Sarah Remy's Blog

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This is what I’m doing lately: revamping BLISS into a happier story. Because it makes me happy. And lately, I don’t do anything with my precious free time unless it boosts serotonin. Because the rest of the world is mostly shit.

Follow along if you’re up for some:

EscapismQueer repFound familyInterfering godsFluff and snugglesBut also slow burn and angstA bit of sexSome jugglingA foxWho might break your heartbut only for a little while because HEA

Also, it’s free. Download the WEINK app and find me. The more eyes on, the happier I’ll be. You can leave comments! Happy happy comments! Or, you know, gentle criticisms. But, remember: happiness is the theme.

PitchWars banner with Poe camping and “I am a 2021 Adult Mentor” overhead.

A graphics-free, black on white version of my wishlist can be found HERE.

This is my third year as a PitchWars mentor. I’m incredibly excited to jump back in the trenches again. In 2018 I mentored the amazing Alexis Ames and helped find her heart-wrenching space opera a home at The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency. In 2019 I fell in love with Vaishnavi Patel‘s gorgeous feminist retelling of the Ramayana; Vaishnavi signed with Lucienne Diver at The Knight Agency. KAIKEYI hits the shelves this spring.

In 2020 I had to take time off for health reasons, and I’m SO ready to hop back into the PitchWars saddle.

I have a four book epic fantasy series with HarperVoyager, an urban fantasy out from NineStar Press, and short stories out in several anthologies. I self-publish LGBTQ+ fantasy and romance. My latest WIP is a queer Christmas romance, the second in a series.

My degree is in English Lit and Creative Writing, with a minor in James Joyce. I was a book buyer for Rizzoli Bookstore when they were still around as a chain. In college I interned first as a slush-pile screenplay reader, and later as an intern for a SoCal agent. Most recently I spent a year as Communications Officer at the Organization for Transformative Works, the parent of Hugo Award winner Ao3.

My pronouns are they/them.

As I’ve said in past years’ wishlists, my super secret power is words.

My 2021 Wishlist has not changed substantially, although this year I am not interested in plague-centric novels, for obvious reasons.

Fantasy. All the fantasy, all the subgenres. Epic, urban, paranormal, steampunk, gaslamp, etc.  Send them my way. Extra points for non-European settings, anti-heroes, likable villains, grit and heartbreak. Sci-Fi. I prefer character driven, ‘soft’ scifi. Think space operas, thrillers, or heists with sociological, anthropological or physiological elements. EX: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell.Extra points for a super diverse cast.LGBTQ+. If you have a QUILTBAG MC, and your MS is not specifically a coming out story, it should definitely end up in my mailbox. If it’s Adult/NA fiction and it’s LGBTQ+, I need it.

A word about NA: 

I love the idea of New Adult but, although the genre has gained traction in the self-publishing world, it really hasn’t caught on in the traditional industry outside of, possibly, Romance. That being said, if your MS is NA, go ahead and submit, with the caveat that chances are I’ll suggest you rework it toward Adult.

I’m not looking for:

ANY instances of animal abuse, dubcon, rape, or child abuse.Stories about suicide or cancer.Sex is fine but I’m not looking for erotica. Dark is great, but make sure you’re not throwing gratuitous violence or gore my way.In general, I prefer manuscript word count that sticks close to industry standard over those that run long. This is a pretty good guideline, if you’re not sure about your industry standard.

Questions or concerns before submitting? Find me here on the PitchWars forums and ask me anything! 

Why me?

 I’ve been reading, writing, and selling in the industry for years. I’ve had my share of successes and made my share of mistakes. I’m familiar with life in the trenches. I also have a network of author friends, and while I’d never give up my sources, we do share with each other the ups and downs we’ve experienced in the industry during our disparate publishing journeys. I’ll do my best to steer you in the right direction, professionally. I do words. Did I say that already? I can’t finish an algebraic equation to save my life, but I know how to put together a good sentence, a great page, a fantastic chapter, and a solid book.World building. When it comes to your fictional universe, I can teach you how to show, not tell. No mentee of mine will suffer from the dreaded info-dump-itis.Voice. It’s my other super power. I’ll spot your voice in a jiffy and help you polish it until it shines through.

