Francesca Penchant is a dark-fiction book coach and publisher who teaches editing at the University of Washington. Like her clients, Francesca is inspired by literature of the macabre such as gothic, horror, noir, thriller, mystery, crime, and decadent fictions.

Francesca supports unconventional creatives who are seeking something other than the typical writing advice, who want to delve more deeply into their own knowledge, to expand their understanding of the craft, characters, and themes that make them truly unique. She helps authors who are struggling to prioritize their writing by making space for their creativity.

She founded Rachilde & Co. Books, an independent press for which she designs books of decadent LGBTQ+ authors and themes from the nineteenth-century and beyond. Her crime novel, 𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 (2025), combines film noir with Neo-Decadence. Being a publisher and novelist has helped give her an insider-perspective on creating books. Francesca also has an MFA specializing in book arts and design and a certificate in copyediting from the UW.

Coaching Style: Francesca tests as a highly sensitive person (HSP), which means that she believes in coaching that is empathetic, gentle, and encouraging—coaching that celebrates your creativity above all, that makes clients feel supported. But far from being naïf-like, her dark sense of humor turns those rose-colored glasses mauve.

As an Author Accelerator certified book coach, Francesca is qualified to coach writers using Author Accelerator’s strategy, methods, and materials, such as Jennie Nash’s Blueprint for a Book and Inside Outline.

1:1 Writing Coaching

Through 1:1 Writing Coaching I help creatives feel supported by being a stakeholder for long-term projects with longer term, open-ended writing coaching. In free-form meetings with no assignments except for the ones that you create for yourself, we’ll delve deeply into your project and discuss anything that will nourish your creativity, for example blocks to productivity, what’s working, what’s not working, set due dates, and talk about how to be more creative. Free discovery call + 1 meeting, $150

I help get dark-fiction authors on track and encourage them to keep going with the For Openers Package, for the first chapters of your novel with 50 pages of manuscript evaluation. You’ll receive an editorial letter with next steps and inline comments directly in your manuscript. Free discovery call + 1 meeting, $199

I support dark fiction authors to get their book ideas out of their heads and onto the page. With the 8-Week Dark Fiction Blueprint, I’ll support you through the Blueprint for a Book method, meeting every 2 weeks for 4 sessions total. At the end of the process, you’ll have your protagonist’s desire, the “bumper sticker” of your novel, and an Inside Outline for your novel, making it possible start writing forward. Launch special: Free discovery call + 4 sessions, $299

I help authors of the macabre perfect their completed book manuscripts. With the Dark Fiction Revision Roadmap, I’ll be an ally to analyze your opening, structure, characters, plot, and style. At the end of the journey, authors will have a manuscript with inline comments and an editorial letter with clear next steps pointing the way on how to improve their work so they can self-publish or start pitching to agents. Free discovery call + 2 meetings, $599

With the Self-Publishing Design Prep Package, I collaborate with authors with a finished manuscript by designing 1 cover and 1 interior that mirror the dark worlds they create. At the end of this process, you’ll have ebook and paperback files that you can upload to your Amazon KDP Dashboard, plus images for social media. Free discovery call, $799

I’m grateful for Francesca’s rich and targeted feedback on my manuscript. Along with invaluable encouragement, she offered tangible steps on how to make my story stronger. With clarity and insight, she highlighted specific spots and themes that I could expand or improve upon. I’m confident that my manuscript has more commercial potential than it did before Francesca’s suggestions and guidance.
—Radhika, indie novelist