About McKenzie Lynn Tozan
McKenzie Lynn Tozan is a formerly Midwestern writer, transplanted to coastal Croatia. She is a published poet, novelist, and the Editor-in-Chief of Lit Shark Magazine and the Banned Book Review. She received her MFA in Poetry from Western Michigan University and her BA in English/BS in Education from Indiana University South Bend, where she began her work in publishing. Her poems have appeared in Rogue Agent, Whale Road Review, Young Ravens Review, The Birds We Piled Loosely, and Encore Magazine, among others; her book reviews and essays have appeared in The Rumpus, Green Mountains Review, Memoir Mixtapes, The Life Collective, Her Journal, Motherly, and more; and she had a chapter on Australian vampire lore featured in the critical anthology, Global Perspectives on the Liminality of the Supernatural: From Animus to Zombi. McKenzie’s short horror story collection, What We Find in the Dark, and her horror novella, Black As Black, are both forthcoming from the Shiver Collective in 2025. When she’s not writing, McKenzie is spending time with her kiddos, cat, and husband; reading submissions for Lit Shark; making future plans to start a pumpkin patch on the coast (seriously); physically conditioning to start scuba-diving and swimming with sharks in spring 2026 (also seriously); stumbling her way through learning Croatian; researching local conservation projects she can get involved in; and getting back into playing piano and creating visual art.
Featured In
All We Can Hold:
Poems of Motherhood
(Poetry Anthology)
This anthology features the work of over 100 poets writing all the wonderful, wild, sorrowful, ecstatic, tragic, and joyful experiences that are contained by “motherhood.”
Global Perspectives on the Liminality of the Supernatural: From Animus to Zombi (Culture/Literary Theory)
Birds Fall Silent in the Mechanical Sea
(Literary Anthology)
words per year
years in book marketing & publishing
Highlights
happy indie authors, poets, small presses, & literary magazines
years of editing experience
happy hotels, restaurants, small businesses, & dream travel destinations
years in social media, product descriptions, & UGC
Like the difference between swaying Midwestern cornfields and the afternoon wave breaks as the tide comes in on the Mediterranean coast—McKenzie’s writing and reading interests vary widely, and what she offers to her clients varies, as well.
Though she wanted to write, she originally thought she’d be a teacher—she actually dreamed of starting an afterschool creative arts program for underprivileged kids/teens who would benefit from a place to go, a warm meal, and a creative outlet—but in her last few years of teaching, she found herself in the classroom during the school day, only to continue studying poetry, volunteering at literary publications, and editing graduates’ dissertations at night. She eventually decided to double-major in Education and English, so she could more easily pursue an MFA while teaching. But when her client base grew during her MFA and she started a family with her husband, she decided to pursue writing and editng, et al., services full-time.
Since 2015 when she graduated with her MFA, she’s written more
than 3,000 viral and trending news pieces, hundreds of “how to write” and “grammar guide” articles, she’s published dozens of thoughtful articles, book reviews, and poems, and she has several poetry collections, short story collections, and novels in the works.
Most importantly, she’s helped dozens of writers every year tell their stories: Researchers who needed help editing and publishing their dissertations and/or field research; Poets; Fiction writers; Moms with a dream; Self-help writers and tarot readers with spiritual stories inside of them; Thought leaders in positive thinking, politics, business, and environmentalism; and even children who had a dream of publishing a poem. McKenzie deeply believes in stories, she deeply believes that everyone has at least one story inside of them that needs to be told in their lifetime; and she deeply believes that people who have the ability to help these people tell their stories—whether it’s through editing services and publishing assistance like her, or reading, or gifting a copy of a book to a loved one—very simply, should.
McKenzie’s feedback is absolutely brilliant: thoughtful, detailed, and incredibly constructive. She has such an exceptional eye for language, flow, and clarity. She has such a gift, and I am genuinely proud to know her. I’m beyond lucky to have her by my side through this journey in academia.
– martina jakara
Featured In
Work with McKenzie
for hotels, restaurants, & dream travel destinations
UGC, Social Media Content, & Photography
The summer is almost here! If you’re located in a tourist destination like I am, you’re about to be inundated with traffic. Buuut tourists may not have heard of you, they may not know where to find you, or they might not leave a review as a thank-you. If you’d like someone to write a thorough, thoughtful review and/or turn tourists into guests, I’m always prepared to travel, write, review, and photograph.
for indie authors, poets, small presses, & literary magazines
Line/Developmental Edits, Alpha/Beta, Cover Design, & Lit Mag/Small Press Guest Editing
The summer’s already here! Maybe you’re like me, and you like to focus on creative projects and making progress during the summer months, especially if you’re in academia. In that case, I’m available for editing services, alpha/beta reading, and cover design. I have other services, as well, that we can discuss, though these are especially fun for summer!
organizations for environmentalism, animal rights, & climate change
Content, Copywriting, Grant Writing, Socials
Advocating for animals, the environment, and tools for sustainable living are a passion of mine, and I also dream of getting scuba-certified in the next year so I can regularly volunteer with coastal cleanup, animal rescue, coral reef restoration, and swim with sharks. I’d like to bring these two sides of my heart together and work with an organization that believes in the things I do. I am a powerful storyteller and have a deeply empathetic heart to pull compelling copy from—and we’d work together knowing that this is a meaningful cause that we’re making a worthwhile difference, together.
Contact the Writer
mckenzie@litshark.com
Seek a Book Review
publishing@litshark.com
Start a Brand Collab
mckenzie@litshark.com
Submit to Lit Shark
litshark.com/submit/