Should any writer out there be wondering about Louise Cusack's expertise in evaluating the potential for publication of a novel, wonder no more. I have had my book given searching scrutiny and, although I know I have many hours ahead of me to bring it up to publishable standard, I welcome that. Louise is young but no amateur; she sees things that 'blind Freddie' should have noticed and she knows what booksellers want and can direct inexperienced writers towards those wants. She knows where to dump material of little interest to the potential reader and she knows what sections of a book should be expanded as they become critical to understanding the work. Louise picks up rapidly on anachronisms, and is quick to point out that "no person in that particular situation/era/social grouping would talk like that." She keeps a tight rein on dialogue, clarity of expression, character development, point of view and all the rest that go to make up a great novel. When you submit your work to Louise, she will give you a date when the evaluation will be finished, and she sticks to that.
I have been a teacher at all levels of education for more than forty years, during which time I have evaluated student scripts at school, university and system levels. I'm not in Louise Cusack's class. She's a one-off!!
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