About me

I work creatively, structurally, and intuitively. When I come to your manuscript, I immerse myself in it so fully that I begin to see it through your eyes – and then through the eyes of the reader waiting for the finished book. This is a partnership. Nothing I suggest is set in stone. I will advise, I will sometimes push back, and I will always tell you the truth – but you are the creative lead. The book belongs to you.

The work below describes the ways we can work together. Read through and see what feels right for where you are. If you would like to try working with me before committing to more, the Practical Hour is a good place to start – an hour of answers to your questions, and certainly no sales pitch.

How I Work

I start by reading, and before I make a single note, I want to feel the soul of the book, its rhythm, and what it is genuinely trying to say, who it is trying to say it to, and why. Most writers are too close to their own work to see this clearly. That is not a criticism; it is simply how it works. The author is inside the book. I can stand outside it. Once I have a sense of the whole, I begin to look for these specific elements:

• Your Writing Style: I immerse myself in your writing so that I can support you in keeping your voice consistent throughout the journey.
• The Pattern: I identify the recurring themes and threads you may not even know you have written, bringing the subconscious gold to the surface and checking that you intended these things.
• The Gaps: I look at the places where you may have held back, or where the most important part of the story is hiding just out of sight.
• The Good Stuff: I pinpoint the chapters and ideas that are doing the real structural heavy lifting, so we can build the rest of the book around them.
• The Clutter: I identify everything that is well-written but does not serve the book’s actual purpose. We find what needs to be released or perhaps considered for another chapter or project.

Understanding the Heartbeat

My goal is to understand the heartbeat of the project – the Heart Project. This is the deeper reason this book needs to exist. I work to ensure that every chapter does its job in service of that heart. I also keep a steady eye on the reader: exactly who you are writing to, why they need to hear this from you, and why they need it now.

A Note on Writing and Trauma

The nature of this work – and the writers I most love working with – means we are often treading into territory that needs dealing with tenderly. Whether you are writing pure memoir, a hybrid life story, or a self-help book woven with personal experience, bringing your lived reality to the page can sometimes trigger old wounds.

Writing is deeply catalytic, but it is not a substitute for therapy. I always ask my clients to be gently aware of this as they start writing, and to ensure you have proper support to hand – whether that is a trusted friend, a family member, or a qualified therapist – to hold the safe space you deserve while you do this work.

Please be assured that I see my role as holding a safe space where you can say anything and what you say stays between us.

Before We Begin

Whatever form our work takes, I will ask you a few questions before we start, so that I can shape how we collaborate.

• Who is sitting across from you as you write? Not a demographic – a person. Someone specific, even if imagined.
• Why do they need to read this book?
• Why now? Why does this message need to enter the world right now?
• What is the book for? Are you writing for yourself, for your reader, or to build something around it? The answer changes how I look at authority versus vulnerability on the page.
• What does done look like to you? A manuscript you’re proud of, a published book, something else entirely?
• Is this pure memoir, hybrid memoir or something else, and why?

If you don’t know the answers yet, that is useful information for me too, and of course, we can work on these answers together.

The Practical Hour –  €99

ONE-OFF · 60 MINUTES · ASK ME ANYTHING · VIA VIDEO CALL (ZOOM)

Think of this as an hour to ask me anything. You bring the list of questions that has been rattling around your head at three in the morning – about writing, publishing, your book, or what on earth to do next – and we work through them together. No question is too small or too daft; I have asked most of them myself at some point.

It is also a gentle way to find out whether we are a good fit. You get an hour of real, useful answers, and we both get a feel for what it would be like to work together, with no obligation to take it any further.

Questions people often bring include:

• I have an idea but… is my story even worth telling, or is this just self-indulgence?<
• How do I write about the hard, messy parts without hurting people – or holding back the truth?
• Every time I sit down to write, a voice tells me it’s rubbish. How do I actually get past my own resistance?
• Where do I find advance readers – or do I need beta readers?
• How can I use AI to support my writing process – research, organisation, planning (not for writing the book itself)?
• How will I use this book to build my brand or business?

Best for: anyone with a head full of questions, or who wants to try working with me before committing to more.

The Strategic Hour – €145

ONE-OFF · 60 MINUTES · VIA VIDEO CALL (ZOOM)

For when you are stuck, overwhelmed, or simply need a clear second pair of eyes on a specific problem. You bring the mess; I will help you make sense of it. This session works best when you have a defined question to work from. For example:

• I have three different book ideas competing in my head – how do I know which one actually has legs, and which one is just a distraction?
• Is this material actually a book, or is it trying to be a course, a workshop, or a personal practice?
• I’ve poured thousands of words onto the page, but I’ve lost the thread. Where do I begin fixing a draft that feels like a tangle?
• I’ve written myself into a corner or hit a dead end. How do I unpick the plot or theme without scrapping everything?
• I know what I want to say, but I can’t find the right format for it. How do I choose a structure that honours the story?
• How do I weave my personal experience with teaching or insights without turning the book into a lecture or a vanity project?

We will not solve everything in sixty minutes. But you will leave with clarity on the single most important next step – and often that is all you need to move forward.

To prepare, I will ask you to send me a short overview of your project beforehand – a page or two is plenty. This means we spend the session thinking, not catching up.

