About

ABOUT

“Homer didn't have to open the book to know how the story began. 'Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show,' he recited from memory.”

- John Irving, THE CIDER HOUSE RULES

hello!

I'M ELLEN

The first time I read THE CIDER HOUSE RULES, when I was 23 years old, the question "Will you be the hero of your own life?" was so far from my understanding of what was possible that it didn't even register.

The second time I read it, when I was 42 years old, I knew it was THE question of my life – and that the answer needed to be yes.

I’d succeeded some years earlier in becoming a published novelist – my dream.

Then I found myself deep in a period of devastating setbacks – both professional and personal.

If I was going to stay on my path as a writer, there was clearly a lot of healing to be done.

And nobody, it turned out, was coming to save me – except, maybe, me.

I found and cultivated a relationship with Spirit.

I sought guidance from oracle cards and shamans.

I did some very deep healing with different kinds of practitioners.

I became a Reiki healer and certified mindset coach. I trained in shamanic journeying and other healing modalities, including Bioenergetic Synchronization Technique (B.E.S.T.).

I continued to make mistakes. To experience setbacks and self-sabotage.

(Self-sabotage that was so sneaky I didn’t even know I was sabotaging myself.)

But one thing I knew for sure was that my dream of being a novelist had never changed – and I stuck with it through everything.

Through 8+ years of rejections and rewriting.

Through scrapping everything and starting over.

Finally, in 2024, my new novel The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson was published. The HarperCollins Lead Read for Winter and an Indie Next pick, it was featured in multiple major media outlets, including People magazine, which chose it as a Best New Book, describing it as "a sweeping tale of love and loss."

My next novel, THE COVE, will be released in Summer 2026!

We're all writing the story of our own lives. Will you be the hero of yours?

As an intuitive coach, oracle card reader & energetic advisor for spiritually-minded writers, creatives, and entrepreneurs

AND

compassionate, insightful editor and guide for fiction writers

the work I’ll do with you is definitely about navigating (and staying on) your creative path.

For writers, I offer straightforward editing and mentoring as you navigate the journey toward bringing your book to the world.

For writers, creatives, and entrepreneurs who choose to step into the coaching space with me, the work we do will also about the journey of being alive.

About connecting with Spirit and getting into flow.

About facing and disarming your internal saboteurs so you can fully express your gifts – and create the success you desire in your work and in your life.

This work can be challenging – full of surprising twists and turns and layers.

But it’s also a process that is full of gifts in itself.

I bring to this work a unique blend of intuitive gifts and real-world experiences:

25+ years honing my craft as a fiction writer and editor
Nearly 20 years navigating the world of traditional publishing
Nearly 20 years as self-employed entrepreneur who transitioned into a business owner

Combining the two, I can help you along your journey toward expressing and living your deepest, truest dreams.

I can help you become the hero of your own life.

Learn more about 1:1 card readings and coaching ->

Learn more about 1:1 editing services ->

Start your novel with my online course ->

Terence S., Virginia

"Ellen Baker is a gifted coach -- compassionate and insightful and exceptionally gifted in guiding conversation and deep reflection toward inner understanding."