Katrina Diaz Arnold
Katrina Diaz Arnold is an editor and writer with more than six years of professional publishing experience, who has a soft spot for brave new worlds, fresh plot twists, and strong complex protagonists. She abashedly loves a battle between good and evil, particularly if it’s more gray than black and white, and loves stories that utterly transport a reader, whether it’s into an original world, a thrilling mystery, or a character’s perspective.
Previously part of the editorial team at Scribner, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Katrina has worked on numerous New York Times and international bestselling works, including Woman of the Dead by Bernhard Aichner, Until I Met Her by Natalie Barelli, and The Dragon Behind the Glass by Emily Voigt. She’s edited works of mystery, thriller, memoir, and narrative nonfiction, and also contributed to such works as Jan Russell’s The Train to Crystal City, Andrew Meredith’s The Removers, and Jennifer Ridha’s Criminal That I Am.
After leaving the Big Five to start her freelance career, Katrina dedicated herself to editing a wider array of genre fiction - a deep-seated passion of hers. She’s since established herself as an editor of mystery, thriller, fantasy, science fiction, dystopian/post-apocalyptic fiction, and romance. An experienced developmental and line editor, Katrina is wholly devoted to any project she takes on and is committed to bringing manuscripts to the next level. She loves nothing more than helping an aspiring author refine their work into the best, most vibrant version of itself. Her work has been described as “inspired,” “insightful,” “meticulous,” and “goes above and beyond” by her authors.
Katrina's select booklist can be found below, and here are a few of her testimonials:
“Working with Katrina was a wonderful experience. She took the time to read my novel and asked me questions to help deepen it. She provided a keen editorial set of eyes. Katrina was able to use the same voice as my characters when she suggested additions and rewrites; I was amazed at her editorial skills. Her suggestions blended seamlessly into my novel. She polished my novel in a way that I didn't think was possible, but still kept the voices and story intact. She also improved the readability and the flow of action just by rearranging sections and rewording clunky parts. I'm grateful for the chance I had to work with her on my novel. I now feel confident that it's the best it can be. Katrina is a gem, and she's the editor you need if you want your novel to sparkle and shine.”
— Rachel Hunsaker, author of Night Bloom
"It was fantastic working with Katrina. Her structural edit did wonders for my novel. I really liked how thorough and specific her suggestions were, and I was thrilled with the result. And she's lovely to work with. I can't wait to do it again."
— Natalie Barelli, author of Until I Met Her
“Katrina is a joy to work with. She’s professional, prompt, and she worked very hard to make my story shine. She can handle both developmental and line edits with ease. I didn’t feel like I was adrift at sea after reading her memo; I felt like I had a handle on how to chart a new course to fix the problems she identified. When I needed additional help, she was patient and kind. I’ve already booked her for my next book. Higher praise I cannot give.”
— Jenna Barwin, author of Dark Wine at Midnight
“This being my first manuscript and first time working with an editor, I really didn't know what to expect from the process. Having now been through it I am glad I chose to go with Katrina. From the beginning the process was outlined thoroughly, extra care was given to bettering the manuscript to its best possible form, and Katrina's overall engagement was the story was great. As a first time author especially her guidance was very educational. Highly recommended!”
— N.B. Austin, author of Crimson River
“Katrina Diaz was an invaluable partner when polishing my first manuscript. I wasn't sure what to look for in an editor, and I had a hard time finding the right person to really sink their teeth into my dark fantasy story, but her samples really put me at ease and let me know I was in good hands. When I received her editorial assessment and developmental edits, I knew I'd picked the perfect editor.
She gave me productive criticism and reactions while staying respectful to the prose, and she never compromised my style or flavor with her edits. Most importantly, she pointed out a book-breaking character issue that I never noticed in my own reviews! It's safe to say that Katrina saved my manuscript, and I'm really proud of the state it's in going forward.
Katrina truly goes above and beyond what I would expect from an editor, and I know my work wouldn't be in nearly this good of shape without her insight and expertise.”
— Dave Oliver, author of Ez Ozel: Prologue to Perdition
“Finding a good editor is very difficult, finding an excellent one is nearly impossible. Katrina’s attention to detail was superb. Her input helped smooth out the story like a steamroller on hot asphalt. I thoroughly recommend her services to the discerning author who requires absolute professionalism and quality.”
