Write Mentor 2022 Summer Programme
Hi All!
It’s that time of year again, and I’m SO pleased to let you know I’ll be mentoring again with Write Mentor this summer.
I’m on the lookout for an author with a completed YA manuscript. I thought I’d write a little more about what I’m offering and what books I’m looking to work into.
What I’m Offering:
I aim to give an editorial letter, detailing my reception of your book as a reader. This will be a few pages long and will cover things like characters/character arcs, plot, pacing, any plot holes I might find. I’m also offering a 1-2-1 video call so we can go through the editorial letter together and brainstorm edits. My debut (EVERY LINE OF YOU) came out in August 2021 and I would be delighted to offer insight into publication, and try to answer any questions you might have about the process.
What I’m Looking For:
I’m a sucker for a “what if”. (Think The Undying Tower by Melissa Welliver.) If you think your book can be wrapped up into a “what if” question, I would absolutely love to see it. What ifs lend themselves nicely to speculative fiction, but that’s not a rule of thumb. It could be a Sci-Fi, it could be a Dystopia or a Contemporary. I would LOVE to see your book - whatever the genre - if you’ve got one of these!
I love Sci-Fi that is grounded in one place, e.g. a planet or a space ship. If you’ve got a book that spans the Cosmos and has intergalactic happenings, I’m probably not the mentor for you.
If you think your book crosses several genres, I’ll be into it :)
I love morally grey characters and understanding what makes them tick. If you have a MC who’s a little bit shady, I’d like to get to know them please, no matter the genre.
I’m also a sucker for romantic tropes. Enemies to lovers, star-crossed lovers, one bed - send them my way if they’re a strong subplot but not the main plot.
TV Shows/Movies I Love:
The Queen’s Gambit
Love, Death & Robots
Equilibrium
Meet Joe Black
The Umbrella Academy
Behind Her Eyes
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
The Talented Mr Ripley
Books I Love:
The Binding by Bridget Collins
Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Mexican Gothic by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia
Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis
Death Of A Clone by Alex Thomson
Only Ever Yours by Louise O’Neill
Good Me Bad Me by Ali Land
The Loop by Ben Oliver
Near The Bone by Christina Henry
Things I’m Not Looking For:
There are some horror genres I can deal with and others I can’t. If you have a paranormal horror, I probably can’t handle it. Anna Dressed In Blood by Kendare Blake is an amazing book and I loved it, but it scared the sh*t out of me. I deal much better with psychological horror or a creature feature.
If you have a Sci-Fi horror, I can probably deal with this a lot better!
I don’t want to read about viruses/pandemics.
I’m not the mentor for you if you’ve written about angels/demons/tarot/horoscopes/ouija/possession.
I LOVED Holly Black’s fae books, but it will take a lot to get me to read anything else to do with faeries. I would advise sending your manuscript to another mentor if you’ve written anything to do with fae.
Thanks for reading!
Naomi x