I’ve never worked with an editor before. I took great pride in doing everything myself. But for Jungleland, I knew the story was good and having someone with a keen eye give it some polish could only make it better. That’s where Susan Hughes came in. I looked at samples from a few other editors, but Susan seemed to understand my style of writing, and I knew she wouldn’t try to change that: she was just going to make my words more effective. (That’s what a good editor is supposed to do, by the way.) And make it more effective she did! She turned a good book into a great book. I was astounded by her notes and how appropriate her insights were. There were many times as I was going through her changes that I said aloud, “Of course!” And then I slapped myself on the forehead. I have many more books to write, and I will definitely hire Susan again.