— Jack Coleston, author of The Ulterior Motive
"I'd heard good things about Katrina's editorial prowess, and the reports were true. We agreed upon a custom editorial assessment for my thriller manuscript, and Katrina provided not just a high-level report—an overview assessing the manuscript's plot clarity, character arcs, pacing, and structure—but also a detailed critique that identified not just shortcomings but opportunities to make it a much stronger work. I would wholeheartedly recommend Katrina for any author, whether you're new at this game or a grizzled veteran looking for smart, knowledgeable input."
—J.D. Lasica, author of Biohack
“Katrina is an editor that can make your story even more captivating while keeping your literary voice. From helping to develop the plot, characters, tone, and individual word edits that are of publishing quality, I highly recommend her services for any and all your editing needs. Her expertise and knowledge gives you the edge to get your manuscript noticed in the competitive world of literary agents and publishers.”
— Marsha Volgyi, author of The Crewmember
"I would just like to take a minute and thank my editor, Katrina Diaz, for all the time and attention she has given to my work. Her attention to detail is brilliant, and she has a keen intuition into what an author is going for, in regards to narrative style. She gives her whole heart to what she does and I know there is no way I would be releasing this book without her insight to help navigate me in the right direction."
—Tia Day, author of Lucy's Legacy
"Katrina was absolutely wonderful. She took the time to truly understand the plot, the motives of my characters, as well as the overall story I was trying to tell. My novel is infinitely better because of her thoroughness. She collaborates very closely with the authors to try to completely understand the voice they are trying to give their characters, and works hard to help them jump off the page!"
—Ray Robbio, author of The Alters
After losing everything to a growing threat, the northman Fierd travels south looking for a new life. With the unknown ahead and certain doom behind, he takes on a young travel companion who may be able to help him make a fresh start somewhere safe.
Proud, ambitious, and talented, a new officer of the City Ward struggles to keep an unsure populace in order. With the king missing from the throne, Lieutenant Casselle learns the ropes and works to undo the seedy legacy left behind by her father.
Infirm but wealthy, Merrik seeks any method to cure his debilitating ailments. As his condition worsens, he seeks out less conventional options. When he looks to supernatural remedies, his desperation leads to a reckless quest with no regard for the safety of those around him.
Would you sacrifice your humanity to save mankind?
IT’S THE YEAR 2828, and Domus is the last remaining country. Divided into twelve walled cities known as genuses, Domus spans what’s known as the purist lands—lands unaffected by the genetic modifications that killed all other species of mammals. But outside the walls of each genus the Immundus threaten the welfare of those within. From a young age, all citizens of Domus are trained for combat against these intruders.
At sixteen, Nia Luna knows little of the Immundus, except for the citywide alarms that ring any time an Immundus nears the genus walls. What she does know is that her own species is dying—their numbers dwindling as a mysterious disease called allagine kills many before their eleventh birthday. The same disease that ravaged her family when it took her sister.
When Nia is recruited into Genesis, a research company pioneering the path to a cure, she knows that her dream to find a cure for allagine is finally within her grasp. But within weeks of starting at Genesis, Nia witnesses something she shouldn’t have—something that changes everything. As she sets down a dangerous path that uncovers national secrets, Nia will have to decide not only what kind of person she wants to be but also how far she’s willing to go to save humanity.
"This novel explores what it means to be a monster. How to make one. How to lose what makes you you. . . This is an adventure novel that I couldn't put down once I started." - Southern Today, Gone Tomorrow Book Blog
In the deep heart of the forest, there are places where no light ever shines, where darkness is folded by pale hands and jewel-bright eyes, where the world is ruled by the wicked and kept by the wraiths. This is where the Sprites of the Sihl live.
But Sprites are not born, they are made. On the path to Spritehood, spritelings must first become shades. They do so by binding a shadow: a woodland creature, who guides them through their training. Together, they keep from the light and learn to enchant living things, to bind them, and, eventually, to kill them.
Yet, not all spritelings are born with malice—they must earn it or they are condemned. What happens then to the spriteling who finds a shadow where she shouldn’t? What happens if that particular spriteling wasn’t born with malice at all?
Ahraia was that spriteling. She ran too close to the light and bound herself to a wolf, a more powerful shadow than any that came before it. Now a shade, her shadow marks her for greatness. But a test is coming, and the further they wander out of the darkness, the deeper they wander into danger. Ahraia’s time is coming and what awaits her at the end of her test will either make her or kill her . . .
