Write Mentor 2021 – What I’m Looking For

Hello to whoever is reading this and welcome! This post is going to be a little different than the rest as I have some exciting news to share. I am so happy and grateful to say that I have been selected to be a mentor for this year’s Write Mentor’s Summer Program! I will be choosing a mentee for both a MG (middle grade) and a YA (young adult) manuscript! Another fellow mentor named Riv Begun had created her own type of ‘about me’ post and I thought that was a great idea to give all possible mentee’s a deeper look into who I am and what I’m looking for.

A Little About Me

To tell you a brief summary about me, obviously, my name is Amanda! My pronouns are she/her. I was born and raised in NY. I am Puerto Rican plus a few other ethnicities such as Arabic, Chinese, and French but I usually just say I’m Puerto Rican, makes things easier! I’ve been writing like most of you probably since I was young. I was usually the kid you could find with a hot pink Ed Hardy notebook covered in skulls plus a book with a weird cover sitting down, minding her own business, and escaping into other worlds. I am represented by (REDACTED) and (REDACTED) of (REDACTED). I am a literary intern at Art + Deco Literary Agency. I write MG/YA/NA paranormal, thriller, and horror novels. I am obsessed with anything strange/out of the ordinary. I usually fall for the bad guys in every story. Sorry not sorry!

Experience

Currently, I am a literary intern at Art + Deco Literary Agency. Aside from my internship, I help other writers in my free time whether it comes to editing query letters, synopses, opening pages, and more. I offer a deeper insight into the mind of the reader and let it be known either what’s missing, what I love, or if I feel hooked. I try to help other writers see what they’re not seeing as well as help them to come up with ideas to drive the stakes home! Writing, editing, and helping other writers achieve their goals is my absolute dream and I can’t wait to help one of you (I hope) make your dreams come true!

What I’m Looking For:

Let’s break this down into 2 forms-

YA:

• Something different and creepy with twists and turns that I would never see coming
• Anything Psychological Thriller related – think the films Split or Man Down or the novel Supermarket by Bobby Hall
• Anything Horror – scare me to the point where I sleep with my salt lamp turned all the way up. (I’m sure I’ll regret this later but that’s my cross to bear)
• Anything Paranormal – bring me the vampires, werewolves, dopplegangers, witches, curses, ghosts, spirits, you name it!
• A strong voice with strong stakes! I want to be engrossed in your story from page one to the end!
• A little comedy sprinkled within these stories to lighten the blow of the creepy and weird would be awesome.
• A re-created but twisted fairytale or story that’s now tainted by, well, you!

MG:

• Anything Paranormal – Bring me the young witches, vampire bffs, ghosts, and more!
• Comedy – I love a light hearted MG like I Got a D in Salami by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver, Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney, and so on!
• Adventure – Let’s go on an epic journey to wherever to save whoever with help of something we have to acquire with twists and turns on the way!
• Coming-of-age – I want to grow with your MC and experience life from their eyes.

How I Am

I am honest to a fault but I’m also incredibly kind (at least from what I’ve been told). I’ll tell you what I think is working with your manuscript and what I feel may need a little bit of tweaking. I love to encourage other writers so I will NEVER sit there and rip a manuscript to shreds, I try to ask a lot of questions though, just to make sure we are both understanding what you mean/what you are writing. In life but now also in writing I follow my favorite saying, “Make it make sense.”

I am open to WHATEVER types of communication work best for you! I understand hectic lifestyles and crazy schedules so if emailing is your thing, I got you. If phone calls are your thing, you got it. If you want to hop on a zoom call together, let me know so I remember to dress like a human that day. We can even join slack, WhatsApp, text, whatever is easiest for you to communicate. I’m a pretty simple person.

I take writing very seriously, because I love it. It’s a strong passion of mine and I know it’s yours as well, otherwise, you wouldn’t be doing this program. When it comes to the writing community I try to gain and stay friends with as many writers as I can so don’t think you’re getting rid of me that easily even after mentoring – unless you want to run away screaming, then you know, I guess I’ll let you go! I just want to make sure that I’m always available to you for any questions, concerns, etc that you may have on your writing journey!

Fun Facts About Me:

Favorite Authors:

• Edgar Allen Poe
• Sylvia Plath
• John Connolly
• Christopher Krovatin
• Stephen King
• Anne Rice
• Laurel K. Hamilton
• Ellen Schreiber
• Z Brewer
• Darren Shan
• Ruth Ware
• Aiden Thomas
• Adam Sass
• Mary Shelley

Favorite Movies:

• Split
• Fury
• Planet of the Apes (ALL OF THEM – OLD AND NEW, especially new…Koba was misunderstood. I said it.)
• Dog Pound
• Man Down
• Identity
• Halloween (all of them but 2018 is my new favorite, don’t come for me)
• Stand By Me
• The Outsiders
• The Karate Kid (1-3, 4 with Hilary Swank was okay I guess, I only remember the car jumping scene, Jaden Smith doesn’t count, I love him, but it doesn’t count)
• Porky’s (all of them)
• Animal House
• Step Brothers
• Pineapple Express

Favorite Shows:

• Gilmore Girls
• Cobra Kai
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer
• Umbrella Academy
• The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (damn you Netflix!)
• Lucifer (DAMN YOU NETFLIX!)
• Charmed (the original version)
• Vampire Diaries
• The Originals
• Good Girls
• Real Housewives of New York (Bethenny…please come back)
• Dance Moms (I once apparently talked in my sleep asking where Chloe was and when asked who Chloe is I apparently said one of the dancers you idiot!)
• Shark Tank (Lori’s a queen and Robert gets overlooked, convince me otherwise)
• 60 Days In (new fad, don’t judge me)
• Jersey Shore
• Jersey Shore Family Vacation
• Jerseylicious
• Big Rich Texas
• Bad Girls Club

I do, Danni, I do.

Dates To Remember

A few dates to remember:

MG Mentor Chats as of right now will be Monday April 12th, 2021. 8PM BST/3PM EST/12PM PST

YA Mentor Chats as of right now will be Tuesday April 13th, 2021. 7PM BST/2PM EST/ 11AM PST

Agent Registration – Windows open until September 2nd, 2021.

Mentee Application Window – April 15th – 16th, 2021.

Mentor-Mentee Announcement – April 30th, 2021.

Mentoring Period – May 1st – August 31st, 2021.

Agent Showcase – September 3rd – 10th, 2021.

Details and more information can be found on Write Mentor’s website by clicking here! This link leads you directly to the summer program.

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So, there you have it a little bit about me, what I’m looking for, and a nose-dive into my personal interests! Please, if you have any other questions, leave me a comment either on this post or on Twitter at amandabadillo25 – my DMs are always open! I can’t wait to get started and to help everyone succeed. Best of luck, talk soon!

XO,

Amanda Badillo

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