MEET THE 2025 STORY coaches
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CHOOSE YOUR STORY COACH!
What sets the Author Development Program apart from other mentorship programs? YOU - the Story Maker - get to choose who you want to be your mentor. We can't guarantee that you will get the person you want, but we make every effort to accomodate requests. Browse this year's Story Coaches and select your top three who you think will help you meet your writing goals. If you're still not sure, contact us and we can help. |
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Speculative fiction, genre fiction, novel and screenplay
ONLINE
(West Kelowna, BC) |
Greetings fellow storyteller! My name is Andrew Buckley and I’m an author of
paranormal fantasy, horror, fairytale fantasy, humour, satire, action, and everything in between. I’ve been a traditionally published author for 12 years and started self-publishing a selection of titles 3 years ago. I’ve had three publishers throughout my career, along with two agents, I’ve sold screenplay projects, owned and operated an online writing school, and speak, teach, and mentor at conferences all over the world about the art of storytelling. Most importantly, I’m a full time author, speaker, and creator. I LOVE delving into story and working with writers to help break story, solve plot problems, and build characters with . . . well, character. I’m a hands-on story coach who will deliver constructive feedback and advice, not only on your writing, but also on your writing habits, helping you shape a career as a writer and working toward the best possible end product, whether that’s a novella, full length novel, or screenplay. I’ll be your most passionate writing cheerleader (minus the pom poms) and a sturdy sound board for your literary life. If any of this jives with you, then we should certainly chat, get to know each other, and get to work. |
Fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction - novels, short story collections, memoir
ONLINE OR IN PERSON
(Calgary and area) |
Born in Angola, and raised in Portugal, paulo da costa is a writer, editor and translator living in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies (Moh'kins'tsis / Calgary, Alberta). He is thrice the recipient of the James H. Gray Award for Short Nonfiction (2024, 2023 and 2020), as well as the 2003 Commonwealth First Book Prize for the Canada-Caribbean Region, the W. O. Mitchell City of Calgary Book Prize and the Canongate Prize for short-fiction. His poetry, fiction and non-fiction have been published widely in literary magazines around the world and translated into Italian, Spanish, Serbian, Slovenian and Portuguese. Trust the Bluer Skies: Meditations on Fatherhood, a book of creative non-fiction, was published in 2024 with University of Regina Press.
My approach to this mentorship will be both rooted in solid technical advice and in providing contextual insights into becoming a successful author in a competitive book marketplace. Aside from the specific technical needs of the project at hand, my feedback will also incorporate a conversation with the writer regarding their intended vision for the manuscript. As far as technical feedback on fiction or creative-non-fiction, that conversation may entail evaluating the story arc, the effectiveness of the narrative structure, plot, language, characterization and theme. It may also entail ensuring that storylines, subplots, or points of view are streamlined and seamlessly integrated if appropriate to their elected genre and to the stage of their particular project. Then we would ascertain who the reader might be and where to send the manuscript. During this six-month mentorship I would endeavour to learn about the authors who inspire the applicant and also suggest a range of additional authors and reading lists who might further inspire and strengthen the applicant's writing. |
Speculative fiction, YA, and adult fiction
ONLINE OR IN PERSON
(Calgary and area) |
Nicole Bross I am a certified book coach and editor, and the author of both adult and YA genre-blending speculative fiction. Having worked as an editor for many years, book coaching appeals to me as a way to help even more writers with their stories. My favourite genres to work with are fantasy and sci-fi (all sub-genres), mystery/suspense, thrillers, horror and romance, for both adult and YA audiences. I love stories that combine genres and ones that don’t quite fit into any genre, too. I’m also interested in #ownvoices stories of all types. My special area of focus is working with neurodiverse authors, and I believe that neurodiversity is an asset to creativity, not a barrier. As an author myself I have a deep understanding of the craft of storytelling, but what makes me really stand out is how my neurodiversity allows me to see ideas from different angles and come up with new directions for stories to go. I help people of all neurotypes unlock their imaginations so they can thrive as storytellers. I love working with first-time writers, people who want to write a book but don’t know how, and people who can always start writing a book but never seem to finish them. Most of all, I love story itself, and I can’t wait to hear more about yours!
