The TYS Team
“One writes to make a home for one’s self—on paper, in time, in others’ minds.” —Alfred Kazin
MARY B. JOHNSTON [Editor, writing coach, and personal historian]
Mary Johnston, founder of Tell Your Stories, has always loved books. In her fourteen years of teaching high school English and twice that many years as an editor and personal historian, she has acquired her share of books. Like any teacher worth her salt, she has the classics—everything from Hamlet to Catcher in the Rye. And like any editor worth hiring, she has a well-worn Chicago Manual of Style and a wide array of grammar books.
And just as you would expect of a personal historian, she has many shelves of biographies and memoirs—books that have helped her walk in other people’s shoes all across this globe. Mary’s mind is filled with these stories and her heart with the storytellers. She has helped hundreds of writers discover their voices and put their experiences and knowledge into words. Many of those writers have published their words—some in academic journals, others in books for family members and loved ones, and still others for the general public. Mary looks forward to helping you share what you know with your target audience. Contact her at wordworksstories@gmail.com or 843-327-1835.
TAMI BOYCE [Book designer]
Tami is an illustrator and graphic designer based in Charleston, South Carolina. She has been creating book covers and interior layouts for over a decade. Tami has also written her own children’s books, as well as illustrated others for many independent authors. When she is not working, you can probably find Tami travelling or eating cheese. To see more of her work, please visit tamiboyce.com.
CASSANDRA PINGREE FOSTER [Book designer]
Cassandra provides the creative development for books and specializes in graphic-rich publications. Cassandra spent more than a decade working in higher education, including time at George Mason University, Emerson College, and College of Charleston. Before moving into the higher education field, Cassandra spent a decade in journalism and print design. Her work has been recognized by the Virginia Press Association. In addition to her career, Cassandra has volunteered her time to support church- and community-based organizations to design print materials including ads, promotional announcements, event guides, small booklets, and more. She resides in Charleston, South Carolina with her husband and three sons. She spends her weekends cheering at her boys’ soccer matches, and when not on the road for soccer, she enjoys visiting her family in the Carolinas and in Lisbon, Portugal.
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.
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.
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.
STEPHANIE THIEL [Graphic designer]
From a young age, Stephanie has enjoyed being creative and seeing her work impact others. In 2009 she began studying design and advertising at Brigham Young University and then went on to complete her education at the University of Hawaii Mānoa with a bachelor’s in Communications. She has work experience in advertising, from selling the ad space to creating the design at the KaLeo newspaper and Hawaii News Now media station. She continues to expand her skills as a freelance designer as she balances being a mother to the two cutest little boys and traveling the world.
CAROLINE GUNTUR [Photo consultant and organizer]
Caroline Guntur, a certified photo organizer and personal historian, specializes in digital organizing and family history. She is the owner of The Swedish Organizer, LLC, a company that provides customized family history solutions to clients all over the world. Caroline also hosts webinars and workshops and creates online courses. A native of Ystad, Sweden, she has a bachelor’s degree in visual communications from Hawaii Pacific University and a master’s degree in media management from Columbia College Chicago. She currently divides her time between the United States and Sweden.
Caroline is responsible for setting up Mary on Freedcamp and AirTable, two very helpful organizational systems on which Tell Your Stories clients can upload and comment on the photos they want to include in their personal and family histories. She is also an indispensable photo advisor and cheerleader for Tell Your Stories clients. To learn more, please visit organizingphotos.net or email Caroline directly at caroline@theswedishorganizer.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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
LEXI STEWART [Administrative assistant]
Lexi graduated from the University of South Carolina with a bachelor’s in English in 2018 and firmly believes in the magic of the written word. The modern age has brought more modern needs to the world of writing, and Lexi found herself able to marry her love of literature with her skills in personal assistantship in order to help book creators do their jobs more effectively. She is the go-to girl when it comes to website editing, managing communications, and performing whatever other tasks are needed to get the job done. She currently lives in Charleston, South Carolina with her rescue pup Hermione.
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.