My mentoring style:

I’m an extremely busy person – I tend to overbook – and am often on the road, so Skyping or phoning it in are not usually practical for me.I’m attached to my phone by umbilical cord, and am possibly the world’s fastest thumb-typist, so you can expect quick responses via email, text, DM, etc. I have no qualms about giving out my phone number. You can text me all day if you like and I’ll answer quickly……except for when I’m asleep, which happens to be 9PM-5AM PST. Or when I’m on horseback, which is generally a few hours a day.I’m quite frank. In both of my edit letters and my line edits I’ll tell you exactly what I think, good and bad.If you disagree with a suggested change, I’ll explain why I think the change is necessary, but after that it’s your decision. Think of me as a guide rather than the end-all-be-all of writing advice. Because when it comes down to it, the story you’re telling isn’t mine.I’m full of squee, but I’m not an effusive, full-time cheerleader. If I pick your manuscript, you can be certain I believe in it. But if you need someone around to shore up your writerly insecurities 24 hours a day – I’m not that. And neither are most industry editors. I’m easy going. My feathers don’t get ruffled. We won’t have a falling out over semi-colon placement.I’m whimsical. I believe in ghosts, dessert for breakfast, mismatched socks, and crystal therapy. But I take writing – and by association PitchWars, very seriously. Deadlines are more important than sleep. I’m competitive. Most people who jump horses over fences in pursuit of blue ribbons are. If I take you on, I’ll be not so secretly hoping your MS gets THE MOST agent requests, and I’ll do what I can to help you toward that end.

What I’m looking for in a mentee:

Work hard and be kind. It’s a rule I try to stick to in life – both professionally and personally – and it’s what I expect of my mentee. If you feel you can put kindness first and hard work second in your life for at least the next five months, by all means submit to me!

Authors I love:

Robin HobbTamsyn MuirMaggie StiefvaterPatrick RothfussKaren Marie MoningBeth CatoS.A. ChakrabortyMackenzi LeeLynn FlewellingK.D. Edwards

Gif of a happy dachshund checking email on a rainbow background.

Pitch Wars is a mentoring program where published/agented authors, editors, or industry interns choose one writer each to spend three months with revising their manuscript. It ends in February with an Agent Showcase, where agents can read a pitch/first page and can request to read more.

Pitch Wars 2021 Adult Mentors’ Wish Lists

Anna Kaling (Accepts NA)Ian Barnes (Accepts NA)Jackson FordJake Nicholls (Accepts NA)Jesse Q. Sutanto and Grace ShimCharish Reid and Denise WilliamsSaara El-Arifi (Accepts NA)Rosie Danan and Ruby Barrett (Accepts NA)Carolyne TopdjianFalon Ballard and Brooke AbramsMary Keliikoa (Accepts NA)E.A. AymarAmanda Elliot (Accepts NA)Kelly SiskindVaishnavi Patel and Sarah Mughal (Accepts NA)Mary Ann Marlowe and Laura Elizabeth (Accepts NA)Mia P. Manansala (Accepts NA)Peggy Rothschild (Accepts NA)Natalka BurianCourtney Kae and Jenny L. Howe (Accepts NA)Rochelle Karina (Accepts NA)Swati Hegde (Accepts NA)Nanci Schwartz and LL MontezParis WyntersHudson LinSarah Remy (Accepts NA)AM Kvita (Accepts NA)Heather Van Fleet and Jessica Calla (Accepts NA)Melissa Colasanti (Accepts NA)J.A. Crawford (Accepts NA)Michella S. DomeniciYvette Yun and Marith Zoli (Accepts NA)Sari Coritz and Rosalie M Lin (Accepts NA)Stephenie Magister and Noreen (Accepts NA)Regina Black and Nikki Payne (Accepts NA)Farah Heron and Namrata PatelAlicia Thompson and Amy Lea (Accepts NA)Lyn Liao ButlerPreslaysa Williams (Accepts NA)Keena Roberts and Molly Steen (Accepts NA)Alexandria Bellefleur (Accepts NA)Samantha RajaramAshley WinsteadClay Harmon (Accepts NA)Rob HartCole Nagamatsu and Sequoia NagamatsuN.E. Davenport (Accepts NA)Katherine LimAlexia GordonCynthia Pelayo (Accepts NA)

Click here to view all Pitch Wars 2021 Mentors’ Wish Lists. To view the wish lists by genre, visit this link.

#TeamWhimsy

This is my second year as a PitchWars mentor, and I’m incredibly excited to jump back in the trenches again. I was a 2017  Mentee with my LGBTQ spec fic, EARNEST INK. In 2018 I mentored the amazing  Alexis Ames and helped find her beautiful and heart-wrenching SciFi novel a home at The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency. 

