many things I’d missed and left me with a polished piece of work I am so proud of. Christie even picked up crazy miniscule plot details that I’d overlooked – attention to detail like I’ve rarely seen before!

I can’t express how highly I think of Christie’s editorial skills. She’ll be on my “speed dial” for all my subsequent books!


W.G. Hladky, author of The Book of Ruin (Winner of the 2020 IndieReader Discovery Award for Science Fiction),The Flashfall Sword, and RangerKnights

I had a tale to tell, but no experience writing popular fiction. I consulted other editors but found their advice turgid and their interest in my story artificial. Then I found Christie. She just did not whip the manuscript into shape. She taught me through her editing many skills that I used in writing my second novel, which she also edited. The Book of Ruin would not have won the 2020 Indie Reader Discovery Award for Science Fiction without her.


Cathy Haustein, author of the Unstable States series

Christie’s insightful editing pushed me to make my novel, Lost in Waste, the best it could be. Every author feels insecure at times, but working with her left me confident in my abilities and proud of my product. I appreciated her attention to detail, her skills in editing, and her communication with me as an author.


Mike Veny, mental health speaker and author of Transforming Stigma

Christie proofreads all of my writing and I am beyond grateful. She’s also incredibly quick, thorough, and clear in her communication with me. She’s an invaluable member of my team.


Lilian Oake, author of The Chronicles of Jaydür series

Where do I even begin? After working with a senior editor of a massive publishing house, as well as a lesser-known small press, it was quickly made clear that Christie Stratos has the skill that belongs with the big names. She’s got an uncanny ability to keep innumerable small details as well as huge, elaborate plots under control and organized. If not for her, my books would be all plot holes and horrible purple prose. It’s been an amazing experience to work with her, and I look forward to sending her my next book!


Joshua Robertson, author of the Thrice Nine Legends series

Christie Stratos is possibly the most professional and proficient editor I have ever had the privilege to meet. Her intellect, integrity, passion, and overall approach to the editing process are second to none. For years, I have searched for an editor with even a fraction of Christie’s skill sets, but from her attention to detail to her expert understanding of story elements, she stands well above any alternative. The way she preserves an author’s voice while strengthening a manuscript is frighteningly good! She weaves in and out of paragraphs and dances along the plot arc, as though the story and characters came from her own imagination. She understands world building, sentence structure, language, and so much more, which firmly solidifies the connection between author and reader. I cannot imagine going anywhere else for business. Before any of my publications head to the printer, they will first pass through the hands of the editorial staff at Proof Positive.


Elle Viviani, author of Fiancée Forgery and many other romances

Proof Positive has always been my go-to proofreader for all of my novels. In fact, I loved working with Christie and Anita so much, I now use Proof Positive for editing as well! Their detailed insights, sharp eye, and thorough explanations have made my novels better than ever and helped me grow as a writer. Not only does Christie’s team have a strong grasp on grammar, but they also provide invaluable feedback on each book—and all at an excellent price. If you’re searching for a professional editing team with incredible flexibility and patience, then look no further than Proof Positive Pro. I would recommend this fantastic group to anyone.


Amie Irene Winters, author of Strange Luck and The Nightmare Birds

Look no further for the perfect editing team! Christie Stratos’ fun and personable attitude made editing a pleasure, and her keen eye for consistency and flow has allowed me to polish my novel. She consistently provided me with insightful feedback and possesses a genuine passion for editing. Her communication throughout the entire process was top-notch. Not only is Christie a wonderful editor, she is a gifted author and has an intricate understanding of what writers need and want. I highly recommend Proof Positive.


Walter Matthew Stewart, Technical Support Specialist

I recently had an unexpected employment opportunity that required the presentation of some work previously done.  I contacted Christie Stratos on a Thursday night hoping to get her to read over a technical document and offer any support she could.  Christie had the document read, edited, commented, and returned to me by Sunday, even though her birthday was that Saturday!  I didn’t expect her to be able to offer much revision for a technical document aside from grammar and punctuation, but she helped standardize font, formatting, capitalization of concepts, presentation of various technical terms, and she improved the overall document layout, as well.  I could not have been happier, and I’ve already decided that she’ll be my go-to for any future work.  Thanks again, Christie!


