About Me

Hi! I’m Kerry and I love books. Seriously.

I also help serious writers shape their novels with clarity, craft, and confidence.

photograph of Kerry Savage

My Goodreads to-read list currently has 1,181 books on it and at my current rate of about 100 books a year, it would only take me 11 years to get through them all. But it won’t stay at that number, since I’m constantly reading about new books and thinking, oooh, that sounds good!

I started reading and writing very early and have never stopped. My mother used to think that I was deliberately ignoring her when she called me to set the table for dinner or mow the lawn--I wasn’t (promise, Mom). I was so wrapped up in whatever place, whoever’s brain I was inhabiting at that moment, that the real world around me dropped away and I disappeared into the story. To me, there is no magic like book magic.

As a writer, I know how scary and exhilarating it is to put your work out into the world. There have been times that I’ve panicked (seriously: heart racing, tunnel vision) when I share my pages. While I’ve been lucky to not have had a devastating workshop experience—all that panic for nothing!—I know that is not the case for many. That’s one of the many reasons I believe in the power of book coaching.

Writers often tell me they appreciate how I blend deep editorial analysis with empathic coaching.

My approach weaves together:

  • Craft clarity: structure, character arcs, pacing, tension, voice, and emotional resonance

  • Strategic thinking: what your story is about and how its elements work together

  • Practical support: realistic plans, doable milestones, sustainable writing routines

  • Collaborative partnership: I listen, interpret, ask questions, and help you articulate what you want this book to be

My Professional Life—Writing and Otherwise

  • Author Accelerator Book Coach—Certified in 2020

  • Co-founder of Shadows & Secrets with fellow coach and author Samantha Skal. Are you a mystery, thriller, suspense, or horror author? Check out our Retreats and online coaching community, the Society!

  • Worked 16 years as an editor and project manager for educational publishers and a digital marketing agency

  • Communications Director for International Thriller Writers

  • Women Fiction Writers Association (WFWA) and Sisters in Crime (SinC) Mentor

  • Got my BA in Writing, Literature, and Publishing from Emerson College and an MS in Journalism from Columbia J-school. My story about a Coney Island circus school was picked up on the AP newswire.

  • Currently querying my historical novel about a badass female pirate and working on the first draft of a paranormal thriller.

  • “Published” my first story in second grade. It was about a boy who went into the sea to live with octopi.

Author Accelerator Certified Book Coach - Fiction

Other Things I Love

 
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Hedgehogs

They are sweet yet sassy, goofy, and nocturnal. They might be my spirit animals. I follow way too many on Instagram.

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Wine + Cheese

My husband owns a store that sells mainly these two things and someone has to do quality control.

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Cooking, Baking, and All Things Food

Goes well with wine. Though I think I’ve killed my sourdough starter.

We had a good run.

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What You Can Count On

Stories are how we practice empathy—how we try on lives we’ll never live and widen what we think is possible. In my coaching, my values look like this in practice:

Clarity over haze.
I’ll be warm, but I won’t be vague. You’ll get specific notes, concrete next steps, and a plan you can actually follow.

Craft is a practice.
We’re not chasing perfection—we’re building skills. The goal is for you to leave this process more capable, more confident, and better able to revise without needing constant outside validation.

Your voice stays yours.
I won’t write your book for you or try to make it sound like mine. My job is to help you hear what your draft is doing, what it wants to do next, and how to make that intention land on the page.

More room at the table.
I’m committed to reading broadly, recommending widely, and amplifying writers and books that deserve more visibility. I’m still learning, always, and I try to bring that humility into every conversation.

And yes—there’s a tiny bit of book magic here: the steady, unglamorous kind. The kind where one smart choice at a time becomes momentum, and momentum becomes a finished book.

What Writers Say

  • "Kerry can help shape your novel, providing a bird's eye view of the story, as well as detailed advice on certain specific aspects of your writing. She offered concrete steps to address issues like pacing and character development. Rather than tell us what to do specifically, she gave several clear options that we then discussed together.

    —K.B. Brodsky (Debut novel forthcoming from Simon & Schuster in Sept.)

  • I got benefit both from the written feedback and the discussion afterwards where we talked about what changes needed to happen to make the story better. My book is stronger now for having worked with you. It has a better defined spine, the MDQ is no longer confusing, and no loose ends.

    —Nancy C.

  • Kerry gave me crucial insights about how to shape the first draft of the story into a much improved second draft. She’s awesome and I learned a lot from her. The rewrite based on her feedback is much better from many perspectives. Truly invaluable.

    —from the Acknowledgements of The Avatar Murders by Jim Rowson

  • I worked with writing coach par excellence Kerry Savage, who not only taught me how to deepen my portrayal of Sara and to find "the golden thread" but believed in this book with her heart and soul.

    —from the Acknowledgements of The Ashtrays are Full and the Glasses are Empty by Kirsten Mickelwait

Let’s Talk!

Still not sure? Schedule a free 30-min. consultation Zoom call. We’ll chat about where you are in your process and what coaching services would be the best fit for you. No prep required!

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