Ello!
March 16th starts the fourth round of Author Mentor Match (AMM), which matches aspiring YA and MG authors with agented and published authors for mentorship.
OF BLOOD AND STONE
YA – Historical Fantasy
It’s the roaring 20’s, and sheltered Sophie Baker wants nothing more than to be a true-blue flapper. After dancing the night away with the handsome Nathaniel, Sophie believes she’s finally found her place in the world among the Vampire elite of London.
That belief crumbles when she accidentally turns into a Vampire herself and is left on the rooftop to die. Having escaped the sun’s deadly rays, Sophie now has to hide from the Vampire Council which will kill her for her unsanctioned turning. Alone in the city, Sophie takes to the rooftops of London with her newfound strength and speed.
There she meets a family of Gargoyles, an ancient race living in hiding, both from Vampires and humans. Reluctantly, Gabriel, the family’s fierce patriarch, agrees to take Sophie under their wing. When she learns that Nathaniel is still killing his human feeders, Sophie has to make a choice. Sometimes the person worth fighting for is yourself.
As a Mentee
Last year I entered PitchWars with OF BLOOD AND STONE, and while I was not selected, I met some fantastic writers and gained invaluable CPs. Through their feedback and help, I’ve completely rewritten OfBandS from Adult to YA and sharpened the story a great deal.
Constructive criticism is about the best gift you can give a writer. It shows that you care about the story and know that the author has it in them to make it better. If you don’t know what is not working, you can’t improve. I’m willing to work hard and learn everything I possibly can.
Full disclosure: I know that the market is fairly oversaturated with Vampire stories, but that is not going to stop me from trying to make this particular one as strong as I can possibly make it.
Also, my grammar is terrible, but I’m working hard on it.
About Myself
My name is V, and I’ve been in love with stories and books for most of my life. Growing up outside of New Orleans helped fuel my love of Gothic and Dark Fantasy (as well as tasty seafood).
Currently, I live in Seattle, and, consequently, am perpetually Vitamin D deficient. Despite the gloom, I’ve fallen completely in love with this beautiful, nerdy city.
Favorite books
- The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern
- Saga – Brian K. Vaughn
- The Dark Jewels Trilogy – Anne Bishop
- Kindred – Octavia Butler
- Matilda – Roald Dahl
- Cinder – Marissa Meyer
- Interview with a Vampire – Anne Rice
- Sunshine – Robin McKinley
- The Girl with all the Gifts – Mike Carey
Gretchen
Market over-saturation or not, I think if you write what you love, that passion will come across in your book, and others will fall in love too! Best of luck in AMM!
~Gretchen (who still thinks vampires rock)
P.S. Your gargoyles sound awesome, too! 🙂
V Walker
Thank you so much, Gretchen! As much who also thinks that Vampires rock (and Gargoyles too), I’m going to try and make it the best story I can.
Best of luck to you as well!