My clients reside all over the world and are immersed in a range of careers, work projects, and creative endeavors. Here are some of their thoughts about my work:
FICTION
John S. Hall – Author, Retired Dairy Farmer. “Many thanks to my editor, Amabel Síorghlas. She is truly a wordsmith, making for a smooth-reading text, and she has many helpful suggestions for strengthening point of view, characterization, plot, and setting. She has a keen eye for improving sentence structure and for keeping the flow of the story going. We’ve worked together for a number of years on different writing projects, including my recent book, Harmony Hill. She is currently working with me on a sequel.” Discussion of John’s recent popular book, Harmony Hill in The Bridge, Montpelier, VT:
Follow this link to read about John’s book Harmony Hill.
CREATIVE NONFICTION & MEMOIR
Dave Doroghy – Author, International Sports Marketing Executive. “Amabel rocks the free world when it comes to editing books. If you don’t believe me, just ask the New York Times. They recently reviewed my first (solo) book and gave it a thumbs up. I could not have gotten it to the stage of even finding a publisher without Amabel’s attention to detail, her incredible organizational skills, her motivational nudging, and of course her command and knowledge of the English language. Although we live 3,000 miles apart, it was not an issue. She helped me take a book from concept to being in the top one percent sales rank of Amazon, and a best seller here in British Columbia where I live. And here’s the kicker. I never met her in person and still haven’t. We did it all long distance over the net without missing a beat. She’s good; really good. Plus she is a nice person and we had a lot of laughs along the way. Amabel is the Queen Bee of book editing!”
Goretti Rerri – Author, Special Needs Advocate, Teacher. “Working with Amabel (Kyle) as an editor & coach for my memoir, My Box of Chocolates: How My Child with Autism Learned to Read, Write, and More, was an awesome experience! The time and commitment she invested was incredible. She was trustworthy, honest, and highly skilled in highlighting areas for improvement. I will use her again and again and again in future projects.”
Follow this link to see Goretti’s book, My Box of Chocolates
Briana Zonas – Artist, Writer, Educator. “Amabel has been fantastic to work with! I have hired her for a multitude of projects. She has done copy editing for my marketing for my art business. And she has been a fabulous writing coach to collaborate with on my personal memoir. Being dyslexic, it is often hard for me to get to my authentic writing voice, but with Amabel I have been able to express myself in writing like I never thought would be possible. Amabel is kind, respectful, and professional. I feel so lucky that our paths have crossed. I highly recommend her!”
Follow this link to Briana’s artist website.
Muriel Angelil – Artist, Author. “Amabel has provided feedback for and edited two of my books: my memoir, Back to the Past: A Daughter of the Nile and a collection of poetry, In Close Embrace. Amabel was able to pinpoint the holistic issues in my writing and yet keep the overall perspective of my thoughts and ideas intact. She encouraged me to go deeper in my descriptions and into more detail. She especially helped me see my relationships to the characters in my book with a new and positive point of view. Her editing of structural organization and grammar were quite helpful during this process. I found Amabel dependable and very creative in her approach to editing my books and especially vis-à-vis our interactions.”
Follow this link to Muriel’s artist website.
YOUNG ADULT & MIDDLE GRADE
Gwenivere Roolf-Cluett – Author. “Amabel is a proofreader’s proofreader! I found her a pleasure to work with. She is prompt and friendly, and I had total trust in her editorial sensibilities.”
Lori Daugherty – Author, Educator. “Amabel has the unique ability to not only see the story wanting to be told but also help you as a writer get there. Through line edits, questions, and teachable moments, she helps you grow the skills needed to be a successful writer. Amabel and I have worked together for two years, from graduate school essays to picture book manuscripts, adult fiction, and middle grade novels in verse. Her feedback is always applicable and helpful, while always making sure my vision for the story remains.”
INFORMATIVE NONFICTION
Ginny Sassaman – Author, Co-founder of Gross National Happiness, USA, Creator of the Happiness Paradigm. “I never understood why writers raved about their editors until I met Amabel. Now I get it! My book Preaching Happiness: Creating a Just and Joyful World is so much better thanks to her insights, persistence, and a big, big heart that loves planet Earth and wants us all to do better.”
Follow this link to learn more about Ginny’s book and work.