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Short fiction, Literary fiction, Speculative fiction, Memoir
ONLINE
(Princeton, BC) |
My name is Finnian Burnett (they/them), and I’ve been a university instructor for the SNHU MFA program and Johnston Community College's writing department for six years. I am also a mentor-in-residence for the Golden Crown Literary Society's online program focusing on writing craft and novel revision and I run critique groups through Flash Fiction Magazine and writing classes through the Alexandra Writers Centre Society.
Though I currently write contemporary literature, I have four traditionally published romance novels, one self-published fantasy novel, and two small press published novellas-in-flash. I currently have two speculative, comedy books with my agent. In short and flash fiction, I’ve written across the spectrum from horror to CNF to science fiction. I often write at the intersections of identity—mental health, physical health, gender, trauma, and life. I was a 2023 CBC finalist, a 2023 Canada Council for the Art recipient, and a 2024 Pushcart nominee. As a story coach, I’ve worked with people writing memoirs, speculative fiction, romance, and contemporary literary. I’m comfortable in long-form, such as novels and memoirs, and short-form including short story collections and novellas-in-flash. To me, story coaching is a partnership providing you with an open conversation with someone who values your voice and will offer feedback and commentary without subverting your unique style. I look forward to engaging in a conversation with you, guiding you toward honing your writing skills, yes, but also working with you to help develop your writing process. I am comfortable working with writers on various spectrums of neurodivergence or anxiety about writing. Navigating the writing journey can often be challenging. However, being part of a community can alleviate these challenges. I heartily look forward to becoming part of your writing community. |
Romance, Cozy Mystery, and Poetry
ONLINE OR IN PERSON
(Calgary and area) |
Katie O'Connor is a sweet contemporary romance author who resides in Calgary, Alberta. She has over 30 published titles including an author career planning workbook. She has been traditionally and independently published. She is a writing mentor as well as a romance acquisitions editor at Rowan Prose Publishing.
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All Genres
ONLINE OR IN PERSON
(Calgary and area) |
Simon Rose writes fiction, non-fiction, plays, screenplays, and articles, and is comfortable critiquing work in a wide variety of genres. He offers coaching, mentoring, and editing services to both aspiring and established writers. Simon has often worked with authors in the young adult, middle grade, science fiction, and fantasy genres, but is very flexible. He’s provided substantive, developmental, and copy-editing services for novels, short stories, fiction, nonfiction, biographies, inspirational books, and many other genres.
Simon has extensive teaching experience at the University of Calgary, Mount Royal University, Chinook Learning Services, When Words Collide, Cassa Musical Arts, and in his personal workshops. |
Literary, mystery, thriller, horror, romance, short fiction, screenplays
ONLINE
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Meredith Hambrock has worked in writing rooms on over 100 episodes of TV Comedy. She most recently served as Executive Story Editor on the sitcom "Corner Gas Animated." In 2022, her episode "A Lot to Be Desired" was nominated for a Leo Award. Her debut mystery novel, OTHER PEOPLE'S SECRETS, was published in September by Crooked Lane Books and was called "audacious" and "fabulous" by the New York Times Book Review, was one of The Rapsheet Mags Best Reads of 2022, was a Whodunit Mystery Bookstore Book of the Year Finalist, and was nominated for a Lefty Award in the Best Debut Mystery Category. She is the 2023-2024 Saskatoon Public Library Writer in Residence. Her next novel, SHE'S A LAMB, a work of literary fiction is being published by ECW Press in 2025. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia.
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Poetic narrative/experimental fiction, Poetry, Creative non-fiction
ONLINE
(Edmonton and area) |
Wendy McGrath is a Métis poet, writer, and visual artist living and working in amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton) on Treaty 6 Territory.
Winner of the inaugural Prairie Grindstone Prize 2023-2024, McGrath’s writing practice embraces multiple genres—fiction, poetry, spoken word, and creative non-fiction. She describes her writing as Prairie Gothic. McGrath has published four novels and two books of poetry. Broke City (NeWest Press), the final book in her Santa Rosa Trilogy (which includes North East and Santa Rosa), is a prairie gothic novel. Her two books of poetry, A Revision of Forward (NeWest Press), and common place ecstasies (Beach Holme Publishing) explore a range of poetic forms and approaches. McGrath’s work has been widely published in literary magazines and numerous anthologies. She has a Masters’ Degree, English, from York University and a Bachelor of Arts, English (with Distinction) from the University of Alberta. Her scholarly work has explored the Prairie Gothic genre. |
