Parisian Phoenix Publishing

This semester, I had the joy of working with intern Emily Lichius from Eastern University. Internships are a necessary evil in our society— with young people needing experience and not having opportunities like apprenticeships for tradespeople that offer it. We have a ridiculously expensive educational system that doesn’t really provide much in the way of tangible career training.

So, when a student approaches me about an internship, I apologize that I cannot pay but emphasize that I want to know that student’s career goals and together we design an internship experience that speaks to those goals.

Emily wanted to edit. I assigned her as the lead editor on The Hymn of the Red Priest, a debut horror novel with heavy (primarily closed door) romance elements and themes. She spent the entire semester working with and analyzing the text and wrote the author team an editorial letter this week. If the authors agree to proceed, the book is scheduled for an October 2026 release.

Here are some reflections from her final paper submitted to her internship supervisor:

It meant a lot to me when [Angel] said things like, “that’s exactly what I would have suggested,” because it meant I was thinking like an editor. When Angel did suggest something, it was usually a different editorial approach toward fixing a plot hole. One example of this was when we encountered a flashback late in the book that totally broke the plot. Angel’s suggestion on how to fix this chapter was different from what I originally thought, but in the end, I thought both our suggestions were equally valid and kept both in the editor’s letter.

Our regular meetings were times where I could shamelessly ask questions about her career or the publishing business. Angel encouraged me a lot when I discussed my career goals and plans, and even gave me freelancing ideas I would never have thought up on my own.

Chili Festival

An opportunity I got while working at Parisian Phoenix Publishing was helping out at the South Bethlehem Chili Festival in October. This was a time where I got to help sell books at booths around the city, but I also speak with the authors. This event made me realize that one of Angel’s strengths is as a salesperson. This is part of what makes her a good publisher aside from her editing and branding skills. Angel’s outgoing and direct personality allowed her to connect with people and even garner some sales at an event not meant for book selling. This was encouraging for me because I feel that I too have strong people skills and I hope that I can use that to my advantage in the future.

Good luck, Emily, in everything you wish to do!