Working Together
I’m most comfortable in US but can work within UK and other international English frameworks. I do not provide proofreading services, but I may mark instances I spot.
(And you may spot my autocorrect playing fast and loose with spelling!! What a pain in the arsse. 😜)
I use both Google Docs and Microsoft Word (.docx), and video calls are done over Google Meet.
Watch this space: I’m working on a portal to make file management and appointments easier!
If you are local to or visiting Hermanus, South Africa, I’d love to meet in person! Otherwise all meetings will be virtual.
I prefer for us both to have video as we’re getting to know each other, but I understand if that’s not feasible. Sometimes my own internet service is patchy enough that I have to turn my video off, too! Life happens.
I get it, life is what happens when you’re making other plans.
Let me know ASAP if you’re going to miss a deadline or meeting so we can readjust. There may be penalties for habitual misses.
If you need to put our work together on pause for a while that’s okay, too. Talk to me as soon as you think it might need to happen so I can keep it in mind. When you hit pause we’ll agree on a set of follow-up dates and how long the extension can be. If you don’t respond to follow-ups you may lose your place in the queue.
Specific policies will be included in the contract you’ll sign when we start working together.
If you’ve paid in full for Service A but only used/recieved part of it, the remainder can be credited toward a new Service B.
Genre & Subject Matter
This is a non-exclusive list of stories I gravitate towards. I’m delighted when I fall in love with something outside my usual stomping grounds. Please don’t self-reject, say hello!
- Age Categories: Primarily Young Adult (YA) and Adult, some Middle Grade (MG).
- Genres:
- Fantasy, Science Fiction, and a little Horror.
- Contemporary, Historical, Alternative Histories, and Speculative Futures.
- Humor, Satire, and Parody.
- I enjoy these elements but am not the best coach for books that are Capital-G Genre Romances, Mysteries, or Thrillers.
- Any story where kids use kid logic to do the sorts of things only kids would do.
- Any story where teens think, feel, and (re)act like real teenagers in all their messy glory.
- My favorite stories have a little of everything: romance, silliness, swashbuckling, devastation, terror, intrigue, and so on.
Some Favorite Vibe Examples
Fighting Back: March Trilogy by John Lewis, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart, Matilda by Roald Dahl
Social Commentary: Discworld by Terry Pratchett, The Heartland Trilogy by Chuck Wendig, After the Revolution by Robert Evans
Kid Logic, Kid Lenses: Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman, Confessions of Georgia Nicolson by Louise Rennison, The Witches by Roald Dahl
Swoony: Persuasion by Jane Austen, Castles Ever After by Tessa Dare, Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith, Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Shattering Norms and Taking Names: The Song of the Lioness Quartet by Tamora Pierce, Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, Nimona by ND Stevenson, Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Dreamy, Immersive Fantasy Worlds: Tir Alainn series by Anne Bishop, The Witches of Eileannan by Kate Forsyth, Summers at Castle Auburn by Sharon Shinn, The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle, The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
There are problematic faves on this list. I don’t believe we can or should wholly divorce the art from the artist, and I don’t give new money to creators whose views I find repugnant. Many of the books on this list made a positive impression on me when I first read them, but as I continue to learn and grow I realize that not everything I have nostalgia for is worthy of bringing forward into the present. If you’d like to know my thoughts on any of these titles in particular I’m happy to share!
I do not work with:
- Picture Books, Board Books, or Early Readers
- Nonfiction, Memoir or Poetry
- Although I enjoy these elements in other books I am not the best coach for books that are Capital-G Genre Romances, Mysteries, or Thrillers.
The Author Accelerator Coach Matching Service can direct you to coaches who may be a better fit. It’s free!
I judge this on a case-by-case basis, at my discretion, but my general rules are:
- Nothing that glorifies or endorses the dehumanization of others, the eradication of groups of people, or known ideologies or groups of the past or present that endorse or enact such violence.
- I don’t know how to explain to you that you should have empathy for other humans. That is above my pay grade.
- I will not debate you in the “marketplace of ideas.” That’s not what this is.
- My own emotional triggers include parent and pet death, so I may have to pass on a project that hits too close to the bone.
I strive to be an ally and co-conspirator for all marginalized people, including but not limited to:
- Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC),
- LGBTQIA+ people (of all ages),
- Political and religious dissidents, including nonbelievers,
- Disabled and neurodivergent people,
- Children, teens, and students,
- Survivors of institutionalized abuse, no matter how normalized.
Your stories matter. YOU matter. If I’m not the right coach for you I’ll do my damndest to find you someone who is.
Pricing & Payment
Sure, mention it when you Say Hello!
Custom currency quotes will be tied to their USD exchange rate. If you’re in the Global South I try to adjust relative to cost of living.
I’m able to recieve payments in any currency accepted by Wise. Conversion fees may apply.
I’m well aware that one-on-one coaching is expensive, so I’m always open to discussing your unique budgetary constraints on your free Discovery Call. That may take the form of installments, a package with a lower price point, or a DIY option like a workbook.
About Richenda
I have been certified to coach Fiction through Author Accelerator’s Book Coach Certification program. (Founder Jennie Nash coached the writing of Story Genius!)
Under my pen name Bronwen Fleetwood I self-published The Monster Novel Structure Workbook, and wrote the kidlit column at DIY MFA.
I have a BA from Eugene Lang College, The New School for Liberal Arts where I studied Creative Writing.
Less formally, I was the Organizer of the Princeton Writing Group and Municipal Liaison for NaNoWriMo’s Central NJ Region for 5 years, and have pursued writing and publishing my own novel-length fiction through studying craft, participating in workshops and writing communities, and even reading submissions for a literary agent.
I have been certified to coach Fiction through Author Accelerator’s Book Coach Certification program using their framework.
I chose this program because I love the practical and logical steps in each process, and the emphasis on care for the writer.
I have been certified through Author Accelerator’s Book Coach Certification program, and participate in continuing education through their network of certified coaches. I am part of the Certified Coach Directory and referral network, and may give or receive referrals to and from other book coaches in the network.
If you’re not sure I’m the right coach for you, please do check out the other excellent coaches in the Directory!
Only my own! Consider me a Recovering Web Designer, lol.
I didn’t intend to do websites full-time, but when I graduated into the Great Recession those were the most hireable skills I had. I got to work at a bunch of cool places, but my heart was never in code: it’s in fiction.
While my technical skills will get creaky over time, the principles and strategies of what make for good digital content and presentation remain consistent. Clients with questions in this area are welcome to ask.