
Mystery Writer, Editor, Book Coach
As a coach and editor specializing in all things mystery, I can help you:
- Develop a sleuth with a rich internal life and a world
- Develop useful and three-dimensional sidekicks and sleuthing teams
- Ensure criminals / suspects have plausible means, motives, and opportunities for committing crimes
- Create compelling suspects and red herrings
- Pace out crimes, clues and reveals
- Amplify conflict, build suspense
- Write clear and dynamic action scenes
- Craft plot twists the reader won’t see coming
- Build the world of your story and activate the power of your setting
- Manage research vs. storytelling
- Deal with the law (police / detective characters, legal matters)
- Balance the mystery genre with other genre conventions
- Craft a mystery subplot (particularly for a “mystery about the past”, “hidden history,” or “family secret” story)
- Work within mystery genre conventions while avoiding tired tropes
- Understand various options for outlines, from basic to detailed
- Develop a working outline with clear cause/effect trajectory
- Find clarity about the crime and the “story behind the story”
- Strategize about standalone vs. series decisions; create a series bible
- Deal with project management and reach the finish line of your draft or revision!
My mission as your coach and editor:
I love helping other writers become sleuths of their own stories and solve their own mysteries. I shine a light to help writers see a path forward. I demystify the writing process by providing flexible tools and strategies at every stage of the process.
I work in a collaborative spirit, and especially enjoy the brainstorming and problem-solving process. I try to make decision-making fun, recognizing it is an essential yet often challenging part of the writing process.
In my feedback, I offer questions designed to spark ideas, point out different perspectives, provide editorial suggestions, challenge you with some “what if’s,” and give you my direct, honest opinion in a compassionate way if I feel something’s just not yet coming through on the page. But you are still in charge of your story! Sometimes my questions and suggestions to address a problem may prompt you to think of some other solution, or stumble upon a fresh insight.
I invest time and energy in your project, championing your book at every stage, and rooting for you as its creator rather than imposing my vision or structure. I highlight examples of what I think is working well in your pages, to raise your awareness of your own writing strengths – so that you can keep doing those things and level up your writing in general.
MY PARTNERS IN CRIME ARE:
- Writers of middle grade, young adult, or adult mysteries . . . or of novels with a mysterious subplot.
- Writers who suspect their book is a mystery but aren’t sure. I can help you figure that out!
- Mystery writers overlapping with other genres. For example: historical, paranormal, thriller, romance, speculative fiction.
- Writers of cozy mysteries, literary mysteries, hard-boiled mysteries, domestic suspense. If you’re not sure what shelf your book should sit on, let’s investigate the options!
- Screenwriters / Scriptwriters with mystery plots. I can assess and help develop scripts and outlines, paying attention to genre conventions, pacing, plausibility, and plot points. I work with authors of TV scripts, full-length films, and podcasts.
- Nature detectives. Mystery plot or not, I welcome writers of eco fiction, climate fiction, solar punk; anything related to natural history, conservation, environmental justice, environmental activism, or exploring the mysteries of the natural world.
- Writers of all genders, religions, races, ethnicities, or sexual orientations. I am committed to inclusivity and diversity. I am affirming of all gender identities and sexual orientations.
- Neurodivergent Writers. I have training and experience working with writers who have executive function challenges due to ADHD, ASD, and various other reasons, with or without a formal diagnosis.
Genres I do NOT work in and services I do NOT offer are:
- Adult horror (It’s not a genre that I am well-read in, but I’ll happily take kidlit horror, and I love a spooky ghost story!)
- Nonfiction / Self-Help
- Copyediting and Proofreading
- Ghostwriting
In addition, I do not work with misogynistic, racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic or transphobic content. I understand there may be characters who represent certain viewpoints which are not necessarily shared by the writer. There may be justifiable reasons for including those viewpoints. Mysteries and crime fiction let people see the darker sides of humanity. Even in a cozy mystery, the crook in the cupcake shop may voice some opinions that readers might find distasteful. That’s fine! However, if I deem the overall tone or cumulative effect of such narrative choices as ticking off any of these boxes, or if violence or rhetoric does not seem to serve a narrative purpose, I am likely to turn down your project.
If you suspect I’m not the best fit for your work due to genres, pricing, package structures, or other reasons, please check out Author Accelerator’s coach matching directory. It lists Author Accelerator-certified book coaches who offer a variety of programs and pricing structures, work in time zones all over the world, and coach / edit across genres.
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