Hello #WriteMentor hopefuls! Thanks for checking out my little corner of the Internet. I’m so excited to be a first-time mentor in the Summer 2021 cohort. Below you’ll find more intel on my wishlist and what it’s like to work with me.
About Me
My pen name is C.H. Barron, but call me Karra! I write young adult fantasy, with a focus on Filipinx MCs and/or folktales and myths.
For over 10 years, I’ve worked as a Content Marketing Strategist, which is a fancy title for someone who writes, edits, and manages the promotion of the things she writes and edits for businesses (mostly in the tech industry). I’ve also written articles and personal essays for online magazines, most recently Cold Tea Collective.
I’m a big foodie and love to cook, bake, and deep dive into allll the food-related content. Outside of feeding my appetite, other obsessions include watching tiny home tours, running and HIIT workouts, and binging all the things (Bridgerton, Better Call Saul, The Umbrella Academy, and Never Have I Ever are recent faves).
Why I Should Be Your Chosen One
I’ve started and stopped a lot of manuscripts, but it wasn’t until 2011 that I finally set out to finish a novel. In 2018, I finished that book and queried it. After the rejections rolled in, I decided to shelve the book and write a new one: a YA fantasy about morally grey twin sisters trapped in a kingdom ruled by soul-eating aswangs. In 2020, I cold queried and also pitched that story during #DVPit. This amazing pitch event landed me my brilliant agent, Hannah VanVels of Belcastro Agency. I’m currently working on a YA historical fantasy set during the Philippine Revolution.
Though this is a very abridged version of my publishing journey so far, I do know what it’s like to agonize over whether the right words will ever come, question whether the story was worth finishing, and suffer through the dreaded query trenches. If you pick me as your mentor, I promise to be your partner in making your manuscript the best it can be and loudly cheer you on every step of your journey.
Lastly, my love of writing led me to become a copywriter, and then a content marketer. This career taught me how to craft stories that stir emotion in people and ultimately, make them want to buy from and follow a brand. Because of this background, I provide both a writer’s eye and a marketing lens to the feedback that I give you (i.e. what narrative flow, character quirk, or well-placed Oxford comma will bring this story to life in a way that readers can’t ignore?). This also applies to helping you craft the right query letter and synopsis to catch an agent’s attention!
Working with me
I like to start with big picture feedback and will leave reactions in the MS so you can see where I have questions, what made me gasp/LOL/swoon/cheer, where things might be dragging, etc. From there, we’ll see what other work needs to be done.
I will fangirl your writing when something is working for me, but also give tough love when something needs reworking. Accepting hard, constructive feedback is the only way to improve as a writer. That said, I won’t re-write things for you and I don’t expect you to agree with or action on all my feedback–ultimately, this is your story and your voice. What I do hope is we can collaborate together on ideas and solutions, and work as a team to make your MS shine.
As for communication style, I’m flexible to what you need. I find calls/video calls work best for brainstorming, but am down to text, WhatsApp, email, collaborate in Google Doc, etc to answer questions and brainstorm if that’s what you prefer.
In summary, here’s what I’ll provide you with:
- A full developmental edit letter on your manuscript + in-line notes
- Brainstorming with you on revisions
- Review of your your query and synopsis
- Specific deadlines and next steps so you’ll always know what’s coming
- Advice about querying and what comes after
- Honest feedback and tough love when needed
- Unlimited cheerleading, excited emojis, and uplifting gifs
What I’m Looking For In a Mentee
I’d like to partner with a mentee that is committed to learning and improving their craft, which means being open and receptive to all kinds of feedback. I expect you to be ready to do the work needed to get your manuscript query-ready–whether it’s small structural changes, more character development, or killing darlings.
We’ll work well together if you are:
- Willing to give 110% to revising and getting your MS ready for query
- Able to stick to the deadlines we agree on
- Collaborative and open-minded
- Ready to take your career to the next step
My Wishlist
I am focused on young adult stories only this year and open to all genres except literary fiction, novels in verse, and hard sci-fi (I’m not the best for these).
First, what I’m NOT looking for:
- Stories primarily featuring POC and cultures that are not your own—diverse worldbuilding is appreciated but appropriation of stories is not
- Anything with unchecked racist, homophobic, transphobic, acephobic, ableist, Islamophobic, zionist, anti-Semitic, misogynistic, or fatphobic content
- Stories with incest, rape, and/or sexual abuse. I’m not the best for survivor stories on these topics either.
- White savior stories/white feminism
Okay, now that’s out of the way, on to the fun part! Here’s my wishlist:
- Anything and everything Filipinx related
- A diverse cast of characters in any genre
- Give me allll the fantasy stories, especially if it’s #ownvoices
- Anti-hero and villainous protagonists. If your MC is a morally grey girl, gimme gimme!
- The Chosen One’s sidekick as the MC would really make my life
- I’d like fun, diverse takes on monsters, vampires, witches, ghosts, and werewolves pleaseee
- Light sci-fi that leans more Star Wars and superhero movies
- Stories involving the tech industry, startup life, or software development in some way
- Historicals based in non-western settings as in THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS
- A story in any genre with the hilarity and diverse cast of Never Have I Ever
- All the romance tropes (even if romance isn’t part of the central plot, I need at least a little “will they or won’t they?” vibes)
- Keep me on the edge of my seat with high stakes adventures and thrillers (I’m a sucker for ticking clock plots). If your story has sneaky reveals and clever twists readers will never see coming, you and I will get along real well.
- A whodunnit like Knives Out is very much welcome in my inbox
- Complicated family dynamics and found family stories are my jam
If any of this resonated with you, then I can’t wait to see your manuscript in my inbox! The submission window is from April 15-16, 2021 and you will need to have a full manuscript ready to be eligible. Please take a look at WriteMentor for more detailed information on where and how to apply to be a mentee.
Got questions? Connect with me via my contact form or on Twitter. I’ll also be doing a Twitter chat with the other YA mentors on April 13, 2021 so come ask us all the things then!