About

Hello, I'm Candace

I will guide you through any writing challenge!

I love to help people make meaning and find clarity amid messy, complicated lives.

My writing journey has empowered me to slay demons both on and off the page and I want to help other writers find the same sense of freedom through their words. In my lifelong search for truth, I’ve written volumes about issues that have impacted me or my loved ones. I understand that baring your soul takes courage and commitment. I understand your struggles and will empower you to find creative solutions and reach your writing goals.

As your book coach, I will help you identify the universal in your deeply personal story. By doing this deep work, you will help others going through a similar experience by proving they are not alone. I love coaching writers to find their voice and helping excavate the story burning inside. Whether you decide to publish or not is an individual choice with real consequences. I will guide you as we explore the pros and cons of different publishing paths and the best ways to share your work. I look forward to helping you bring what’s in your mind onto the page so others can benefit from your wisdom.

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My Background and Experience

I bring a wide range of expertise to my work as a book coach, developmental editor, and mindfulness mentor. I founded Candace Coakley Editorial Solutions in 2016 to help writers craft authentic, empowered stories and achieve their publishing goals. I approach every project with mindfulness and a fierce dedication to client success.

Through Memoir Incubator, Grub Street Creative Writing Center's MFA-level, year-long class, I completed a memoir, and I'm currently working on another. I've studied craft with memoir expert Marion Roach Smith and mastered the art of Story with Robert McKee. I coach writers on the publishing track for She Writes Press. I am proud to be an Author Accelerator-certified book coach in fiction, nonfiction, and memoir.

I have cultivated a strong mindfulness meditation practice over the past thirty years and teach creative writing workshops on memoir and mindfulness. I am a graduate of the Mindfulness Mentor Training with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach. I’m certified in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Transcendental Meditation (TM) and Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness. I currently practice Vipassana meditation and am a member of local and global Sanghas. I am a level Reiki Master and use the power of energy healing in all areas of my life.

I've served as an adjunct professor at Emerson College’s School of Communication and Boston University’s College of Communication.

I earned an M.A. from Emerson College and a B.A. from Boston College.

I live north of Boston, MA, with my husband, our three grown-up kids, and our sweet and sassy rescue dog, Hope.