Blurbs from Book Acknowledgements, Testimonials, & Notes from My Past Clients on Process
From the Book Acknowledgements
“Melanie Bates… Thank you for being the daily sounding board for the ideas that bubbled up as I researched and wrote this book. Transmuting fuzzy thoughts into language people can understand is no small task, but you made it feel like a picnic. I loved learning all this with you by my side, and I will always consider this book part yours. You once told me it was part of your calling to help me bring my message into the world, and darling – phew! We’ve done it. Thank you.” ~ Lissa Rankin, New York Times Bestselling Author of Mind Over Medicine: Scientific Proof That You Can Heal Yourself
“To my Book Shaman-Editor Melanie Bates, the final drafts of this manuscript could not have been completed without your ability to see and hear me and my story. You have touched my heart and soul in more ways than I can put into words. I will be forever grateful.” ~ Sue Relihan, Bestselling Author of Metamorphosis: One Woman’s Journey to Find Serenity & Empowerment
“Melanie Bates, what a blessing you have been in my life, for my business, and with my book. Your partnership, support, feedback, editing, and vision helped this come alive – it would not have happened in the way and the time it did without you, your gifts, and your incredible support, thank you!” ~ Mike Robbins, Author of Nothing Changes Until You Do: A Guide to Self-Compassion and Getting Out of Your Own Way
“Melanie Bates was a kind and astonishingly efficient editor and organizer for this project. Thank heavens I was led to her.” ~ Tosha Silver, Author of Change Me Prayers and Outrageous Openness
“To my developmental editor, the “Book Shaman” Melanie Bates, many thanks for your support, expertise, and strong belief that I could complete this project.” ~ Katey Hansen, Author, Registered Nurse, Holistic Cancer Educator and Recovery Consultant
“Melanie Bates, you are so gifted, talented, and full of wisdom. You truly are a book shaman. Thank you for your coaching, your feedback, your editing, and your incredible support and partnership with this book, I could not have done it without you.” ~ Mike Robbins, Author of Bring Your Whole Self to Work: How Vulnerability Unlocks Creativity, Connection, and Performance
“Melanie Bates, you have been and continue to be such a gift in my life. Thank you for your remarkable coaching, editing, and partnership on this book. I’m grateful for our friendship, and for how you share your gifts and talents with me.” ~ Mike Robbins, Author of We’re All in This Together: Creating a Team Culture of High Performance, Trust, and Belonging
“Melanie, you have been my cheerleader and my sounding board throughout this soulful process. Thank you for keeping your promise to never blow sunshine up my ass, for drawing out my stories and doing so with such love, compassion and wisdom. ” ~ Adrienne Youdim, MD, FACP, Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Cedars Sinai Medical Center
“This journey into the unknown we call ‘writing a book’ was made possible with the support of Melanie Bates…Together, we danced in the center of purpose, possibility, and constraint. ” ~ Steven Kowalski, PhD, Consultant, Coach, & Speaker
“…[Melanie] is an absolute badass developmental editor and aunty to stray animals (and authors struggling with writer’s block). Melanie’s process helped me to unlock my story and share the stories of others, so that everyone reading (and listening) to this book can feel seen and heard while healing their Busy Brains. Every Friday afternoon, your wisdom and laughter helped me to edit my writing and magically gifted Rahja more doggy comfort food. This book was born because of your consummate professionalism and editorial skills—thank you for being my book shaman.” ~ Dr. Romie Mushtaq, Brain Doctor, Chief Wellness Officer, Keynote Speaker and Mindful Leadership Expert
“…Melanie Bates, your support, insights, and constructive feedback have played a critical role in this process. You are wonderful. Thank you for your heart, your care, and for being you!” ~ Brandy Gillmore, PhD., World-Renowned Mind/Body Energy Healer
On the Process from One of My Brilliant Clients
“This is not the book I thought I was going to write. I spent some time online beforehand, downloaded a basic template for a nice self-help book, and wrote a three-hundred or so page summary of my story. I included quite a bit of information on how I got sober and how I live my life today… coming in the next book.
I’d recently seen a guy, Mike Robbins, (now a friend) speak at a conference and liked his message and the new book he had out at the time. I hit him up a while later and asked who his editor was.
I contacted Melanie Bates a few days later and had a brief conversation before wrapping up the manuscript. “Send it on over,” she said. So I did…and waited impatiently for her reply.
I was out-of-my-skin excited for our call the following week. She answered and we dove right in. “I only read the first few chapters.” Silence. “It was good.” Silence. “This is not the book you are supposed to write.”
And so, my relationship with the Book Shaman began.
I don’t remember what I said…probably “Okay. What?” or something like that. She proceeded to explain that she thought my writing style and my story would be better served in a memoir. “Show them…don’t tell them.”
