Published: August 26, 2023

Synopsis: Since his upbringing in the Scottish fishing village of Oban, there was danger. Even when it was an illusion. James began his life unable to distinguish reality from the internal fantasy that he inherited from his mother, Rowena.
She was descended from a warrior princess, Gwen, in ancient Wales. She carried the torch of leadership from that ancient land and all its characteristics to her son, James.
It lay dormant in James until his schizophrenia necessitated a revolutionary new scientific treatment known as ‘electro convulsive therapy’ in Rome in 1938. It cured his personality disorder, and revealed his dormant lightning-fast reflexes and a photographic memory.
As an abandoned youth, James was too old for an orphanage, while too young to have the survival skills of an adult. His photographic memory and extraordinary reflexes were found to be valuable assets to a London underworld seeking to collect debts for loan sharks for illegal offtrack betting.
It wasn’t until the Nazi invasion of Poland that brought England into WW2, that a judge gave the unsavory youth a choice: prison or the service. That relegated James Bond into service into her Royal Majesty’s Navy.
What ensues is James Bond’s initiation into British Intelligence, defending the Kingdom from invaders from all corners, and traitors from within the Royal Family.

Genre: Historical Fiction
Audience: Adult

Available in: Paperback & eBook
Pages: 344

Purchase a copy from Amazon.ca
Visit Ray Schneirson’s YouTube account

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Ray reached out to me through Fiverr for copyediting this novel, which is a coming-of-age story featuring James Bond as the main character. It begins with his mother, then him as a young boy before leading into his journey to becoming a world-class spy. It’s a story that reminds me so much of Forest Gump, to be honest.

The Process

As most editing jobs on Fiverr go, I first did a 1000-word sample edit to get a feel for his work. This also allows the author to see if an editor is a good match for their project. Since he was happy with it, he paid for the order and sent the manuscript for me to edit.

I began by making a style sheet and ensuring all spelling was correct for the region he wanted (British English). Once that was done, I went through the book using the Read Aloud function, pausing here and there to fix a mistake, rearrange a sentence to enhance grammar, or write down a name or word on the style sheet for consistency.

Copyediting is, I think, my favourite type of editing because it tickles my inner perfectionist. There is only one way to do it: one way that it is correct. There is a method that I can use that’s the same every time, and I’m confident that I always do a good job.