What People are Saying!

Suzanne Kingsbury came into my life and taught me how to write in a way so others would want to read my work.  She challenged me to elevate the quality of my writing, but with such kindness, wisdom and contagious passion, that the experience of working with her was joyous and exhilarating.  Suzanne gave me confidence to call myself a Writer and I now have a book on its way to publication!

I came to Suzanne with a title and a brief outline for a book.  The first time I flew from Colorado to New England to meet with her, we spent a day building the book and, along with all the amazing work we did, she helped me see the idea I’d been carrying around was actually a potential bestseller.  That night she took me to have drinks with an agent who wanted to take me on right there and then!  During the next few years, Suzanne and I worked together in fantastic bursts of creative energy, and I learned the craft of not only writing and selling the book, but also branding myself as an author and building a platform.  Almost as soon as I finished my final draft, I was offered a contract and got my first book deal!  Sleep Your Way to the Top (and other myths about business success) just hit the stands.  I am on my way to my launch party tomorrow night!!  Thank you Suzanne for helping guide me on this incredible journey.

Suzanne Kingsbury is an extraordinary book shaman.  She’s talented, she’s sharp and she’s very experienced in the literary business.  Suzanne helped me write a smashingly terrific book proposal, and she hand-picked a hot literary agent for me who snatched me up in a heartbeat.  Within 48 hours the agent had me in seven of the top publishing houses in New York City, and within one day I had my first book offer.  A true book shaman, Suzanne is wonderful, she is a gem, and you will have great success with her.

When I met Suzanne, I was a reluctant former poet jaded by years of criticism in creative writing academia.  Suzanne has helped me rediscover the writer I was as a child, a little girl in love with words and the act of putting pen to paper.

I first met Suzanne when I signed up for one of her retreats.  As in all of Suzanne’s retreats, she encouraged us to read our work aloud, and I was terrified, sure I was going to embarrass myself.  My piece wasn’t even a page long.  Almost before I was done reading, Suzanne jumped out of her chair and ran around the room, dancing and squealing.  She knew, right then, that the half a page I had written that day was my memoir-to-come.  Over the next few years, I took a master class in writing from her, she passed me the tools of the craft and helped me see where my innate talent was, she taught me to lean into my strengths.  In the process we became great friends and soul sisters.  The memoir I built out of the seed story from that retreat just got picked up by one of the biggest agents in New York!  Suzanne Kingsbury is in some ways like a siren. She pulls you into the depths with praise and songs of affirmation.  But unlike the siren, she brings you back to the top. When you open your hands to write and the pearls come, she says, “Oh honey, what beautiful words!”

Suzanne is not only an exceptional editor and writer, but an extraordinary teacher who truly cares about her writers and their work.  In her gentle way, she motivates, encourages, and teaches the joy of writing.  Her Gateless writing technique has given me the confidence and freedom to create in ways I never imagined.  Suzanne never doubted what I could do; she believed in me before I even believed in myself.  I’m so incredibly thankful to be a part of her magical world where dreams really do come true.

Working with Suzanne Kingsbury has been a magical experience.  As a critically-acclaimed author, she knows the craft of writing and the business of publishing inside and out.  Her editing skills have unlocked talent I didn’t know I had.  She has changed my life!

Suzanne Kingsbury was my fearless book shaman.  She helped me create a kick-ass brand, craft a bestselling book proposal and hooked me up with a super-connected agent who got me my first book deal!  I just quit my 9-5 office job and am on my way to doubling my income in my first year as a book author and the founder of a brand new enterprise.

I came into retreat feeling blocked, distant from my writing, and rudderless.  When I came out, the intense work and deep nourishment of retreat had lifted me out of my busy life and grounded me again as a writer.  All important to the weekends’ work was the skillful and gentle shiatsu bodywork I received.  My mental and physical blocks literally eased up.  I felt better and wrote freely.  Retreat was entirely nurturing and allowed me to be my best writing self.  Now I have a plan for my manuscript, agent interest and a surefooted way to move forward.

Suzanne has been my guiding light and inspiration.  Since working with Suzanne, my story has been shortlisted for one of the biggest memoir prizes in the publishing world, went viral on Salon.com, was chosen for their top ten essays of the year and picked up by NPR.  Most of all?  I understand the importance of the story I was trying to tell for other survivors, and the life-changing power of putting words to paper in the Gateless method Suzanne has so lovingly developed.