“With an unnerving glimpse into the cutthroat world of publishing and one author’s terrifying journey to the top of the New York Times bestseller list, Ms. Barelli’s taut thriller gives new meaning to the phrase ‘ghostwriter.’ This page-turner will keep you up at night.” - D.M. Pulley, author of The Unclaimed Victim
She should never have said ‘yes’…
When Beatrice said she wanted to publish her next novel under Emma’s name, Emma couldn’t believe it. Why on earth would Beatrice Johnson Greene, the famous crime writer, not want to publish her new book as herself?
This time, Beatrice explained, she wanted to write something different, and publish it as an unknown author. She was too famous - and she needed Emma’s help.
After everything Beatrice had done for her, Emma could hardly refuse. But what was meant to be a favor has turned into a betrayal, and now Emma has done something terrible, something shocking, and the consequences are terrifying…
Jeannie Morrell is on the run. Chasing behind her is the expanding Keagan gang that just burned her home to the ground. Before her--through the forest of the Riverlands--is the native V'ahani clan and the grizzlies they control.
With her family now gone only months after her thirteenth birthday, young Jeannie will be thrust into an adventure of survival. Somehow she will now have to build a life all her own, in this newborn territory torn apart by greed.
"This smart and gripping thriller starts off with a bang and just keeps getting better!"
- Chris Patchell, author of the thrillers Dark Harvest and Vow of Silence
Kaden Baker, an elite hacker and covert ops specialist, finds her life turned upside down when she discovers that the parents who raised her were imposters.
Were they hired by the same shadowy figure who’s been financing her high-stakes secret missions beneath the Vatican and in Washington, D.C.?
The stakes couldn’t be higher—for Kaden’s freedom, for Valerie’s fate, and for the future direction of humanity itself.
“A tense thriller…this thoroughly satisfying novel explores how far a person will go for love.” - Publishers Weekly
“Bloody corpses and an intriguing protagonist combine to flesh out Aichner’s violent tale…fascinating.” - Kirkus Reviews
For the past eight years, Blum has had a good life - a life that masks the terrible secrets of her past. She is a successful undertaker, a doting mother, and the loving wife of a decorated police officer.
Then in one devastating moment, a hit-and-run changes everything. As Blum’s grief over the death of her husband, Mark, overwhelms her, only her two little girls can drag her back to the land of the living. Time passes quietly until while packing up Mark’s office, Blum discovers a recorded conversation from a case he was investigating. She soon learns Mark’s death was no accident - it was murder - and Blum dives headfirst into the abyss to find out why and have her revenge.
Lucy's Legacy is a captivating story about love, loss, and revenge. Narrated by a highly complicated and justice-driven protagonist, Lucy's Legacy, will have you begging the question of when, if ever, murder is justifiable.
"It was a wonderful journey on a cruise ship that propelled me into a state of near hysteria, and I don't laugh that easily." - Barnett Serchuk, BroadwayWorld
When twenty-four-year-old Lana Kramer accepts a six-month crewmember contract to perform as a dancer on a cruise ship, the experience is far from anything she could have imagined. The surreal vibe of being trapped between two worlds - rigid Navy-type crewmember rules on the one hand, dancing in sparkling costumes beneath bright lights on the other - causes confusion for Lana. From below-decks affairs to treacherous shipboard politics and the
occasional rough seas, Lana soon discovers cruise life is not for the faint of heart. Gradually it becomes clear that as one of the few female crewmembers, all that glitters aboard a cruise ship is within her grasp - but at what cost? In this unusual environment, far from familiar territory, she discovers a hidden resourcefulness and learns to navigate this city at sea without throwing her scruples overboard. As Lana develops her own unwritten crewmember survival guide, she chooses to redefine the crew-life rules, and in the process, redefine herself.
Sam had come to terms with his solitary, uncomplicated life after his wife left him and his two-year-old son fifteen years ago. So, when the sexy and confident
Penelope Harper walks into the Post Office where he works, everything changes. At the same time his ex-wife returns to Ocilla with her new beau, demanding to see their son and Sam is faced with making a difficult decision.
