I'm thrilled to be taking part in WriteMentor's summer mentoring programme this year. Here's some important dates, and information about me and what I'll be looking out for this year.
The key dates:
Mentors announced: 24th March
Applications open: 7-11th April
Mentoring begins: 1st May to 30th August
Submission Package Draw: 1st May
Agent Showcase: 1st September
There will be a chance to ask mentors questions over on Twitter/X and also Instagram on Tues 1st April and Weds 2nd both evenings it will be between 7 and 8pm BST. I'll be at the Tuesday chat, but happy to answer questions anytime about the mentoring scheme, just ask :)
A little about me...
I'm a working class, autistic author and artist who lives in the West Midlands with my partner and a multitude of children and cats! I run #ukteenchat, a writing themed chat on Twitter; I have been a mentor for #WriteMentor since its inauguration, and am one half of Word Witches, an editing and mentoring business. When I'm not writing, I can usually be found painting, watching birds or wandering around graveyards, often all three simultaneously.
I am primarily a writer of fiction for children, including my series for 5-8 year olds, Autumn Moonbeam, reading scheme books for OUP, and an upcoming young fiction story coming out in September 2025, which will be my first time illustrating as well as writing the book. My current MG placed in competitions last year and won third place in the Wells Lit Fest. You can find some of my YA and adult short stories and flash fiction online.
I have been writing and sending my words out into the world for a long, long time, and have learnt a lot over the years. I’ve been very fortunate to get advice and encouragement along the way from some fantastic writers and other writing industry people, and being part of the fantastic writing community both #WriteMentor and beyond, and I would love to share my experience and knowledge with other writers, and help get them get going in the right direction. I’m incredibly positive and optimistic, a silver lining in every cloud sort of writer, and would like to bring that to my mentoring.
I’m looking for a mentee who is keen to learn tips and tricks to help with their writing journey, both the writing side and navigating the rollercoaster ride that is the publishing industry. Someone who is open to edits, and wants to make their words sparkle. Happy to work with pantsers or plotters, but I can definitely help with some tips for the pantsers out there. But mostly, I just would like to work with a writer who is passionate about their story and wants to work together to make it shine!
I've been very lucky to work with some amazing writers in the past who have gone on to win competitions and be published, and to be part of such an amazing writing community with WriteMentor.
Genres: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Contemporary, Historical, Romance, Thriller, Mystery, Dystopian, Humour/Funny, Horror, Paranormal, Crime, Magical Realism, Time-Travel, Action/Adventure - basically, I love all sorts of genres :)
To find out more about the programme and how you can apply, have a look at the WriteMentor website here: WriteMentor 2025: Meet the Mentors - WriteMentor