Testimonial from M Joseph Murphy, author of Council of Peacocks and other fantasy novels

Christie Stratos agreed to beta read my novel Council of Peacocks. It is a much better book thanks to her input. I’ve taught a course on Effective Business Writing for 6 years at a local college. I’ve also previously worked as a technical writer and taken numerous linguistic courses in French and English.  I get grammar.  Stratos’ work went well beyond nuts and bolts. Grammar mistakes are easy fixes. She pointed out weaknesses in the story and inconsistencies between scenes. This type of error is much harder to spot and more important to the reader’s enjoyment. Every suggestion she offered made complete sense. She pointed out errors in a gentle tone because she understands how sensitive we artistic types can be. She also did something very difficult to do: Stratos made suggestions without changing my writer’s voice. If you are looking to hire a professional to look over your work, I highly recommend Christie Stratos.


Testimonial from Judy Teel, author the Shifty Magic series and the Cinderella Heiresses series

Christie Stratos is good at what she does. Very good. When Christie agreed to provide an edit on my short novel, Instructing an Heiress, my hope was that a new set of eyes would at least find any typos and comma errors that my team and I had missed. She went well beyond that, and I couldn’t have been more impressed and pleased. Yes, she found the simple errors that are so easy to overlook, but with an amazing level of attention to detail and insight, she also highlighted inconsistencies in character, dialogue and setting; aspects of the story that were confusing; and subtle though impactful areas that might need a second look. This book was vetted thoroughly before release, but Christie made it better. And she did it with professionalism, intelligence and precision, all while retaining the tone and style of my author’s voice. Christie would be a valuable asset to any publishing team. I’m glad I found her for mine.


Testimonial from Jenna Lehne, author

I’ve been trying to think of a professional way to say this, but I can’t come up with anything other than ‘Christie is soooo awesome’. I was terrified to send my new baby (manuscript) out into the world, but I’m so glad I did. I can’t stress how great working with Christie was. Christie had my manuscript back to me in record time, which was a welcome change considering anything that has to do with publishing is often associated with long waits. She found errors I had missed, even after going over it myself five times, and suggested changes that matched my character’s voice perfectly. Something I found to be unique was the social media updates. There’s nothing better than reading a tweet about how much someone is enjoying my novel 🙂 I will use Christie on everything I write from grocery lists to novels, and have encouraged my critique partners to use her as well.


Testimonial from Lilian Roberts, author

Christie Stratos is an amazing individual who happens to be an amazing proofreader as well. I was your typical eager writer who couldn’t wait to see her book on Amazon. I paid an editor handsomely to make sure that the book would have a detailed editing sweep. I published the book and found out it was a mistake that I will never repeat. You can’t fool the readers. They are good, and they find all those mistakes, big or small, all those punctuation errors, and every little thing that you thought was perfect. Following the realization that I needed a good editor I eagerly searched to find a person that I could trust to do a good job and correct the mistakes that plagued my book. I found Christie Stratos through a mutual friend. I am not sure I can say enough about Christie without making people think that she is part of my family. She is not. -:) She is just an amazing individual who did an awesome job with my book “Arielle: Immortal Awakening”. Christie did a thorough job in proofreading the book and fixing many mistakes, such as spelling, grammar, and punctuation. She made suggestions that helped the story flow better. It was a huge shock to see the book after Christie was done with the proofreading. I just can’t say enough about Christie’s work and how thankful I am for the time she spent to make my book better. The book went up on Amazon again, only this time it is right. I was so excited that as soon as it went live again, I ordered a few copies. I have a few more books in the series and will certainly consider Christie for proofreading. She is obviously the best at what she does.


Testimonial from Veronica Berry, freelance writer and author

After Christie Stratos beta read/edited my first manuscript, I could never even think of submitting or self-publishing any of my future books (or short stories) without hiring her first. Christie was extremely helpful in so many ways, from major issues to minor catches and corrections. She pointed out a fatal flaw about my first chapter and made suggestions that helped me fix it through a rewrite, after which it read 100 percent better. She found small inconsistencies I didn’t realize were there and corrected them. Without her sharp eye and helpful input, I would have submitted a weak manuscript; now I stand a much better chance of getting the attention of an agent or publisher. I’ll definitely be hiring her again for the next book in my series – she’s reasonably priced and worth so much more!


Testimonial from Jillian Bauer, owner of Jillian Bauer Photography

I was in an extreme time crunch to submit my Statement of Purpose for a grad school application, so I hired Christie to review my drafts. Within just minutes, she was able to reorganize my thoughts in a way that flowed and actually formed an argument. By the time she was done, a strong and unique piece had emerged, with my original tone still intact. I would absolutely hire Christie again to help with any business or college essay writing.