How did you become a book coach?

I’ve always loved playing with words and crafting text. From the time I was a little kid writing my own comic books on paper towels (back in those days, they were much more like actual paper!), to writing my first novel at age nine, to completing my PhD dissertation at 28 and then writing for other media outlets, I’ve found written words to be the best expression of what I want to say. 

While I was still in graduate school, I began to teach English at a college part-time. Within a year, the job had become a full-time career, and I stayed there for another 20 or so years teaching literature and essay writing to college students.

At the same time, I began to have issues with my health, ultimately diagnosed as candida overgrowth. After studying holistic nutrition during a sabbatical from the college, I started a sideline helping other women with the condition to change their diet and lifestyle so they could heal from candida, too.

I loved helping women regain their lives by clearing their candida. But when the pandemic hit in 2020, I realized I missed my own writing. I had been helping colleagues with their websites, emails and other work-related content, and eventually some of them suggested that I should charge for the service. And lo and behold–“Dr. Ricki” was born!

Within a few months, I’d signed five book coaching clients and helped them to edit their manuscripts. I loved the work and especially seeing their book dreams come to fruition. I knew this was the path I was meant to take.

These days, I support other entrepreneurs who want to write, whether through editing existing content (such as blogs, emails or websites), helping new authors to build their books by moving from idea to plan to final polished manuscript, or doing developmental editing for those manuscripts. We work together one-on-one in a variety of ways (which you can learn about here). 

Do you still do your own writing, too?

Yes! I still exercise my own love of writing through freelance gigs for magazines and newspapers, as well as through my own fiction (I write short stories and just completed a draft of a novel). I also maintain a Substack page, where I write weekly stories about how dogs can help us become better people.

When I’m not helping clients or writing, I spend time with my sweetheart of 26 years and our two dogs (both mutts: one a Border Collie/German Shepherd, or Shollie, and the other a black Lab/Australian Cattle Dog cross, or Labraheeler) north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 

I refer to my guy as “The HH,” which stands for “Human Honey,” as opposed to my furry honeys, The Girls.  

Can I reprint your articles or photos on my site or blog? 

I spend a lot of time creating original work (whether writing-related articles or recipes) and photographs for this site. Unless otherwise specified, all the material on this site is subject to copyright.

You may not legally reprint anything from this site or re-publish photos without express written permission from me.  And while I am loath to do so, I will definitely file a DMCA order if I find that you’ve used my materials without permission, and your blog could be suspended (please don’t make me do that).

If you love a piece of content, a recipe or photo and would like to use it, please send me an email to request permission, to [email protected] .              

Would you be interested in working with my company or reviewing my product, book, or site? 

I’m always interested in working with brands whose products I like and can wholeheartedly recommend! I’d love to discuss being a product ambassador or recipe developer for you, writing sponsored posts, reviews, or giveaways, or how you can advertise on this blog.

If you are interested in working with me or have questions about ads or anything else on the blog, please send an email to [email protected] .  Thanks so much!

Any other questions?   

I’d love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave a comment on the blog or email me at [email protected]. While I do my best to get back to all emails in a speedy fashion, it’s now at the point where I honestly can’t keep up. I apologize if you sent me an email and I didn’t respond right away. If it’s important and you don’t hear back from me within a week, please don’t be shy about sending me a gentle reminder!

You can also catch up with me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter.

Disclaimer: All information on this site expresses my own personal ideas and experiences. No results are promised or guaranteed. 

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