If the session shows you that the Blueprint Review or the Creative Partnership is the right next step, your €145 is credited against either one when you book within 30 days. Think of it as the first chapter of the bigger work rather than an extra cost.

Best for: writers at any stage who are stuck on a specific area.

Show Me How – €75 / hour

HANDS-ON DEMONSTRATION · VIA VIDEO CALL (ZOOM) · SCREEN SHARE

Some things are much easier to learn by watching someone do them than by reading another “ultimate guide” at midnight. In these sessions, I share my screen and show you, step by step, how to do the practical publishing tasks yourself – and then you have a go while I am there to catch you. I have fumbled my way through every one of these more times than I care to admit, so you do not have to.

Sessions include:

• Interior layout: how to set up the inside of your book yourself – page size, margins, fonts, chapter openings – with demonstrations as we go.
• A draft cover in Canva: how to lay out a simple working cover to the right specifications, so you can create draft and proof copies of your book while you wait for your final cover.
• KDP setup and uploading: creating your account, choosing your options, and uploading your files, so you know exactly what each screen is asking of you.
  Please note: I teach the process; I do not do the work for you. I do not offer interior layout or cover design as a service, and the Canva session is about building a draft cover, not designing your final one. If you would rather hand these over completely, I am happy to point you towards people I trust.

  Charged at €75 per hour. Most people need one to three sessions, and you book as many or as few as your book asks for.

  Best for: self-publishers who want to do it themselves and need to see it done first.

The First Chapter Critique (The ‘Sanity Check’) – €250

WRITTEN CRITIQUE · UP TO 5,000 WORDS · 30-MINUTE FOLLOW-UP CALL

Sometimes you don’t need someone to read the whole manuscript. You need to know whether your opening pages invite the reader in or quietly turn them away. That is what this is for.

I read your first 5,000 words alongside your outline or book plan. I look at voice, pace, and whether the Heart Project – the deeper reason this book needs to exist – is actually coming through in the writing, or whether it is still waiting in the wings. You receive a detailed written critique and a 30-minute follow-up call to talk it through.

This is also a good option if you have a complete draft but suspect something is off, because sometimes the place where the book lost its way is right there at the start.

Need me to read a longer opening? Up to 10,000 words is €395.

Best for: writers who are just starting or who are worried their opening doesn’t “hook” the reader enough.

The Blueprint Review – €425

OUTLINE & BOOK PLAN REVIEW · WRITTEN NOTES · 45-MINUTE FOLLOW-UP CALL

Somewhere beyond “is my opening working?” sit a few wobbles. You have a plan – maybe a detailed outline, maybe chapter summaries scribbled on the back of an envelope – and before you pour the next year of your life into it, you want to know whether it will hold up.

I read your outline, your chapter summaries, and up to 3,000 words of sample writing – you must have these. I look at the shape of the whole: whether the order of the story serves the Heart Project, where the turning points fall, which chapters are carrying their weight and which are passengers, and whether the reader you have in mind will find what they came for. You receive written notes on the structure, with my suggestions for what to move, merge, or let go, followed by a 45-minute call to talk it through.

Memoir and hybrid memoir writers often find this is where the real book first shows itself – long before the draft is finished, which saves an awful lot of rewriting later.

Best for: writers with a plan or partial draft who want to check the structure before they commit to writing the rest.

The Creative Partnership -€695 / month

ONGOING · TWO SESSIONS PER MONTH · EMAIL / WHATSAPP SUPPORT BETWEEN SESSIONS

Steady, structured support for writers who have a draft in progress but need a consistent hand to keep the work alive and moving. This is not a coaching relationship in the conventional sense. I am not here to hold you accountable or give you homework. I am here to think alongside you.

We begin with the blueprint – your outline, your plan, the shape of the book as it stands – so we both know where we are heading. Then we go through it bit by bit, chapter by chapter, as the writing develops. I would much rather be beside you while the book is taking shape than receive the whole thing at the end, when the hard decisions have already set like concrete. Working this way means we catch the wobbles early, and you never have to face a great stack of notes on a manuscript you thought was finished.

The Sessions

We meet twice a month for sixty minutes each session. Between sessions, I read what you are producing as it emerges and send you written observations on what I am seeing – the patterns, the gaps, the places where something interesting is beginning to happen. Should we need a call, I will schedule a quick one to explain – sometimes this is easier and more productive than an email.

Each month I read and respond to up to 10,000 words of new or revised writing. That is plenty for steady progress, and it means every page you send gets my full attention rather than a skim. If you have a burst and need more, we can talk about it.

Email support is available between sessions for quick questions, moments of doubt, or when you need someone to say yes, that section is working, keep going.

Best for: writers actively working on a manuscript who need a steady, informed presence alongside them.

Focusing On You

I take on a small number of Creative Partnership clients at any one time. This is deliberate. The work requires genuine attention, and I am not willing to give you less than that.

A minimum commitment of three months applies. This is not to lock you in – it is because real progress on a manuscript takes time, and anything less tends to produce momentum without follow-through.

Pricing

Three months comes to €2,085, payable monthly at €695. If you would rather pay for the three months in one go, it is €1,950.