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It's time for Pitchwars -
hold on tight! |
And I'm a mentor! I’m also a teacher, author, runner, and avid reader. My debut novel, RECLAIMED, came out
this past October. It’s a young-adult contemporary about three teens who come
together as their families are falling apart. It won a Silver IPPY and the Gold
Foreword Book of the Year in Young-Adult Fiction. I really like coffee.
My credentials: I have a B.A. in
English Education as well as an M.Ed. Since I'm an English teacher, I’ve pretty much spent the
last fifteen years critiquing writing. I also have two amazing critique
partners whom I’ve been working with for the past two years. I believe very
strongly in constructive criticism, so I will not lie to you about your work in
order to make you feel better. As a writer, I want complete honesty from critiques
so that I can improve my craft and turn out the best possible work. My job as a
mentor is to push you to be your very best, and that won’t happen if I’m not completely
honest with you. That being said, I will never point out weaknesses without also
shining a light on the strengths.
I love complex characters and
strong writing. I want an engaging voice with setting that feels like
character. I love stories that give me a satisfying ending, but if the characters
are done well, I should also feel as if there are many more stories within
those characters. I want to feel like I can step inside the world you’ve
created. I want to be able to imagine your characters
living complete lives outside the pages. And I’m a sucker for pretty words.
What I’m interested in:
Contemporary: This genre has my
heart. I love dark and twisty, but points for making me laugh. I’m not a huge
fan of mean girls simply for the sake of having them or “girls who aren’t like
other girls.” I would love to see strong female friendships (in any genre), and
I do love me some swoony boys. Recent contemps I enjoyed: Behind the Scenes, The Sky is Everywhere, Everything Leads to You, and Aristotle
and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.
Magical Realism: This is a hard
one to do well, but man do I love it when it is. My favorites are One Hundred Years of Solitude (duh) and The Shadow of the Wind. I also adored Savvy by Ingrid Law.
Historical: I enjoy a good
historical and would love to see one from a time period that is usually
neglected. I recently loved Born Wicked
and Star Cursed, which are really
more alternative history (with witches), but I loved them because they
immersed me in the world and had a strong female lead with equally strong,
badass friends. Also kissing.
Science Fiction: Not sure I’m the
person for hard-core science fiction (whatever that means, right), but I loved Across the Universe by Beth Revis. Would
love a YA version of Firefly. I also have a thing for doomsday – think King’s The Stand or movies like Outbreak and
The Day After Tomorrow. I’m also interested in steampunk and, as mentioned
above, alternate history.
No matter what the genre, I'm only looking for young adult.
I know how scary and exciting
this can be, and I also know just how subjective. I applaud you for having the
courage to share your writing with a stranger and for allowing that stranger to
pick it apart. Congrats on having the strength and drive to improve your craft,
and not being afraid of hard work.
Now pick me - Gus will be sad if you don't.
Check out the list of agents here!
MENTORS:
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