Testimonials

Fiction and Memoir Writers' Group

Since 2013 I've run the Keene (New Hampshire) Public Library Fiction and Memoir Writers’ Group, a read-and-critique format aimed at improving the quality of our writer members. The following are some testimonials about my group.

“Keene Public Library is grateful for Randy’s eleven years of service!”

Randy Koons has provided a writers’ group at Keene Public Library since 2013. He offers his program at KPL both in-person and online with the Library’s equipment, making the group accessible and convenient for attendees. Randy is reliable and independent. He effectively manages all aspects of the group, provides the Library with timely information, and manages both in-person and online communications with the attendees. Keene Public Library is grateful for Randy’s eleven years of service!

Marti Fiske, Director, Keene Public Library

“... his masterful way of asking just the right question ...”

For the past decade, I have been a member of the fiction writers group that Randy leads at our local library. I’ve heard him read and revise numerous works of his own and can attest to his growth as a writer over the years. But as the leader of a successful writer’s group, what mostly stands out about Randy is his masterful way of asking just the right question to guide each author to their own conclusion about how to better the piece they’re working on. He is equally helpful to brand new writers as he is to our oft-published writers, and honors the differences in each group member’s style. If you have the opportunity to work with Randy for either writing or editing, I highly recommend you do so!

Ginny Somma

“... my writing has dramatically improved due in large part to Randy’s mentoring and insights.”

I have been a member of a writers’ group led by Randy Koons since 2018. During these past five years, my writing has dramatically improved due in large part to Randy’s mentoring and insights. While I’ve learned much from reading Randy’s stories (he is a prolific and talented writer in his own right), I’ve benefitted even more from the constructive comments and feedback Randy has provided to me and other writers in our group. He knows how to plot a story, to pace a scene, to develop a character, and to portray a setting. He is adept at identifying the problem when something isn’t working, and he is skilled in guiding writers to discover the heart of their stories.

Denise Cloutier

“I would highly recommend him to anyone …”

I have been a member of the writing group led by Randy for six years and have profited greatly from his perceptive feedback on the short stories I have read to the group. He has the professional ability to pinpoint those problems in a story or memoir that would make it hard to read and difficult to publish. In addition, Randy has been writing his own short stories, long-form, and memoir. The sections of this work he has read to our group demonstrate his own skill at writing clear and expressive prose. I would highly recommend him to anyone looking for assistance in writing a fiction or memoir.

Frank Bequaert has published short stories in a variety of magazines including Playboy, Fantasy and Science Fiction and Mystery Magazine. He is an active member of Mystery Writers of America.)

“The writer’s group has been an important milestone in my life.”

Joining the writer’s group helped me write more as it gave me a goal and a reason to make more entertainment. I was able to get feedback from many people who thoroughly took the time to process my stories, and each time I presented a new story, I improved. The group’s input was not only essential to making me better as an author but also gave me a community of writers that—just like me—also want to make their work the best it can be. I even chose the nearby college simply because the writers’ group was in town. The writer’s group has been an important milestone in my life.

Ian Hamblen

“It gave me the courage to share my writing and provided valuable feedback...”

I had been writing for several years before joining the writer's group, an experience I would highly recommend to anyone who writes for pleasure. It gave me the courage to share my writing and provided valuable feedback on my prose which has helped enhance my own style in many positive ways. The group provided great input and elevated my own understanding of my capabilities and how to grow to the next level.

Nolan Buonomano

“A year later, my writing has improved and so has my ego.”

I have received some of the best critical, and honest feedback from other members of this writing group. They have helped me sort through a nonfiction essay, and through their years of experience have helped put my feet back on the ground. I joined Randy's Writer's Group in the summer of 2024. I came to the group with an openness to learn. A year later, my writing has improved and so has my ego. The members are like a team which I feel part of. It is a heart-felt atmosphere which makes people want to risk writing and sharing with the group. I know there are numerous writers out there who would benefit immensely from the Thursday evening meeting. Randy is a very experienced facilitator who keeps things rolling along. Touch base with Randy - by doing so you will have made a good choice. Risking can be very rewarding.

Tom Spinks

“[I] learned a lot about my own writing through insightful feedback on my writing, but also by reading and giving feedback on other’s work.”