Our conversation, just like the last one, infused David and I to take this baby even farther, much farther.  Your memory of my writing, your listening skills, and your ability to see what’s possible and beyond is so invaluable.  However, we have come to the conclusion there is something else about you… hard to pinpoint, so we concluded it must be fairy dust or sparkle fuel that you add to the project.  It feels like I/we have finally met the match that can hold the space knowing that anything is possible. Thank You!  Love You!

Thank you thank you thank you!  I was really blown away by spending time with you.  You are even more beautiful of a person than I imagined.  I will definitely be back on retreat.  It’s amazing to hit it off and make a connection with so many fascinating women.  I learned so much, made lifetime friends and had a blast on retreat and thanks to you I am writing like crazy!  I’m in the flow, getting so much down, my mind working faster than I can type.  No more blank page.

Suzanne is not just a formidable writer, but she’s also a brilliant workshop leader, creating a safe, imaginative and inspiring workplace, which allows writers to take all manner of risks on the page.  No one is more affirming than Suzanne, who has a remarkable capacity to echo back the words that captured her imagination, and her understanding of how they add to the overall piece.  Listening to Suzanne’s comments is an educative commentary on theme, structure and craft.  The result is so uplifting, so encouraging, so helpful, that I leave with the courage to continue on my own – but better, with more focus and more confidence – than I ever could solo.  Suzanne Kingsbury is a writer’s dream of collegiality, nurturing support and encouragement come true. ~ Deb Luskin, Vermont, author of Into the Wilderness, and the upcoming novel, Girl and winner of the IPPY Award for Regional Fiction.

I miss retreat!  I miss all of you guys already.  I just wanted to thank you for your smile, encouragement and the amazing experience of being in a room nestled, among incredible writers and feeling safe to share without embarrassment.  Thank you for making me listen to the positive things being said about my writing.  My new outlook is going to be viewing through the lens of positivity, start with what is working about a piece, the relationship, the thing I am struggling with and say it out loud. THANK YOU!

Suzanne is part muse, part coach, part editor, part author herself and a deeply beautiful woman.  It is a privilege, a help, and a delight to work with her.

I signed up for retreat with Suzanne and Dede knowing that I loved to write, but unsure of what my next steps were.  I’d just been blogging for my own entertainment for the last five years, but I didn’t have a book project or anything.  I didn’t even know what I might get out of the weekend, but the thought of four days on the beach with nothing to do except make sweet love to my laptop sounded like my kind of vacation! Not only did I get romantic with my Macbook, but I fell in love with my writing! (And a particularly gorgeous man, no doubt a result of the Gateless method finding its way into our emails!) The way this method allows the words to pass through you onto the page is amazing.  So many times I read my work and wondered, how did I do that?  I wrote late into the night and even got a submission to elephantjournal.com published the second day of the retreat. This experience has given me faith in my voice as a writer and so much more respect for the ability of my words to help people (I write mostly about yoga and coaching).  To write in an open and non-competitive environment with other writers (now friends!) who have completely different styles gave me the courage to try new things, and provided incredible feedback that gave me the confidence to push my work into channels I’d never have thought to try.  The focus on what’s working in our writing is such a refreshing change from the criticism authors normally face, and that positive acknowledgement builds momentum in our work that pushes everything else out.  Our writing can’t help but get better! There are so many little tricks and tools that I got out of the weekend without even realizing it.  I’ve been writing non-stop since I got back – I’ve have had three more pieces published and I’m outlining a book!  (Something I never thought I’d do.) Suzanne and Dede have been so supportive and continue to be amazing mentors and friends – this retreat was worth every penny and so, so, so much more!!!

As an editor, Suzanne can arise as any force the writer requires.  I needed a grandmother, a poet, a drillmaster and, oh yes, a teacher of all the basics.  She helped me polish my work, develop a query and land an agent.  The manuscript is now sitting on the desk of New York’s top publishing houses.  (Maybe you will read it someday.)  In the meantime, climb aboard the good ship Sweetness, and let Suzanne skipper your manuscript to places it has always wanted and deserved to go.

