The TYS Team

MELISSA BIGNER [Editor and proofreader]

A passionate word nerd who majored in journalism at Northwestern University, Melissa cut her writing and editing teeth as a staffer at Southern Living, Southern Accents, and Weight Watchers. After she left the Time Inc. fold to freelance full time, she worked with Better Homes & Gardens, Budget Travel, Coastal Living, Cottage Living, Garden & Gun, HOME, Orient Express, Charleston, and more; contributed to travel guides (Fodor’s and Moon Handbooks); and penned books and bookazines for Better Homes & Gardens, HGTV, TLC, and Coastal Living. Post-Covid, she began editing and ghostwriting memoirs and self-help books in what’s become her favorite career chapter yet. To see her work, visit MelissaBigner.com.

VALLY SHARPE [Book production manager]

For over eighteen years, Vally Sharpe has worked with over 750 independent and traditional publishers, providing a variety of pre-press services. For Tell Your Stories, she performs the final technical checks of files to be submitted for printing and manages the process from proof to delivery. Her primary goal is to find the best match of book manufacturer and publisher, balancing design, schedule, and budget to ensure a quality product that showcases the stories told.

SARA GLASER [Website and print designer]

A veteran print and web designer with over three decades of experience, Sara makes WordPress websites for writers, musicians, and artists to help share and promote their projects. She enjoys helping clients organize and shape their site content for an easy and effective user experience. With an extensive print portfolio, Sara has designed many books and oral histories for Print-on-Demand and small press editions. When not designing, Sara is an avid songwriter and fine artist. She lives in Oakland, California. For more information, contact her at sara@saraglaser.com.

NICOLE BORMAN [Book designer]

While working as a librarian for over a decade, Nicole became interested in book design. Having studied fashion during her undergraduate education, she felt a need to bring creativity back into her life, which led her back to school to study advertising and graphic design. Nicole is a big-ideas person whose interests lie in all things design, photography, dogs, chocolatey baked goods, dreaming, and learning. You can view some of her work at southernpeachstudios.com.

SIERRA ZARDUS [Photo manager and typist]

Sierra, a graduate of Utah State University, studied plant science. She currently works full time at the Clemson Coastal Research and Education Center in Charleston, South Carolina, where she assists in plant disease research. A beekeeper and a lover of rabbits and of capoeira, Sierra is gifted at identifying and solving problems in systematic and efficient ways. She brings these skills to Tell Your Stories as she scans, uploads, and organizes hundreds of photos at a time.

JENNA ZARDUS [Graphic designer]

Jenna Zardus, a graphic design major at the University of Utah, creates pen and ink/watercolor illustrations, including maps, for clients’ personal histories. She also creates PowerPoint presentations for Tell Your Stories to help get the word out about the value of recording personal histories. Jenna enjoys playing the viola, hiking, swimming, and spending time with her family and friends.

KIMBERLY JONES [Transcriber and book designer]

Kimberly Jones began transcribing for Tell Your Stories in 2016 and is honored to be involved in the wonderful work of helping create personal histories. She has worked with her own father in writing a memoir of his military service, and she recently finished managing and designing a 500-plus-page book about her parents. She lives in Charleston, South Carolina with her husband and two sons.

CYRUS R. MARTIN [Writer, editor, and proofreader]

Cyrus is a seasoned writer, editor, and communicator with more than ten years of professional experience with various nonprofit, for-profit, and government organizations. After receiving his bachelor’s in philosophy from Roanoke College in 2011, Cyrus moved from South Carolina to Colorado to be closer to “Big Nature” and help advance the missions of companies and organizations focused on environmental sustainability, conservation, education, and social justice. After nearly ten years in Denver, he left the city life behind for more open space and fresh air in Fort Collins, Colorado. In early 2022, Cyrus established his own freelance writing and editing practice, Rhodes Editorial. As a wordsmith with a deep passion for storytelling, Cyrus is excited to help others craft, strengthen, and share their personal histories.

RICH HILLYARD [Editor and proofreader]

Rich’s interest in writing and publishing started at an early age and included a broad scope of work on his high school newspaper. His professional writing career includes fifteen years as a technical writer at Novell, Inc., as well as writing and editing computer software documentation. His work with Tell Your Stories began as a transcriber, writer, and editor for his own father’s history book. Since then, he has done extensive editing and proofreading for other projects, plus some graphic design and photographic restoration work, always with a sharp eye for detail. Rich looks forward to helping you with your projects. You can contact him at richhillyard@gmail.com.