“Julie is a master! My book was formatted for paperback with the utmost of care. She is fast and cares about the quality of work. Although it’s hard to imagine the final product in a book, I was thrilled to open the paperback version after she worked so hard. Julie is more than worth it!”
Julie Bonn Blank, author of Innocent Lives, November 13, 2021
The World of Henry Port Kirk III
“Writing my life story has been a productive and challenging project. My wife, Jenny, was the scribe. Julie McDonald Zander, our gifted editor, has been tremendous. She exudes enthusiasm and was always professional while sharing her expertise and willingness to make things right.
Julie provided encouragement throughout the process, and we are delighted with the result!
With sincere gratitude, we thank you, Julie.”
Hank and Jenny Kirk
What a treat to work with Robert and Sally Schaefer of Vancouver, Washington, to create and publish a memoir of their remarkable lives.
Here’s what Bob and Sally said about our work together.
“We are grateful to have found Julie McDonald Zander as our editor. She was very professional and helpful. We thoroughly enjoyed working with her. We highly recommend her as an editor.”
Robert and Sally Schaefer
August 18, 2021
I enjoyed working with Travis Hoppe to help edit, design, and publish the memoir of his uncle, Albert Erickson II, called “Crafting a Basic Family Life While Enjoying Nature.”
Here’s what Travis said about our experience.
“It’s been very satisfying and eye-opening working on this project with you. You saw Uncle Bert’s comments—he was delighted by your edits! I appreciate your experience, thoughtfulness, and insights and saw the very tangible improvements of the raw memoir to its final published version.”
Travis Hoppe
April 27, 2021
“My wife and I contracted with Julie Zander to help us write our memoirs. As we worked with Julie our project grew. Julie brought not only her ability to organize and document our story but gave us ideas and recommendations beyond our initial thinking. Julie also has patience. We did not realize how much photos and other documents would add to our story until we worked with Julie. We also didn’t realize how many proofreads are necessary.
“Julie kept both our text and photos on her computer, which made updates and changes easy to accomplish. Our end product of three books—our memoirs, my wife’s family story, and mine—turned out great. We couldn’t have accomplished such a project without Julie’s guidance and expertise.”
Lee Kearney, January 17, 2020
I enjoyed working with Lyle and Alice Leach to create their book. Their beautiful love story also was featured in The Columbian May 24, 2020:
Here’s what Lyle and Alice Leach had to say April 1, 2020, about creating their book:
“This has been one of the experiences of our life. You have added something that we didn’t know that we would ever realize; you know how it goes. Just meeting and knowing you helps us see people differently. Just knowing you makes our lives more complete. Thanks again for adding something we didn’t have before. It has been great working with you.”
Don Brenner of the Toledo Historical Society is selling the updated The Toledo Community Story and The Big Cheeses of Toledo. Here’s what he had to say about my help with the two books:
““I have known Julie for several years as a friend, member of our Toledo Historical Society, and author of our treasured publications. Many people I know follow her column in The Chronicle. Julie is a valued historian to Lewis County and especially Toledo. It has been a pleasure working with her on the revision of The Toledo Community Story and the creation of The Big Cheeses of Toledo 1985-2019. Julie is a town treasure and a friend to this community.”
Donald C. Brenner, August 2, 2019
At long last, the nonfiction story of an 1847 pioneer mother of four young sons who lost her husband at the Snake River on the Oregon Trail. She later married the first American to settle north of the Columbia River and hosted such well-known people as Washington Territorial Governor Isaac Stevens and Ulysses S. Grant, Phil Sheridan, George McClellan, who later became US generals. Kickoff of Matilda Jackson Legacy Day is Saturday, Oct. 26, at the first courthouse in Washington state, where she lived.
What prompts a couple with two grown children to give up a lucrative job and leave for the jungles of Cameroon? Only the Lord who spoke clearly to Norma (Booth) Clark and told her the time to go was “Now!” She and her husband, Gilbert, stepped out in faith, joined Wycliffe Bible Translators, and raised financial support to train and work in the field. They sold their house, their furnishings, and even their beautiful lakeside summer home. But God pointed out they’d see many other beautiful places, and they did. After training in Oklahoma, they spent a year in France preparing for missionary work in Africa. In this book, Norma Clark recounts their experiences in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon; Mexico; and other places where they served with Wycliffe Bible Translators, a missionary field that spanned three decades.
“I want to thank Julie Zander for all the work she did to get Norma Clark’s story into print. Julie was wonderful to work with and very encouraging. At 95 years young we knew it was time to get Mother’s story published. Finding Julie was an answer to prayer. I have also given Julie’s name to a friend.”
Heather Anderson Neafie
“Thank you for your help in getting my book ready for publishing. Following God’s Lead has been received well. Most comments are ‘encouraging’ and ‘easy to read.’ My book is now in England, Canada, Colorado, California, and Washington. It was a privilege to have met you.”
Norma Clark
During sixty-three years of marriage, Dr. Ken and Clarita Burden raised four children, welcomed six grandchildren, and followed the leading of the Lord in their vocations and avocations. They donated time and money to missions through the Seventh-day Adventist Church. When they weren’t working, tending to medical patients or teaching piano students, the couple drove their RV across the United States, boarded a cruise ship to Europe, Africa, or South America, or hopped on an airplane to fly overseas. During their travels, they visited every county in the country and more than one hundred nations in the world.
Dr. Kenneth H. Burden graduated from Union College in 1948 and from Loma Linda University in 1952. He worked for the U.S. Public Health Service before accepting a mission assignment in Puerto Rico, where the family lived for twelve years. After six years in the Napa Valley of California, he and Clarita moved north to Chehalis, Washington, where he became a partner in Steck Medical Group.
“Julie Zander has an engaging personality and great skills in obtaining needed information and organizing work in an interesting fashion as illustrated in the well-done autobiography she did for me. I would highly recommend her for any such endeavor.”
–Dr. Kenneth Burden, February 2019