Hi, I'm J. Burton and I'm glad you're here.

Pear Development Editing is named for the way that stories are built up over time, draft by draft, and for my Grandmother and Great-Grandmother, both of whom shared the name Pearl and read to me as a child, giving me a lifelong love of stories.

Because of them, I have been drawn to a life centered on reading, writing, and thinking about story even before I became a Story Grid Certified Editor (2021), or graduated with an MFA in fiction (2009) or a BA in English Literature (2005).

I love well-told stories of all genres. But my favorite genres are horror, thriller, coming-of-age stories, crime stories, and memoirs, especially by writers who identify as outsiders or underdogs in some way.

In addition to being an editor, I'm a writer who belongs to a dedicated writers group who've published numerous stories, essays, novels, memoirs, and anthologies. My own short stories and essays have appeared in literary journals. I was once nominated for a Pushcart Prize for a story in upstreet, based in Massachusetts. (I didn't win but it was a great reason to read to a crowd in the Boston Public Library!)

I believe that language is a superpower (hence the url for the site).

And I'm also a big fan of: classic Cadillacs, Johnny Cash songs, strong coffee; being kind, just, and fair; supporting my local craft breweries; talking to dogs; weight lifting, running-slowly-while-looking-like-I'm-about-to-die-but-doing-it-anyway; and traveling.