Author | Book Coach

Raised by a hoarder. Writing it out.

I grew up surrounded by trash—literal, emotional, generational. Years later, I came back home with a crowbar, a Red Bull, and a questionable plan to clean it all up.

Hi! I'm Maurene

I write about what we keep, what we hide, and what we finally drag to the curb.

I grew up in a house full of junk—the kind you can’t just bag up and forget. Now I’m writing Trashed, a memoir about cleaning out my childhood home filled with my father’s hoarded trash and realizing that the real clutter wasn’t just in the garage — it was in me.

In Trashed, I move back into my childhood home, face down decades of hoarded junk, and nearly lose everything that actually mattered while trying to clean up what didn’t. It’s a story about letting go —of stuff, stories, and the ghosts that come with both.

Book coach Maurene Janiece sitting at a wood table.

The Winding Road to Memoir

Women's book coach of memoir and nonfiction, Maurene Janiece, sitting at desk wearing black shirt and chunky glasses, smiling at the camera.

I didn’t start out writing about my childhood. Honestly, I spent years trying to not write about it. I just ran out of ways to avoid it.

I was busy writing nonfiction, working on YA and middle-grade novels, and teaching students how to write using a blend of inspiration, process, and structure. Basically, the opposite of how my childhood looked.

But the story I didn’t want to tell wouldn’t leave me alone. I realized I was writing around the story, not through it. That’s when Trashed began.

Eventually, I gave in and started writing a memoir about cleaning out my father’s hoarded house and realizing the real junk was what I’d been carrying inside.

Now, I write about what we can’t clean up in one weekend, what we inherit without asking, and what it really takes to make peace with our own mess.

“When a woman tells the truth she is creating the possibility for more truth around her.”

— Adrienne Rich

From KidLit to Coach

After earning my MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults, I wrote what felt like all the things: YA and middle-grade fiction, educational guides, and several nonfiction books.

But I also have the experience no degree can give you: years of writing, revising, editing, and publishing. I know structure. I know story. And I love helping other women find theirs.

Becoming a certified book coach was the natural next chapter, and one of the most gratifying. I guide memoirists and nonfiction writers through planning, drafting, and revising their books with compassion and the same tools I wish I’d had earlier.

Writing a book isn’t just about getting words on pages. It’s about finally getting to that niggling goal of writing a book and being proud of what you’ve created. I can help you get there.

Work with Me

My Credentials

I’m a lifelong learner at heart. If "professional student" were a job title, I’d have claimed it!

To fulfill that passion, I’ve earned various certifications and continue to engage in professional development.

MFA in Creative Writing
Author Accelerator Coaching Certifications: Nonfiction, Memoir, and Fiction
ClubEd: Developmental Editing Certifications, Fiction & Nonfiction
Additional editorial training through Liminal Pages, Editorial Arts, and Club Ed.

Author Accelerator Certified Book Coach Memoir Badge

Author Accelerator Certified Book Coach Nonfiction Badge

Author Accelerator Certified Book Coach Fiction Badge

Editorial Arts Certificate of Completion Developmental Editing in Fiction Badge

Cliub Ed Member for editing professionals icon.

As an Author Accelerator certified book coach, I am qualified to coach writers using Author Accelerator's strategy, methods, and materials, but I operate independently of Author Accelerator and am not affiliated with them.

A close-up of a woman sitting on a bed in tan pajamas flipping through a book with white fabric in the background.

The End. Kind of.

If you’ve read this far, we’re officially friends (or fellow procrastinators). Either way, I’m glad you’re here.

If you’re a reader, stick around for behind-the-scenes updates, new essays, and the occasionally unfiltered truth about the writing life.

If you’re a writer, pour yourself another cup and pull up a chair. We’ll talk about drafts, doubt, and the courage it takes to keep showing up for your story, even when it’s messy.

Lastly, the Professional Bio Version

Maurene Janiece is a writer, certified book coach and editor, and recovering perfectionist based in Montana. She’s a contributing author in Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Miracle of Love and the author of numerous nonfiction how-to and educational books.

Her memoir-in-progress, Trashed, is about cleaning out her father’s hoarded house and nearly losing her sobriety, self, and marriage in the process. When she’s not writing or knee-deep in revision, she coaches women writing memoir and nonfiction, helping them find the heart of their own work and write their books that matter.