Epic stories readers won't soon forget, and honest coaching for the writers determined to tell them.

Structure that holds

Scene by scene, we find where the story loses tension and why, then rebuild the load-bearing beats so the whole thing stands up under a reader's weight.

Characters that resonate

Arcs, motivation, the emotional throughline. We make readers feel the cost of every choice your characters make, and why it mattered that they made it.

The genre you actually write

Science fantasy, sci-fi, fantasy, and the strange country in between. I coach the story you're telling, not the box a shelf wants to force it into.

Choose me if

• You want honest, professional-grade developmental feedback, the kind that makes the work genuinely better.
• You're a professional, or you're serious about becoming one.
• You're ready to be challenged, not comforted.
• You write speculative fiction and want a coach who knows the genre and its lineage.
• You'd rather hear it from me than from a rejection letter.

Don't choose me if

• You're looking for someone to hold your hand or babysit the process.
• You want a yes-man who tells you every page is brilliant.
• You want a feel-good talk you haven't earned.
• You're not ready for honest feedback yet. (That's fine, come back when you are.)

Who You'll Work With

C.D. Lombardi

I'm a speculative fiction author and a Farland-certified fiction coach, trained in the same tradition as Brandon Sanderson, under the late David Farland. I've edited anthologies, served writers, and spent years learning how stories actually work, not just how they're supposed to.

I came up through a prior career in systems analysis and project management, which means I treat a manuscript like what it is: a complex build with load-bearing parts. I coach the way I wish someone had coached me, directly, warmly, and always with your long game in mind.