I’ve been a member of Randy’s writing group for the past few years and have not only learned a lot about my own writing through insightful feedback on my writing, but also by reading and giving feedback on other’s work. I value the insight Randy, and the other members of the group bring to my writing as well as offering tips on overall technique. Randy’s role is more than just giving feedback; he makes sure everyone has a chance to offer their thoughts, so we don’t run out of time. He coordinates everything down to a tee, making it beneficial to everyone. I always feel like I get such helpful advice from all the members because everyone has the time allotted to give their thoughts on my work. The group has pushed me to write on a regular basis again, getting me one step closer to finishing the stories that have been lingering, unfinished, for decades!

Julie Orrok Emineth

“I am writing more now, and I have honed my skills for revising my writing.”

I am always amazed at the quality of writing in Randy’s group. I have heard historical fiction, memoir, apocalyptic fiction and several other genres from intelligent and diverse voices. We learn together and have fun in our discussions too. I look forward to our weekly meetings, and I am more motivated to finish a lingering story when I know I will be featured. I am writing more now, and I have honed my skills for revising my writing.

Brenna Manuel

“I was so inspired by what I learned that I’ve completely revised my opening, and I’ve been filled with new enthusiasm for continuing with my story.”

I am writing my first novel and recently shared the opening chapters of my story with Randy and his writers’ group. The feedback was incredibly helpful! Randy clearly has a wide experience with writing, and with helping others to write well. He and the others in the group shared their perspectives and helpful suggestions in a very kind and constructive way. I was so inspired by what I learned that I’ve completely revised my opening, and I’ve been filled with new enthusiasm for continuing with my story.

Meg Whittle

“IThe group is made up of writers with all kinds of backgrounds and styles, and Randy fosters that diversity. It’s a space where everyone feels welcome, where feedback is purposeful, and where the creative energy is real.”

Randy Koons’ writing group has been one of the most welcoming and creatively energizing spaces I’ve had the chance to be part of. Randy brings a deep respect for the writing process and a genuine curiosity about each writer’s voice and intention. He’s not there to push his own viewpoint but to help you see your work more clearly and ask the kinds of questions that unlock your next step.
His feedback is always thoughtful, balanced, and helpful—never prescriptive, but always grounded in what you are trying to do with the piece. It’s rare to find someone who can offer critique that feels both honest and encouraging, and Randy does exactly that.
The group is made up of writers with all kinds of backgrounds and styles, and Randy fosters that diversity. It’s a space where everyone feels welcome, where feedback is purposeful, and where the creative energy is real.
I’m excited to see this community grow—and I know Randy’s upcoming online writers’ group will reflect the same spirit that makes his workshops so valuable.

Trevor Keeldeary

A Wild Ride: The Plan that Changed Everything

In 2020 I self-published a memoir on Amazon about how I determined my career path.

“It’s a short and easy read and we’d both recommend it.”

My wife and I both read this book and thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s a short and easy read and we’d both recommend it.

Verified Purchaser

“I absolutely loved this book."

I absolutely loved this book. Randy Koons is spot-on authentic in his description of his 1978 adventure in hitchhiking from New Hampshire to Arizona. Having hitchhiked from Ann Arbor to Denver in 1972, this book re-immersed me into the excitement, danger and self-doubt of long-distance hitchhiking. Randy takes you on his adventure with detailed descriptions of the drivers, cars and landscapes that he encounters. Randy captures the accents and idiom of the people he meets. You have to downshift your reading to savor the phonetic dialogue. Silently, you accompany Randy in his hitchhike through cities, the plains, mesas and the desert. You fear for Randy while he waits for his next ride on desolate entrance ramps in the dark, cold and rain. You continuously wonder whether Randy will discover The Plan that will change his life.

Throughout the book, Randy recalls a song lyric that haunted me too as I tried to remember the name of the song and the band that performed it. While reading, I kept saying to myself, “Tell us Randy, what is that song!” In the Epilogue, Randy reveals that at the time he wrote the book, he didn’t know the name of the song, but later in a grocery store discovered that he always misheard the lyric.

There, I wrote a review without requiring a “spoiler alert.”

Verified Purchaser

Discovering Home: An American Childhood in India

In 2024 I edited a memoir, designed and produced the cover, formatted the manuscript, and helped my client publish on Amazon KDP.

“We could not have done it without his help."

We had lots of stories and ideas and hundreds of files, but very little organization and no idea of how to proceed. Randy did a wonderful job of sorting it out, providing encouragement, editing, inserting an occasional paragraph, and helping us develop and publish a book. We could not have done it without his help. We did just order a couple of the books. We like it. It touches Frank deeply. I am so glad we did it.

Frank and Martha Manley