Testimonials

 

Praise from my clients

 

Still wondering if I’m the writer for you? Don’t take my word for it. See what others have said about my work:

Writing

“Ashley, you are a miracle worker. Really impressed with your work. I’ve gotten great feedback from other staff too. Thank you, thank you, thank you! You’re my favorite of our writers!”

– Scott Williams, Marketing Manager at University Health System

“Ashley has done fabulous work for Trinity magazine, both in longer, in-depth feature stories and in short, sometimes last-minute assignments. She has also done copy editing for our entire publication. Every time Ashley has written for our magazine, she has taken the time to get comfortable with the subject matter through research and to speak with interviewees on their levels. Ashley cleverly and intelligently tailors her writing to both the subject and the audience, and she does so with integrity, sensitivity, and honesty. She keeps in touch with progress reports and keeps me on track and on schedule at times. Plus, Ashley is an absolute joy to work with — fun, funny, and professional.”

– Jeanna Goodrich Balreira, magazine editor at Trinity University

“Ashley is one of my go-to writers when I need content that’s accurately researched, solidly written, and easily understood by readers. From diabetes to at-home births to health information privacy, Ashley can take on any topic and make it accessible to a broad range of consumers. She’s able to juggle multiple assignments while meeting deadlines and asking thoughtful questions when necessary. We’re lucky to work with her!”

– Christine Moore, Senior Digital Content Strategist at Healthgrades

“Her writing is superb, and she writes with a clean and concise style. She is reliable with deadlines and does the necessary research and legwork needed to get the story.”

– Brance Arnold, magazine editor at the University of the Incarnate Word

“Finding freelance writers who can both write well and deliver on time is challenging in San Antonio. Ashley Festa is one of those rare few. The assignments Ashley completes for the Business Journal are well-written, conform to AP style, and are free and clear of excess verbiage. One of my favorite characteristics about Ashley is her reliability. She is refreshingly honest about her workload. If she can’t make the deadline, she won’t take the assignment. This dependability is so important for editors working with freelancers. Most importantly, Ashley is witty — making phone calls and email communications a fun part of my work week.”

– Donna Tuttle, projects editor at the San Antonio Business Journal

“What I like most about working with Ashley Festa is that all of her assignments, no matter the size, are written with the greatest of care, accuracy and are always turned in on or before deadline. She is a gem of a writer with great people skills and a can-do attitude.”

– Cynthia Ladson, editor, Our Kids magazine

“Ashley Festa possesses what I consider the paramount quality in a writer – the ability to take complex concepts and distill them into a bite-sized, imminently readable format. I hired Ashley to write several articles about small business finances, laws and regulations and she was able to turn these frankly boring concepts into fascinating articles. I recommend Ashley for any editor who needs someone who can write clearly and concisely and connect with an audience.”

– Jennifer Dunn, Social Street Media

“Thank you so much for helping me make sense of myself and finding a way to present it in such a finely worded way.”

– Bekah Kelso, singer/songwriter

“Our Prime Time Newspapers group of community weeklies at the San Antonio Express-News have a pool of freelance writers and photographers with which we regularly work. But Ashley is one of the few truly reliable writers. Ashley has exceptional skills in the areas of news and feature writing, editing and critical thinking. She’s objective, fair, personable, fast yet careful with her work. She’s able to meet a deadline, short- or long-term, with researched articles. She knows AP style, and takes instruction and criticism well. I highly recommend Ashley for any freelance assignment.”

– Edmond Ortiz, editor at the North Central News

“Working with Ashley Festa is always a pleasure. When I assign an article to her, I know she will deliver a precise, well-written, perfectly positioned final product, and that it will be in on time. In addition, she interacts so well with the individuals she interviews for her stories. I know this because I receive such positive feedback from those folks. I couldn’t be more pleased with her work and work ethic.”

– Gerry Lair, editor of On the Town Ezine

“Ashley Festa is a skilled writer who consistently delivers assignments on time. Her stories are accurate, and she’s capable of turning them around on a tight deadline. Ashley has written on a variety of topics for Schertz Magazine and is one of my best go-to writers. I would recommend her to anyone looking to hire a talented, dependable writer.”

– Chuck McCullough, editor of Schertz Magazine

“Ashley did a great job creating and maintaining the Rotary Group Study Exchange blog last April when we were in France on our professional and cultural exchange. Ashley’s daily blog composition captured the essence of the group’s life-changing experience. We had several comments and compliments on the blog’s content and presentation. Our families also felt close to us through the blog. It was comfortable having Ashley keep so many in touch while we lived our adventure.”