In a journey from loneliness and fear to embracing the wonder of life, Sam discovers that he has more to offer the world than he had ever imagined. A beautiful short story that unveils life in small-town Georgia as love blossoms within a previously barren heart.
"Funny, exciting, thrilling romance story, with headstrong women." - Amazon Review
SHE IS PLAYING A DANGEROUS GAME…
When Lady Josephine accepts a wager to lure a kiss from the most scandalous and depraved rake in England, she thought it an easy enough task. But one glimpse at the man in question and she foresees her reputation going up in glorious flames. It will not stop her from winning the wager, however, not even the vexing Marquis of St. Aldwyn, who is determined to stay firmly planted in her path to victory.
HE IS NOT PLAYING ANY MORE GAMES…
The Fifth Marquis of St. Aldwyn, Damien Grenville, has come to the conclusion that he has lost his mind. Why else would he be drawn to the reckless Lady Josephine? And when he begins to realize she is up to no good, will he do everything in his power to ensure her reputation remains intact or will he decide to seduce her himself? But danger lurks in the shadows and when Lady Josephine is taken, Damien will stop at nothing to get her back.
The fate of Salem is in her hands…
In the thrilling conclusion to The Timeless Ones, Merry finds that sometimes power isn’t enough to save the ones you love. As she fights to gain control of her memories and her life, William struggles to overcome the Tall Man’s mark and maintain any good that remains inside him.
Meanwhile, unnatural disasters plague Salem, intensifying with the approach of
William’s birthday, the day his light is strongest. As Salem prepares for its annual Halloween celebration, the Tall Man’s plot unfolds, and when the doors to the dead open on October 31st, Merry, William, and the people of Salem will face their greatest challenge.
“Rhee has constructed an engaging narrative that smoothly relays a high volume of information from a fascinating life.” - Publishers Weekly
"This is a truly inspirational story of how one man’s dedication to service and hard work can result in positive outcomes for people who have been subjected to life-threatening traumas.” - U.S. Congressman, Ron Barber
The incredible life story of the trauma surgeon who helped save Congresswoman Gabby Giffords - from his upbringing in South Korea and
Africa to the gripping dramas he faces in a typical day as a medical genius.
Trauma Red chronicles the patient cases Dr. Rhee has handled over two decades on two distinct battle fronts: In Iraq and Afghanistan, where he served as a frontline US Navy surgeon trying to save young American soldiers, and the urban zones of Los Angeles and Washington, DC, where he has been confronted by an endless stream of bloody victims of civilian violence and accidents. Tough and outspoken, Dr. Rhee isn’t afraid to take on the politics of violence in America and a medical community that too often resists innovation. His story provides an inside look into a fascinating medical world, a place where lives are saved every day.
Amazon Best Book of the Month June 2015
"Mind-boggling...The Train to Crystal City combines accounts of terrible sorrow and destruction with great perseverance…Readers [will] wish these stories weren’t true.” - The New York Times
During World War II, trains delivered thousands of civilians from the United States and Latin America to Crystal City, Texas. The trains carried Japanese, German, and Italian immigrants and their American-born children. The only family internment camp during the war, Crystal City was the center of a government prisoner exchange program called “quiet passage.” Hundreds of prisoners in Crystal City were exchanged for other more ostensibly important Americans - diplomats, businessmen, soldiers, and missionaries - behind enemy lines in Japan and Germany.
“A darkly funny memoir about family reckonings” - O, The Oprah Magazine
"A coming-of-age memoir within a morbidly unconventional context." - Kirkus Reviews
"The reader is edged, inevitably, up and back between the good laugh and good cry by his artful prose...Compelling…It turns out that, by getting the dead where they need to go, the living can get where they need to be.” - Thomas Lynch, Wall Street Journal
Andrew Meredith’s father, a literature professor at La Salle University, was fired after unspecified allegations of sexual misconduct. It’s a transgression that resulted in such long-lasting familial despair that Andrew cannot forgive him. In the wake of the scandal, he frantically treads water, stuck in a kind of suspended adolescence - falling in and out of school, moving blindly from one half-hearted relationship to the next. When Andrew is forced to move back home to his childhood neighborhood in Northeast Philadelphia and take a job alongside his father as a “remover,” the name for those unseen, unsung men whose charge it is to take away the dead from their last rooms, he begins to see his father not through the lens of a wronged and resentful child, but through that of a sympathetic, imperfect man.
