Dear Future Mentee,

Lately I’ve been obsessed with crime in general, but certainly murder, mayhem, and stealing stuff. In books. I’m quite flexible about the world within which the crime occurs. It could be a magical realm, a gritty urban landscape, a brand new space station, or an abandoned mental hospital. 

While I’ve been interested in crime for a few years, I’ll never let go of my first loves, Science Fiction and Romance. Space adventure with a side of crime and some kissing might be just the novel I need right now. Maybe a heavy dose of Science with kissing? Clickbait written by  the NYT Science section is a never ending idea fountain because that near future or the future is already here stuff is SO AWESOME.

 

My current project is the darkest thing I’ve ever written and it’s taking me deep into my own darkness and the murky world of human monsters. You might have a really cool ghost or monster* story. It doesn’t need to be Halloween for me to be into that so hard. The newest additions to my writing office include a decorated skull and a plague doctor mask. And this quote may or may not be posted over my monitor: “Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster…for when you gaze long into the abyss. The abyss gazes also into you.” ~Friedrich Nietzsche

One of my strengths is my capacity to be enthusiastic about many things at once. I truly do love ALL genre fiction. I teach it and I read it. The world needs stories emerging from the genre branches of fiction more than ever before. 

Please send me a novel that includes [positive representations, using an asset lens] people from many backgrounds. I especially prefer to see characters from the LGBTQ+ community. I am a human, a mom, and a teacher. I want the people I love and work with every day to see themselves as heroes in stories.  For example, I didn’t know I needed a lesbian, Jewish superhero until a friend introduced me to Batwoman. But to know Kate Kane is to be infatuated with her, am I right?

The past two years of mentoring for PitchWars were extraordinary. Despite being a writer, it is impossible to find the perfect words to express the utter joy I found working with my mentees in 2017 and 2018. I am an evangelist for their books. Forever. If you like to work hard at your writing craft, if you like adventure and swooning and shivering and shiny spaceships, if you have a sense of perspective and a sense of humor, I might be the right mentor for you. 

 

Looking forward to meeting you soon!

Jenna

 

P.S. The list of genres (below) is about what I read/write and therefore think I could mentor well, not so much about absolutes or heavy likes and dislikes. *Exceptions – rape of any kind, for any reason

 

Please send me something delicious from this list:

Young Adult or New Adult

Fantasy – Urban, Paranormal, Historical

Science Fiction – ALL

Romance – Science Fiction, Fantasy, Paranormal, Suspense

Horror – either Fantastical or SciFi

Steampunk

Alternate History

STEM

Adventure

Thriller/Suspense

Mystery – Traditional, General, Cozy

 

Pitch Wars 2019 Young Adult Mentors’ Wish Lists