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Suzanne Lieurance is an author, freelance writer, writing coach, speaker and workshop presenter. She is a former classroom teacher and was an instructor for the Institute of Children’s Literature for over 8 years.

Lieurance has written over two dozen published books and her articles and stories have appeared in various magazines, newsletters, and newspapers, such as Family Fun, Instructor, New Moon for Girls, KC Weddings, The Journal of Reading, and Children’s Writer to name a few. She offers a variety of coaching programs via private phone calls, teleclasses, listserv, and private email for writers who want to turn their love of writing (for children and/or adults) into a part-time or full-time career.

Suzanne Lieurance is an author, freelance writer, writing coach, speaker and workshop presenter. She is a former classroom teacher and was an instructor for the Institute of Children’s Literature for over 8 years.

Lieurance has written over two dozen published books and her articles and stories have appeared in various magazines, newsletters, and newspapers, such as Family Fun, Instructor, New Moon for Girls, KC Weddings, The Journal of Reading, and Children’s Writer to name a few. She offers a variety of coaching programs via private phone calls, teleclasses, listserv, and private email for writers who want to turn their love of writing (for children and/or adults) into a part-time or full-time career.

I wish I’d had this writing book thirty years ago when I started out. I would have avoided some pitfalls and loooong detours that have taken years to correct.

If you want a writing mentor, you need look no further than Cec Murphey’s Unleash the Writer Within. The subtitle calls it ”the essential writers’ companion.”

I would have to agree.

What’s Different About This Book?

It’s honest, it’s transparent, and it comes from the heart. It also made me laugh on more than one occasion because the author had the guts to say some things that need to be said about the writing life, how we market, and so many other topics dear to a writer’s heart.

Before you get stressed out and caught up in all the things “they say” you have to do and be and write about to be successful, I urge you to get a copy of this book. It will help you discover your own personal voice and style so you sound authentic. It will show you how to actually make friends with your inner critic and writer’s block–and eliminate them. And the author deals so honestly with a writer’s fears–and how to use them and learn from them to grow as a writer.

Who Is This Man?

So who is Cecil Murphey? Why should you listen to his advice? Well, he’s a New York Times’ best-selling author who’s written or co-written more than 120 fiction and nonfiction books, including the runaway bestseller 90 Minutes in Heaven (with Don Piper) and Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story. His books have sold millions of copies and have been translated into more than 40 languages.

Just to give you a taste of the book, below are some quotes from Unleash the Writer Within by Cecil Murphey:

• “Too many want-to-be-successful authors get the idea that you must write in a certain way to succeed.”
• “Your most honest writing becomes your best writing.”
• “I don’t advocate rigid self-discipline. I tried that. For years, I held to tight schedules, refused to allow deviations, and castigated myself when I failed. I’ve since learned that true self-discipline flows out of gentleness and self-respect.”
• “How would it affect your writing if you weren’t constantly looking at your faults but focusing on what you can do?”
• “You write best what you know best. The better you know yourself, the higher the quality of your work.”
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The Word Queen is better known as Keidi Keating, who lives in the Malaga province of Spain. She moved there from London in 2004 and has enjoyed life in the sun ever since.

Keidi trained as a journalist in 1999. After a stint as a local newspaper reporter in the UK, Keidi stepped up the career ladder and became a corporate communications writer for a range of high-profile companies/associations, such as Powergen, Visa, The Dixons Group, McVities and Defra (The Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs).

Six years later, she moved to Spain and started The Sentinella, a magazine aimed at the expat population. The magazine tripled in pagination within just two years, so Keidi launched a business opportunity to help people start their own magazines across the globe.

Keidi’s first book, Sol Searching, A Fun Filled Tale of a Modern Girl’s Move to the Costa del Sol, was published in October 2009. Critics have compared it to Bridget Jones’s Diary. She is now completing her second book, The Path, which is a fiction fantasy with a paranormal twist aimed at young adults.

Keidi set up The Word Queen in 2009 to help fellow writers fulfill their dreams of getting their books written and published. She enjoys her role with a passion and receives a huge amount of positive feedback from her clients.

WOW: Keidi, it is so great to have you with us today. Congratulations on all your writing and editing success. Tell us more about your business, The Word Queen. What manuscript editing services do you offer as The Word Queen?

Keidi: I offer writers an edit of their manuscript, which involves amending grammatical errors and restructuring sentences. The other option is an edit and a full critique, in which I delve deeper into the manuscript to evaluate aspects such as theme, plot, characterization, sense of place, dialogue and all the ingredients of a book, which can transform it into a bestseller.

WOW: How much do you charge for these services?

Keidi: For editing, I charge $200 per 20,000 words. For an edit and critique, I charge $250 per 20,000 words. My payment terms are half up-front and the rest on completion.

WOW: In your opinion, why is it a good idea for a writer to use a professional to edit and critique her work?

Keidi: As writers, we tend to become very attached to our work. It’s not uncommon to procrastinate editing, as we feel a deep sense of unwillingness to delete the words, phrases, metaphors and dialogues to which we have grown to love, even though they may not serve the novel. A professional editor knows exactly what publishers and agents want to see and can mold the story into a desirable shape.

WOW: You are right--it is so hard to edit and critique our own work! What are three or four common mistakes you see in authors' manuscripts?