Anastasia Parkes – Jericho Writers
Jericho Writers
167-169 Great Portland street, 5th Floor, London, W1W 5PF
UK: +44 (0)330 043 0150
US: +1 (646) 974 9060
Anastasia Parkes

Anastasia Parkes - Editor

Anastasia Parkes is an author with multiple creative personae. As Anastasia she has published a short story collection (Stabbing the Rain, 2013), and writes ‘human interest’ articles for The Times, The Daily Mail, The Lady, and The Tablet. These articles tackle, with humour and honesty, intensely personal topics such as single motherhood, older parenthood, living with multiple sclerosis, and life as a young English teacher in 1980s Cairo.

She has written two novels under the pseudonym Maria Lucas: Daddy’s Girl (2016), and Loved Ones (2017).

As Primula Bond she is the successful author of the classy and explosive erotic romance Unbreakable trilogy The Silver Chain (2013), The Golden Locket (2013) and The Diamond Ring (2014), published by HarperCollins. Primula has delivered workshops at the York Festival of Writing and Eroticon in Bristol on how to write sex scenes and Anastasia has taught general short story techniques.

Anastasia has an MA in English Literature. She has worked as a Jericho Editor for over 10 years, covering a range of fiction and non-fiction genres.

 

Find Anastasia on Twitter/X here: @AnastasiaParkes

Find Primula on Twitter/X here: @PrimulaBond

Testimonials

"I can't recommend Anastasia more for her help with my book!"

- Jane S.

"Anastasia is excellent at her work and I am grateful to have found her."

- Pippa B.

“I cannot thank Anastasia enough for her tough-love analysis of my memoir. Her comments were very perceptive and encouraged me to develop the beating pulse beneath the story I was telling. As a result Penguin Random House have contracted to publish my book."

- C. M.

"Anastasia is really in tune with what I was trying to achieve. Best of all, she has come up with very helpful advice. I am so impressed by how she has seized the issues and suggested solutions."

- Kate W.

"Anastasia's feedback is immensely useful, both on the macro and micro level. I’m tremendously grateful for her thorough review and the fast turnaround time that she delivered it in."

- Natalie C.

"I am very grateful for your honesty and clarity and I shall resume work on my manuscript. This is my first attempt at writing a novel and I have found your comments very helpful."

- Alice C.

"Thank you again for such detailed insight and ideas! I feel I’m really getting my money’s worth."

- Liz F.

"Thank you for providing such a thorough, detailed and comprehensive analysis of my work. I was grateful for her expert opinion which gave me plenty of food for thought. I have certainly found all her comments enormously helpful and I have definitely got my money’s worth already! The level of service Anastasia provided has exceeded my expectations."

- Lisa. W

"Wow. I am flabbergasted and honored by Anastasia's incredible, thought provoking and detailed critique of my memoir, 'Finding Grace through Tadpoles.' I can assure you I will take every point seriously and make corrections, as I do believe this story has great promise. Thank you for recognizing the amount of work I put into it as well! I am truly blown away."

- Shannon Franklin

"All her points were very pertinent and helpful. Her suggestions for plot development have given me much to think about. I feel inspired to continue my efforts."

- Jill

"My book has been picked up by a publisher. I incorporated all your advice and many ideas – it felt like it was in perfect shape to sell and so it proved."

- Liz F.

"Anastasia started me out (a first time author at the age of 70), with a seven-page, single-spaced analysis of my manuscript. She hit the nail on the head with everything. It took three more years for me to implement her advice! But it was worth it."

- Kit Roberts Johnson, author of Frozen Voices: A Speech Therapist's Alaskan Memoir

WHY WE LOVE ANASTASIA

Anastasia has been with us for over a decade and we’d be lost without her. She’s a thorough editor who writes detailed, bespoke reports for every single writer she works with. Her reports will give you the boost you needed regarding what’s working, and will give you the tools you need to iron out the rough patches. You can read our interview with Anastasia here.

WHAT ANASTASIA SAYS ABOUT EDITING

I have worked for Jericho Writers for a number of years now, firstly as their erotica expert but since moving away from writing erotic romance myself I now enjoy assessing wide-ranging literary styles. Not only does reading and critiquing the work of aspiring writers keep me learning the craft, it has honed my report writing skills and opened a fascinating door into the real and imaginary worlds of other writers who write for the love of it as well as with the ambition to be published.

My aim is to be constructive and encouraging, but also to be pretty tough because there are no half-measures or short cuts in an incredibly overcrowded and competitive market.  The majority of aspiring writers write consciously or unconsciously from their own experience but (unless they are selling their work as a memoir) I want to help broaden their horizons and to teach the deceptively complex techniques which will turn the kernel of an idea into something polished and professional – and marketable. After all, we all want to share our vision but we also want to sell!

Underpinning this is my unapologetic insistence on accurate language and grammar which is why I go into great deal to pinpoint and correct errors or omissions.

Genres Anastasia specialises in

Fiction
Contemporary
Women’s
Romance & Erotica
Short Stories & novellas
Young Adult
Memoir/autobiography
Non-Fiction
Memoir/autobiography
Other Narrative Non-fiction
Subject-led Non-fiction

Anastasia's published books

The Diamond Ring

The Diamond Ring

The Golden Locket

The Golden Locket

The Silver Chain

The Silver Chain

The Stabbing Rain

The Stabbing Rain

Client successes

View more editors