“An unflinching account...Ridha creates a juicy narrative that serves as a vehicle for reflecting on criminal behavior and the human inclination to transgress.” - Publishers Weekly
“Stinging and insightful...Acknowledging the balance between her heart and her head, Ridha amply demonstrates what can happen when the balance is upset.” - Kirkus Reviews
Criminal That I Am is a defense attorney’s account of the criminal justice system as seen through the prism of a particular case: her own. Jennifer Ridha is enlisted to defend Cameron Douglas in a federal drug trafficking case while he is incarcerated in a maximum-security prison under difficult, even dangerous, conditions. As media scrutiny and the pressures of Cameron’s case mount and as Jennifer becomes increasingly transfixed by her charismatic but troubled client, he asks her to do the unthinkable: commit a crime. In a decision inexplicable even to herself, guided only by her indignation and infatuation, she agrees. When her transgression is discovered, her criminal case begins, and her life as she knows it is over.
A page-turning trip through professional self-destruction, tabloid scandal, and self-reckoning, Criminal That I Am is about the choices one woman makes: how they define her, how she lives with them, and, ultimately, how she is transformed by them.
Entertainment Weekly Best Book of the Year
“That one man can contain such contradictions makes for an astonishing, tragic story...an interrogation of our national creed of self-invention.” - The New York Times Book Review
“A book that is as much about class as it is race...An honest, insightful and empathetic account of his sometimes painful, always strange journey.” - The Los Angeles Times
When author Jeff Hobbs arrived at Yale University, he became fast friends with the man who would be his college roommate for four years, Robert Peace. Robert’s life was rough from the beginning in the crime-ridden streets of Newark in the 1980s, with his father in jail and his mother earning less than $15,000 a year. But Robert was a brilliant student, and it was supposed to get easier when he was accepted to Yale, where he studied molecular biochemistry and biophysics. But it didn’t get easier. Robert carried with him the difficult dual nature of his existence, trying to fit in at Yale, and at home on breaks.
A compelling and honest portrait of Robert’s relationships - with his struggling mother, with his incarcerated father, with his teachers and friends - The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace encompasses the most enduring conflicts in America: race, class, drugs, community, imprisonment, education, family, friendship, and love.
Publisher’s Weekly Best Summer Books of 2016
Finalist: 2017 Pen/E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award
Longlisted: Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence
Library Journal Best Science Book of the Year
"An immensely satisfying story, full of surprises and suspense.” - The Wall Street Journal
“A fresh, lively look at an obsessive desire to own a piece of the wild.” - Kirkus Reviews
A young man is murdered for his prized pet fish. An Asian tycoon buys a single specimen for $150,000. Meanwhile, a pet detective chases smugglers through the streets of New York. Delving into an outlandish realm of obsession, paranoia, and criminality, The Dragon Behind the Glass tells the story of a fish like none other: a powerful predator dating to the age of the dinosaurs. Treasured as a status symbol believed to bring good luck, the Asian arowana is bred on high-security farms in Southeast Asia and sold by the hundreds of thousands each year. In the United States, however, it’s protected by the Endangered Species Act and illegal to bring into the country - though it remains the object of a thriving black market. From the South Bronx to Singapore, journalist Emily Voigt follows the trail of the fish, ultimately embarking on a years-long quest to find the arowana in the wild, venturing deep into some of the last remaining tropical wildernesses on earth.
A riveting journey into the bizarre world of the Asian arowana or “dragon fish” - the world’s most expensive aquarium fish - reveals a surprising history with profound implications for the future of wild animals and human beings alike.
"A taut recounting of a needless maritime tragedy." - Kirkus Reviews
On Thursday, October 25, 2012, Captain Robin Walbridge made the fateful decision to sail Bounty from New London, Connecticut, to St. Petersburg, Florida. Walbridge knew that a hurricane was forecast, yet he was determined to sail. The captain told the crew that anyone could leave the ship before it sailed.
No one took the captain up on his offer.
Four days into the voyage, Superstorm Sandy made an almost direct hit on the ship. A few hours later, the ship suddenly overturned ninety miles off the North
Carolina coast in the “Graveyard of the Atlantic,” sending the crew tumbling into an ocean filled with towering thirty-foot waves. The coast guard then launched one of the most complex and massive rescues in its history.