Suzanne has honored me by honoring my words.  It is evident that Suzanne is different from other writing teachers in that she is deeply touched by the creations of her students.  Her vast knowledge of literature is taught indirectly through her comments which address and validate each writer’s unique style of expression.

How to adequately express what makes Suzanne a superb writing coach?  She’s passionate, intelligent, skilled, insightful…clear-sighted and objective, yet keenly empathetic to what it takes to be a writer.  The sheer obstinacy, the tenacity, the emotional daring to work for an audacious dream — hell, the audacity to dream in the first place.  I am convinced that having the great good fortune to work with Suzanne, especially early in my own efforts toward publication, not only improved my writing, but gave me the encouragement to keep at it. ~ Elisa Paige, Texas, repped by Ethan Ellenberg and author of: The Time Series: Stealing Time and Killing Time (topped the 100 top Fantasy Books List), and The Texas Fae Series: Maelstrom and Shadowplay.

Like many writers who haven’t published yet, I knew I had a book or two or more inside me.  I was caught between writing and organizing.  Working with Suzanne Kingsbury has freed me to “let the juices flow.”  She has been guide, mid-wife and cheerleader.  She has an innate sense of what a writer needs to step fully into her own.  Wow – she is good and makes me good too. ~Elizabeth Crook, Tennessee, CEO Orchard Advisors, author of the upcoming process and how-to playbook: Discover Your Yippee (Elizabeth is in the process of choosing a publisher).

I came to Suzanne with hundreds of pages of material written over 30+ years. She listened to my story about what I thought I could say to the world in a book.  Within minutes her skill as a teacher and editor surfaced and I knew, in that instant, that I had found a master who would take my hand and help me through the process.  The experience of traveling this path with Suzanne has been extraordinary.  She leads me to discover thoughts and words that were, before, hidden under the surface.  She has helped awaken me to the messages that I want to communicate.  She has given me the tools that I had wished for over the years.  Suzanne has led me from being someone who could write to being an author. Through the process I have grown as a coach and as human being.  ~Bob Litwin, Glenwood Landing, New York, Corporate Performance Coach, World Tennis champion, author of the upcoming non-fiction book: Living the Best Story of Your Life: A World Champion’s Guide to Lasting Change.

I simply cannot imagine a more thorough, thoughtful and skilled approach to author assistance than the service Suzanne Kingsbury supplies.  I worked intimately with Suzanne on my first novel and I am quite sure that without her I would never have gotten the book into the polished form it reflects today.  She is a gifted editor who leaves her ego at the door and knows when to push you and when to praise and inspire you.  She zeros in on the places you need to grow and helps you do so with gentle, yet confident direction.  She is an extraordinary amount of fun to work with and a storehouse of inspiring, educational support.  If you have happened upon Suzanne, look no further.  You have landed a gem. ~Barbi Schulick, Brattleboro, Vermont, author of the novel, Ethel Finds her Guru, Green Writer’s Press.

Suzanne Kingsbury is a writer’s dream come true.  Introduced to me by a mutual friend, we struck up an instant understanding and camaraderie.  She agreed to be my development editor for a book of six memoirs I was tackling alone. Her expertise, guidance, and insightful suggestions for organization were a unique gift.  Her unflagging friendship and encouragement are testimony to her talent.  I highly value her advice as well as her belief in my writing.  I had never written a proposal before, and she led me through the process until it was a truly remarkable work of art that stunned the agent she selected for me.  The agent was very excited and anxious to read my manuscript, and I now have a book on its way to publication!  I couldn’t be more pleased.  ~ Joanna Noble, Guilford, Connecticut, author of Embracing the Wolf: A Lupus Victim and Her Family Learn to Live with Chronic Disease and the upcoming memoir, Class and Brass.

Without Suzanne Kingsbury our book would still be a very interesting collection of papers piled high on the dining room table.  Her terrific sense of humor, constant support, clarity of thinking, and amazing ability to discern a clear and compelling narrative from our tangled stories was the driving force of our book.  ~Margot Fraser, California, founder and former CEO of Birkenstock, USA, and Lisa Lorimer, Vermont, former CEO and president of Vermont Bread Company.  Authors of Dealing with the Tough Stuff: Practical Wisdom for Running a Values-Driven Business from Berrett Koehler Publishers.