Our Staff
Mary Duke - Marketing Director
Mary has been involved with the publishing industry for several years. Within that time, she has gained vast knowledge on many unique marketing techniques. As an Amazon best-selling author, she has gained a strong following and has brought her understanding and expertise of the business with her to Xchyler.
Penny Freeman - Editor in Chief
Penny brings to Xchyler thirty years of wordsmith experience, with emphasis on historical fiction, business writing, journalism, editing and desktop publishing. A member of the American Night Writers Association, she has written a number of manuscripts and maintains several blogs. She reviews books for a wide variety of publishers. Literature, history and storytelling are her great passions, although the technical aspects of the language arts satisfy her compulsion for order. Her adventures and life lessons have forged her unique perspective and sculpted her singular style.
Melissa Ravelli - Editor
Melissa spends most of her time devouring books of all shapes and sizes. Having young children at home, she loves making her way through stories for the younger generation, yet always finds time to get in a bit of her own reading which spans from the paranormal to mysteries and everywhere in between. Having worked as an editor on many different projects, she has the experience and knowhow to do what needs doing, when it comes to the books that pass through her hands.
Margaret Grady - Editor
Margaret, a lifelong fan of sci-fi and fantasy, has worked as an editor on many different projects over the years. Her expertise spans from textbooks to novels and even a few local newszines. Between her editing experience and her love of books, working for Xchyler seems only the natural thing to do.
Caitlin McColl - Beta Reader
Caitlin is a published author with an educational background in English Literature, as well as grammatical editing and creative writing. She has always loved reading and enjoys reading any genre from horror, to Sci-Fi and Historical Fiction. Her main love, however, has always been Fantasy (including paranormal fantasy), and within that genre, steampunk, as she writes steampunk herself.
Rob Hardin - Beta Reader
Rob, a long-time lover of the written word, enjoys all genres of fiction that cross his path. Never does he leave his home without a book in tow. With a very diverse background in medieval culture, fantasy calls to him and he picks his way through it, finding all the little things that others would normally miss.
D. Robert Pease - Graphic Designer
Dale has been drawing since childhood. He graduated with a BFA in Graphic Design and Illustration, and has owned a print and web design firm for the past fifteen years. He's also an author of middle grade and YA, science fiction and fantasy.