Meet Amy
Certified book coach
and children’s book editor
Everyone deserves to feel seen, in both their writing life and the books they read – to feel like they matter, are understood and have found their place in the world. It took me a long time to find my own place – to work out who I am, what I have to say and how I can make a difference in the world.
Now, as a gay woman, certified book coach and editor, I help writers of queer children’s and young adult fiction who dream of making a difference in the world to overcome self-doubt so they can write with confidence and pride.
Originally from the UK, today I live in Germany and work with clients from all over the world. I’m proud to say that I am an Author Accelerator certified book coach, having undergone their rigorous Book Coach Certification Programme.
I’ve got a story too …
I didn’t start working out who I was until my late twenties. I eventually came out as gay and, over the next few years, I met the wonderful woman I would one day marry. Around the same time, I started a proofreading and editing business. But there was still something missing. After a LOT of soul searching, I finally worked out what it was:
I didn’t have a sense of purpose in my work.
I didn’t feel emotionally connected to it.
And I hadn’t found my WHY.
I realised that what I liked working on the most was fiction and that it gave me joy to collaborate with people over a longer time period.
I worked out that I wanted to connect more personally and meaningfully with my clients, help them find their voice and support them every step of the way – both as writers and as individuals – so that they feel empowered to get their story out of their heads and into the world.
I started reading when I was five – but I didn’t read my first LGBTQ+ book until I came out at age twenty-eight. As a child and young adult, I read widely and voraciously, and yet I don’t remember ever coming across a story about someone exploring their sexuality. A transgender or non-binary main character. A family with two mums or two dads. Nothing.
I had no literary role models, no out and proud LGBTQ+ authors creating a fictional world for me to dive into and find myself in.
The situation is a bit better now, but there’s still work to do. And I want to play my part.
Why do I specialise in queer fiction
for children and young adults?
I want to make a difference as an LGBTQ+ book coach for children’s book writers
I seek to help my writers find the heart of their story, get it out of their heads and onto the page, and craft it with confidence. I want them to feel that I’ve created a safe space in which the two of us can explore their creative ideas, dig deep into their why and unravel the LGBTQ+ story they need to tell. Because empowered writers are as important as empowered readers.
I also want to help ensure that no LGBTQ+ child, teenager or family ever has the same reading experience that I had. I want them to see themselves and their families celebrated on the pages of brilliant, exciting stories that are displayed proudly in bookshops, schools, libraries and homes. For that to happen, we need more LGBTQ+ voices and stories in the world, written by people who feel safe, confident and empowered enough to raise their voices and share their stories.
The world might be a bit more inclusive today than when I was growing up, but we’ve still got an incredibly long way to go.
I believe that books can help.
Books matter. Books change lives. And books can save lives. So the more queer books that exist in the world, the better – and that includes yours!
Speaking of your book …
As well as a book coaching certification in fiction, I have over a decade of professional writing and editing experience and a lifetime of experience as someone trying to find their voice and place in this world.
This is what I draw on to help you get your LGBTQ+ story into the hands of young readers.
So get in touch and let’s get your story out.