Mel changed my life. Not just with her insight into the best way to convey my story…but by getting to know me, trusting me, gaining my trust, and being brutally honest with me during the process. It was no picnic!
I’ve talked to a lot of people about my past, but she was able to coax bits and pieces of the story from some darker parts of my memory. Not by asking directly, but by asking for “A little more here.” or “A little bit of clarity.” Or “You’re talking about the weather a lot here…what are you needing to say?”
I wrote. She offered edits. I wrote more. We talked. We laughed. We cried. We became family during the process.
Writing this book with Mel’s help has been one of the most profound experiences in my adult life. It wasn’t easy. She persuaded me back into seven-year-old me’s skin. She helped me get back in character. She taught me how to show my story through my words instead of just telling it.
I realize now, after hearing from so many of you, that being in my skin while you read the story helped you understand what sexual abuse does to a child. How it confuses our thoughts. How it taints our view of ourselves and the world around us. How it creates walls around our hearts. How it makes us hate ourselves and life itself.
I couldn’t have shown you this without Mel.
So…Mel…Thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me get in touch with all those parts of myself that I’d forgotten or misplaced. Thank you for helping me find that little boy. Thank you for helping me let him know he’s gonna be okay. Thank you for helping me help others understand. Thank you for helping me get this story out so that other boys and men might suffer less.”
Brad Watson, Author of Prey
More Sweet Praise
“Choosing to work with Melanie Bates was hands-down, bar none, the best decision I could have made for myself and for my book. I honestly don’t know if I would have ever finished my book without her caring guidance and support. She was truly with me every step of the way—from the scary beginning until the triumphant finale! The accountability that our weekly calls provided made sure to keep me on track and moving forward. I would wholeheartedly recommend Melanie to anyone even thinking about writing a book.”
“I am in awe of the person I have become since working with Melanie. I just completed my last session and although deeply saddened as our time together has come to an end, I am walking into my new life with direction and a confidence I sorely lacked five months ago… In addition to fulfilling her commitment to me, through my writing, I was able to heal so many years of emotional suffering. Melanie’s authenticity, nurturing love and well-honed intuition provided her with a deep soul knowing of exactly what I needed and when I needed it. She simply took my lead and my hand and guided me with amazing gentleness to the most unexpected and healing results. I will be forever grateful to her and whatever entity brought us together.”
“I’ve experienced a deep sense of being witnessed in our time together as I work through healing aspects of my ‘story’ and of having a compassionate, intuitive, wise, inquisitive, and interested companion as I travel this journey. It is so deeply healing.”
“Melanie has been so helpful with motivation to keep writing, improving my craft, and much more. She has guided me to process emotions as I was writing through a lot of grief. I’ve realized things I know I never would have if it wasn’t for her, and I am beyond grateful. I’ve been to many therapists, and this coaching experience has been vital for my healing. I believe processing your thoughts through writing can be valuable, but sometimes you need an extra nudge in direction or motivation to move you forward. Thank you, Melanie!”
“When I was first introduced to Melanie, I had a calling to write my story—and not much else. I had no formal writing education nor degree, and I didn’t even understand why I wanted to write. All I knew was I wrote in a journal my whole life and that something inside of me needed to be expressed. She told me from day one, ‘you are a writer.’ (Bless you!)
I’lI never forget sitting on the steps leading into my garage, looking for a private spot in my small house so we could talk on the phone for the first time. I told Melanie that I wasn’t interested in the fastest path to publish a book nor to make money.
I already had a full-time, well-paid job. What I did want was someone to help me navigate the next steps in taking the words I had in my heart and putting them into a first draft.
I realize that many people may want (and don’t get me wrong, I want it too) a best-selling book. What was more important to me was having someone meet and understand the very unexplainable urge that I have to use writing and inner exploration work to better understand my life so that I can live better and share what I’ve learned with others. I once heard someone say that if you’ve survived something big, you have a story to tell to help others. This is my motivation.
The highlight of my calendar is connecting with Melanie. Not only does she create a safe space for us to create together, she allows me the opportunity to step back and look at my writing in a way that helps me better understand my life and who I am. I share the most intimate and embarrassing parts of myself through my writing and she embraces it without judgement and in a way that helps me to feel safe.
She has the most incredible talent of showing up and being present on our calls. When she is reviewing my writing, she connects dots, pulls out information that I didn’t quite see, and finds the most important and salient thing that is seemingly right in front of me that I didn’t realize was there. The result is not only better and more truthful writing, but a blueprint to my life that helps me decode myself so that I can pass that on to others. She has a way of seeing and knowing like no one else.
Melanie is special. And anyone who gets to work with her will not only learn how to write a book, but will learn who they are as human.“
TEDx Talks I’ve Had a Hand in Helping to Write
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