Below is my Bio and Interests for PITCH WARS! After that you'll find the information on how to submit to me :)
Bio: I'm a YA author represented by the amazing Jamie Bodnar-Drowley from Inklings Literary Agency for my YA Paranormal Romance novel entitled Judges and my NA Contemporary Romance novel Edge of Chaos. I'm a military spouse who married her best friend and have a beautiful baby girl named Lexi, and a spoiled english bulldog named Whiskey.
I love falling into books and losing track of time. Some of my favorite books (I say some because there is NO way to list them all) are--THE BODY FINDER and THE PLEDGE series by Kimberly Derting, THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS and THE INFERNAL DEVICES series by Cassandra Clare, the SOUL SCREAMERS series by Rachel Vincent, and FULL MEASURES by Rebecca Yarros (She’s a fellow mentor and is an INCREDIBLE author so check her work out!)
What I'm looking for: YA Paranormal Romance--Even though this genre is saturated right now a fresh concept and plenty of twists can catch my eye (please no vampire falls for the clumsy girl next door) Also the romance has to be strong. I hear ghosts are starting to make a come back as well as edgier YA so if you’ve got any of that send it my way too!
YA with Biblical Themes--I enjoy everything from taking inspiration from the Bible to retellings to fallen angel stories! As long as it is believable and has a purpose in the story I'm ready to read it!
YA Fantasy--This genre needs strong world building and believable character motivations for me. I'd rather it be in the smaller scale verses epic and if there is a romance that is swoon worthy I'll be hooked!
This year I’m also taking on the NA genre! After writing and reading it for the past year, I feel I’m able to help critique and shape it now. I’m open to any variety--contemporary, supernatural, fantasy, etc!
Qualifications: I have a Bachelors degree in Creative Writing and read thoroughly in the YA/NA genres. I firmly believe that reading in the genre you write improves the strength of your skills immensely. I also have learned an incredible amount from my agent, my tight-knit critique group, and our experiences in the publishing world. The lessons I’ve learned along this journey have been so valuable to me and I love passing them on to help aspiring authors.
I'm honest but never malicious and my comments are always geared toward making the story as strong as possible. I understand the hardships of querying and being rejected (a number of times) and I know how subjective this business is. Some agents will hate the query + pages and others will absolutely fight for it! The key is to never giving up and to be able to take constructive criticism--especially if you’re getting the same remarks/comments over and over again. I’ll never say something out of personal taste (and if I have to I’ll let you know it is only because of my tastes that I’m commenting). I’ll look at the MS with an objective eye and try to see it as my agent (or agents I’ve worked with in the past) would see it. I want to help writers realize their dreams of landing an agent and the way to do that is make the story as sharp as possible :)
Also I’ve learned an incredible amount after being a mentor for the past two years in a row and am SO excited to be back again for a third time! Two of my past mentees have went on to publish some awesome books (see pictures and links below) To have had the pleasure of working with them and seeing them gain the success they’ve earned is amazing and is what Pitch Wars is all about! :)
For more information on how to submit to me please visit the amazing Brenda Drake’s blog here!
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| Full Measures by Rebecca Yarros Check it out here |
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| Enchanted Heart by Mindy Ruiz Check it out here And please be sure to check out all the mentors below! You never know who could be a perfect fit! :) |
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Yay for YA Fantasy! How do you feel about a YA fantasy romance steeped in Middle Eastern culture... with pirates?
ReplyDeleteSounds intriguing ;) Of course I can only go off of this for now but would have a better answer after reading the pitch and pages.
DeleteAre you also interested in YA Urban Fantasy?
ReplyDeleteYes! As long as the plot is fresh! There are many options out there in today's market for YA UF so it has to be unique and stand out :)
DeleteHi Molly,
ReplyDeleteI saw you like stuff with biblical themes. I'm guessing with this you don't want anything with anti-religious overtones, correct?
Actually no! I enjoy biblical themes when they are well done, but I'm open to anti-religious as well. As long as it is relevant to the characters/plot and not an open agenda ;)
DeleteNo agenda at all! Obviously, with a story like mine where a Jesus clone is the antagonist and they wind up killing God at the end (as well as uncover an esoteric group responsible for Catholicism, Islam, and Judaism--that secrretly controls the eart) people are going to get rubbed the wrong way, but I was just trying to tell a good story. Sort of a "What if" where maybe this whole religion thing has a second side to its coin. But it's very much hyperbole. In fact, I don't necessarly follow the bible to a 'T' just because then the story would have been boring.
DeleteIt's contemporary fantasy, but written like a thriller--lots of fights, fast paced. Has a romance that's imminently doomed from the start.
Anyways. Thanks for responding. I'll definitely keep you in mind.
Molly - as a fellow military stay-at-home (USMC here!) and lover of dogs that are short and fat, I am so immediately drawn to you. My ms is an Adam and Eve retelling with a twisty romance, so I definitely think it's your style - but it has some dystopian elements, and I know that's a hard sell right now! What do you think?
ReplyDeleteSounds like we have a lot in common! And that does sound intriguing! Of course anything YA with supernatural/dystopian elements is a tough sell right now, but with killer writing and an awesome plot it isn't as hard :)
DeleteHi Molly. Would you be interested in a genie? What about a doomed love triangle? Some people do not love them. Thanks :)
ReplyDeleteHi! Sounds interesting and love triangles don't bother me! I'd have to see the pitch though :) The sub windows are now open.
DeleteHi Molly,
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if you would go for a YA historical steampunk novel? My main character is a Victorian clock mechanic who faces the dilemma of having his father trapped in time, while also navigating his first crush--with a boy who is the spirit of a clock tower. Would that be considered a ghost? :)
This sounds super intriguing! I'd love to see the pitch in my inbox if you haven't sent it off yet :)
DeleteHi Molly,
ReplyDeleteI would love to submit my pages to you but am not sure if what I have will suit you. You said you prefer smaller scale fantasy over epic, and mine's more epic. The thing is though, it is based on biblical mythology, (set before the flood) and that is something you want. Do you think I should submit it to you?
Thanks,
Rochelle.
I apologize, Rochelle, for some reason this comment didn't show until now! Thanks for thinking of me! It does sound interesting, but the reason I said no toward epic fantasy is because I know there are WAY better mentors suited for that genre who could handle your story much better than I could :) I'm sure you found the best picks for you! Good Luck!
DeleteHi Molly!
ReplyDeleteI just hit the 'submit' button! Fingers crossed!
Because we could not personalize the query letter, I thought I would tell you why I chose you as a mentor.
I will thrilled when I read you were interested in Biblical themes. While my contemporary YA is not Biblical per se, the MC does receive revelation from an angel. After reading about your Harley Locke, I thought you would appreciate my themes.
Enjoy going through your submissions! I look forward to hearing from you.
Best,
Hi Sally! Thanks for your kind words! I'm still digging through the inbox! Tons of good entires so it will be a tough choice as usual! Thanks again and good luck!
DeleteThanks for the return comment Molly. Are you not on Twitter? It's #PitchWars mad.
DeleteI posted my #Piimpmybio in response to the madness. In case you are interested: http://ballysally.co.uk.
Good luck getting through your subs!
Hi Sally. I am on twitter just more active in my entries than on the feed ;)
Delete@mollyelee
Hello Molly, I have submitted to you. My hands are still doing the jitter bug!
ReplyDeleteAwesome! Thank you! I'm still digging through the inbox! Good luck! :)
DeleteThank you! You certainly have your work cut out for you. No matter the result, it has been fun :)
Delete