Doug Wilhelm – Author of The Revealers (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2003), and 17 other published books. “I worked closely with Amabel Kylee Síorghlas when she copyedited my book Catalysts for Change: How Nonprofits and a Foundation Are Helping Shape Vermont’s Future (Rootstock Publishing, 2022), and I also know her by reputation here in the small book world of Vermont. She is a rare combination: extremely collaborative and easy to work with, yet at the same time amazingly painstaking and meticulous. Amabel was wonderfully expert, careful, and thorough in working through my manuscript. I can recommend her wholeheartedly, and if asked I would be happy to say more.”
GRADUATE STUDENTS—Dissertations, Theses, Essays
Mardochée Casimir, Ph.D. in progress, Human and Social Services. “If you are struggling with your writing, financially strapped, and just about ready to throw in the towel, Amabel is the editor you need to hire. When we began working together, I was working on the lit review of my dissertation. I was frustrated and ready to quit. Amabel quickly became my editor, sounding board, and voice of reason. She gives feedback in a way that makes sense. She corrects and encourages, which I appreciate so much. She also offers a flexible payment plan which was super helpful to me with my budget. Thanks to Amabel’s support, I was able to write 45 pages in 10 weeks. She is GOLDEN.”
Angela Paladino, MFA Graphic Design, Vermont College of Fine Arts. “Amabel was the perfect content editor for my MFA thesis. In addition to the sharp eye and broad knowledge that all good editors must bring to their work, she offers a marvelous combination of sensitivity, curiosity, openheartedness, and humor. I trusted her insights completely and knew I was in good hands through the entire process.”
Heather Teems – Ed.D., University of New England, 2021. “Amabel immensely helped me edit Chapter 2 of my dissertation! She is one of the most incredible people I have met through this journey. Her attention to detail and writing capacity is full of compassion, experience, and wisdom. I am so grateful that she was recommended to me to help me bring my Chapter 2 into a much more thoroughly organized manner. Amabel also helped me with many other tidbits to make my life easier in completing my doctoral journey.”
Jessica Jones, MFA Art & Design Education, Vermont College of Fine Arts. “It was a tremendous pleasure working with Amabel on my Capstone thesis project. I struggle with writing due to learning disabilities and having her support was a blessing. The patience, thoughtfulness, and consideration Amabel demonstrated built my confidence in becoming a better writer. She is very articulate and the way she provides suggestions or improvements honored my voice within text. A timely copy editor, we created a schedule to assure work expectations were manageable so that I was able to do a little at a time to complete a large task. She was there every step of the way and our relationship working together has continued beyond my master’s degree. She is a tremendous confidant that provides suggestions graciously and is fantastic to work alongside to accomplish any writing goal. I highly recommend working with Amabel. She is a cut above the rest!
Kim Marshall – Artist and Teacher. “Amabel (Kyle) saved my life when I was getting my MFA! Her feedback was the foundation to my thesis paper. Her detailed, thorough coaching and PROMPT email responses were just what I needed to help my writing. I never was good at writing—I never could find the words to articulate myself. Amabel found the right questions to ask to help me become the writer I never thought I could be!”
SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS—Website Content, Marketing Materials
Barbara Gormally – Self-Mastery Life Coach. “In my line of work, it’s critical for the written word to clearly articulate meaning and intent; there’s no wiggle room for misinterpretation. Amabel helps me achieve this. She is extremely professional. She stays on task and gently, yet firmly, guides me with effective editing to enhance my business. Amabel was referred to me by a colleague and I’m glad I contacted her. I live in the Southwest and she lives in the East. Geographical location is not a barrier to working with Amabel.”
Jeanne Haskell – Enneagram Coach. “It was a great experience working with Amabel. She made fine-tuning my website message a fun process, and her editing skills helped me communicate my message more clearly and precisely. I sought her expertise because I was in overwhelm—obsessing and over-thinking. She helped me to understand and accept online marketing as dynamic, a work always in progress; then she gave me practical steps and some gentle nudging to move me forward. Her insight, encouragement, and support bolstered my self-confidence, which helped the wordsmithing flow more easily. I found it valuable getting clear on my strengths as a coach. Thanks, Amabel!”
Follow this link to Jeanne’s website.
Please note: Some of my clients have worked with me as Kyle or Kylee (my birth/given name). I have since chosen a new name for myself, Amabel Kylee Síorghlas, as a rite of passage.
Word Artisan VT 
She is brilliant!!
LikeLike