– Kent Fischer, San Antonio Rotarian

“As a ‘mature’ professional writer, it’s always nice to meet a young person who shows the kind of talent, openness to new ideas, and passion for writing that suggests he or she will find success in our field. I had the pleasure of having Ashley Festa in one of my classes at Our Lady of the Lake University during the winter-spring 2010 semester. Though there were many impressive, even excellent students in the class, Ashley’s work always kept her number one, grade-wise. In particular, the paper that she wrote for me was both original in its ideology and effective in organization and presentation. I would happily recommend her to anyone looking for a professional writer.”

– Douglas Brode, novelist and award-winning journalist

Editing

“Ashley is the most thorough proofer I’ve worked with, and even after my eyes have looked at something a million times, she manages to catch things I didn’t even think of. She’s an AP style wizard, too! She’s also just a nice person in general and easy to work with.”

– Molly Bruni, managing editor, Trinity University

“As the developmental editor for my book, Ashley shared her writing expertise by offering me clarifying questions and insightful suggestions. I had a fairly tight schedule for completion of the manuscript, and she managed to deliver timely and valuable contributions. She helped me articulate my thoughts and improve my writing style so that the result is significantly more readable. I heartily recommend Ashley for both large and small writing projects, especially when the author needs someone to understand and interact with the content.”

– Michael Andrews, author and Christian educator

“I want to take this opportunity to let you know how pleased I am with your work. You were extremely thorough, and you went over and beyond to make sure that the lessons were written and explained in the best way possible for our clients. I appreciate you asking questions, seeking clarification and, of course, completing the lessons in a timely manner.”

– Gloria Palomo, Education Service Center, Region 20

“I entrusted Ashley with finding the right words to describe the technical nature of my small business and she did not let me down. Her ability to translate technical jargon into clear and understandable English gave me the professional edge I was looking for.”

– David Stinemetze, computer programming business owner

“I highly recommend Ashley Festa. She shines in both simple proofreading jobs and comprehensive editing and performs equally well under a tight deadline and in long-range projects. I have seen her take a complicated, jargon-filled article and clean it up for its target audience, then transform it into concise, clear prose for the general reader. Her attention to detail is impeccable. Ashley is professional and thorough and balances an audience’s needs with the writer or organization’s desired outcome.”

– Amanda Holahan, copy editor, The Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle

“Ashley handled most of the copy editing for San Antonio TASTE and did so with professionalism and efficiency. She is a conscientious writer and editor with an exceptional grasp of AP style. Ashley demonstrated attention to detail with each assignment, working quickly and efficiently and always meeting deadlines.”

– Michele McMurry, editor of San Antonio TASTE magazine

“Becoming a better thinker was never my goal, becoming a better writer was. In working with Ashley, I discovered it was the way I was putting my thoughts together that affected my writing. Not only did she fix my mistakes, she educated me in a way that made me realize I needed to fundamentally change my approach to developing new ideas before I started writing.”

– Davis Staedtler, blogger

“Ashley, thank you for the insightful suggestions you made to my résumé. I feel more confident about submitting my résumé to potential employers.”

– Veronica Ruiz, marketing and advertising coordinator

“Ashley truly developed her ability to see the big picture of a project while coordinating our alumni magazine. By not only writing, but also editing and conceptualizing the publication she produced a well-rounded product that appealed to a diverse audience. Ashley becomes fully engrossed in her projects and brings a unique voice to her subjects.”

– Debra Del Toro, director of public relations,
The University of the Incarnate Word

Professionalism

“I found Ashley to be an honest, open-minded writer and editor with keen attention to detail and professional demeanor. She quickly became someone I could depend on to produce great work at a moment’s notice. Because she has a strong work ethic, she was equally comfortable working alone or as a part of my creative team.”

– Eleazar Hernandez, creative director of marketing,
The University of Texas at San Antonio

“As I am leaving this position I just want to tell you how much I have enjoyed working with you. You have a wonderful knack for telling the story! More importantly, you are a writer whose integrity can be trusted. You have never twisted anything I have said – even if twisting could have made a more exciting story! Thank you for some truly beautiful stories about our work here.”

– Dr. Pat Watkins, vice president for International Affairs,
The University of the Incarnate Word

“Ashley doesn’t just get the job done – she does so in the most professional manner possible. Her ability to see into a client issue and be able to solve it is apparent just talking with her. She’s personable, reliable, and skilled. I’d hire her in an instant.”

Lori Widmer, writing professional