Sword and Silk Books is a small traditional publishing company, celebrating womxn of all walks of life.
​
The publishing business can be a lonely place where everyone feels like they are competing against each other. S&S seeks to be a place of support, learning, and growth.
​
At Sword and Silk, we work with our authors every step of the way on their literary journey, helping to bring out the most from their work. From editing, to marketing and publication, Sword and Silk helps our authors produce high quality, interesting and entertaining books.
​
At Sword and Silk, we believe that every author has a story to tell, and that every story deserves to be told.
MaryBeth Dalto-McCarthy
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
MaryBeth is on the lookout for YA and NA novels heavy in plot with the ability to make her fall in love with its characters. Her favorite tropes include love triangles of all kinds, enemies to lovers, dream sequences, and prophecies.
She always wants villains you can’t help but be attracted to, redemption arcs or otherwise.
She loves novels with deep character development, a setting where she can get lost, and plot twists that make her want to throw the book across the room.
Give her main characters you love to hate, but can’t help but hate to love.
%2520(1)_edit.jpg)
Laynie Bynum
MARKETING DIRECTOR
Laynie Bynum is a southern dreamer who got her start in the publishing industry writing YA contemporary romance and fantasy. She holds dual degrees in Business and Public Relations and completed her internship through a well-known romance publishing company. She believes in the power of community, the magic of kindness, and the beauty of knowledge.
​
When she isn't lost in words (herself or someone else's) she's hunting for adventures with her two kids and spoiled beagle named Bagel across the wilds of the Alabama forests.
Jennia Herold D'lima
SENIOR EDITOR
Jennia’s initial editing experience revolved around academic papers and engineering articles before she moved on to the much more fulfilling and captivating world of Young and New Adult fiction.
As a lifelong reader who typically speeds through one book a day, she knew instantly she had found her niche in the publishing world.
While captivated by all genres, she especially loves fantasy, paranormal, and romance, and will never say no to a fairy tale retelling.
Kristin Jacques
CONTENT CREATOR
Kristin Jacques is the Sword and Silk Content Creator.
Aside from mining the internet for ideas, she is an author of YA and adult dark fantasy.
Kristin has a soft spot for redeemable villains, unusual love stories, ride or die sibling relationships, and anything weird and wondrous.
When not penning stories or reading her teetering TBR, she can be found herding cats and children in the suburban wilds of New England.
.jpg)
.jpg)
Kaylee Pereyra
COMMUNITY MANAGER
Kaylee (she/her) is an avid fantasy romance reader who loves rom-coms, cosplay and crafting. She currently lives in the Bay Area with her many cats. Find her on Instagram @verypeculiarpages
E.M. Wright
PROOFREADER
Emily (E.M.) Wright is the in-house proofreader at Sword and Silk Books. A Lyrics Curator by day, she spends her evenings exploring fantastical worlds through writing and reading.
She has a bachelor’s degree in English Lit and a lifelong love of language, and has been known to correct errors found in library books. She writes and reads YA sci-fi and fantasy, but anything with strong characters and an exciting premise will draw her in. Her debut novel, SEDITION, released May 2021.
When she’s not writing or reading, Emily spends her time with her husband and two cats. She enjoys exploring new art styles, playing tabletop games, and traveling the world.
Celin Chen
COVER DESIGNER
Celin is an award-winning book cover designer from Singapore who has designed for bestselling authors. She loves vibrant colors, the dark and gritty, and the fantastical in both her designing and her reading.
Celin loves to read fantasy, mystery, and historical fiction, along with retellings of fairytales, myths, and legends. She is most drawn into a book when it has characters she loves and a world that was developed beautifully.
When she’s not working away in Photoshop or hidden away in a corner with her nose in a book, Celin can often be found binging anime, playing games on her Switch, out shopping, paddle boarding away from her problems, or trying to form words for her own book.
.jpg)
Starla Rajavuori
ACQUISITIONS EDITOR
Starla enjoys reading all sorts of stories, and especially loves charmingly snarky characters and morally ambiguous villains who keep you guessing. She is a genre jumper, but her favorites tend to be sci-fi and fantasy.
When she’s not working on her own book or getting lost in others’, she might be found hiking the mountains of Southern California, baking up a storm, or in front of the TV maintaining her status as a film buff.
Shania Turner
PUBLISHING ASSISTANT
Shania Turner is the newly minted Sword and Silk Publishing Assistant.
She has always been an avid reader, particularly of romance, and enjoys reading as much as possible.
As a 2021 English Literature graduate from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, she has many long nights of reading, researching, and writing essays under her belt. When she isn’t reading, she loves to roller skate and attend live music events.
She has a weakness for villains, primarily Loki in the Marvel Universe, and drummers (she is dating one).