I have a four book epic fantasy series with HarperVoyager. I self-publish LGBTQ+ fantasy. EARNEST INK will be out in October from NineStar Press. I’ve also written SciFi for Edge/Tesseract. My latest WIP is a queer romance I’m writing on proposal.

My degree is in English Lit and Creative Writing, with a minor in James Joyce. I was a book buyer for Rizzoli Bookstore when they were still around as a chain. In college I interned first as a slush-pile screenplay reader, and later as an intern for a SoCal agent. Most recently I spent a year as Communications Officer at the Organization for Transformative Works, the parent of Hugo Award winner Ao3.

As I said in last year’s wishlist, my super secret power is words.

My 2019 Wishlist has not changed substantially from 2018’s. I’m not looking for horror this year, but creepy is still a ‘yes please’.

Fantasy. All the fantasy, all the subgenres. Epic, urban, paranormal, steampunk, gaslamp, etc.  Send them my way. Extra points for non-European settings, anti-heroes, likable villains, grit and #ownvoices. 
Sci-Fi. I prefer character driven, ‘soft’ scifi. Think space operas, thrillers, or heists with sociological, anthropological or physiological elements. EX: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. Extra points for a super diverse, #ownvoices cast.
LGBTQ+. If you have a QUILTBAG MC, and your MS is not specifically a coming out story, it should definitely end up in my mailbox. Doesn’t have to be Spec. If it’s Adult/NA fiction and it’s LGBTQ+, I need it!

A word about NA: 

I love the idea of New Adult but, although the genre has gained traction in the self-publishing world, it really hasn’t caught on in the traditional industry outside of, possibly, Romance. That being said, if your MS is NA, go ahead and submit, with the caveat that chances are I’ll suggest you rework it toward Adult.

I’m not looking for:

ANY instances of animal abuse, dubcon, rape, or child abuse.
Stories about suicide or cancer.
Sex is fine but I’m not looking for erotica. 
Dark is great, but make sure you’re not throwing gratuitous violence or gore my way.
In general, I prefer manuscript word count that sticks close to industry standard over those that run long. This is a pretty good guideline, if you’re not sure about your industry standard.

Why me?

 I’ve been reading, writing, and selling in the industry for years. I’ve had my share of successes and made my share of mistakes. I’m familiar with life in the trenches. I also have a network of author friends, and while I’d never give up my sources, we do share with each other the ups and downs we’ve experienced in the industry during our disparate publishing journeys. I’ll do my best to steer you in the right direction, professionally. 
I do words. Did I say that already? I can’t finish an algebraic equation to save my life, but I know how to put together a good sentence, a great page, a fantastic chapter, and a solid book.
World building. When it comes to your fictional universe, I can teach you how to show, not tell. No mentee of mine will suffer from the dreaded info-dump-itis.
Voice. It’s my other super power. I’ll spot your voice in a jiffy and help you polish it until it shines through.

My mentoring style:

I’m an extremely busy person – I tend to overbook – and am often on the road, so Skyping or phoning it in are not usually practical for me.
I’m attached to my phone by umbilical cord, and am possibly the world’s fastest thumb-typist, so you can expect quick responses via email, text, DM, etc. I have no qualms about giving out my phone number. You can text me all day if you like and I’ll answer quickly…
…except for when I’m asleep, which happens to be 9PM-5AM PST, or when I’m on horseback, which is generally about an hour a day.
I’m quite frank. In both of my edit letters and my line edits I’ll tell you exactly what I think, good and bad.
If you disagree with a suggested change, I’ll explain why I think the change is necessary, but after that it’s your decision. Think of me as a guide rather than the end-all-be-all of writing advice. Because when it comes down to it, the story you’re telling isn’t mine.
I’m full of squee, but I’m not an effusive, full-time cheerleader. If I pick your manuscript, you can be certain I believe in it. But if you need someone around to shore up your writerly insecurities 24 hours a day – I’m not that. And neither are most industry editors. 
I’m easy going. My feathers don’t get ruffled. We won’t have a falling out over semi-colon placement.
I’m whimsical. I believe in ghosts, dessert for breakfast, mismatched socks, and crystal therapy. But I take writing – and by association PitchWars, very seriously. Deadlines are more important than sleep. I’m competitive. Most people who jump horses over fences in pursuit of blue ribbons are. If I take you on, I’ll be not so secretly hoping your MS gets THE MOST agent requests, and I’ll do what I can to help you toward that end.

What I’m looking for in a mentee:

Work hard and be kind. It’s a rule I try to stick to in life – both professionally and personally – and it’s what I expect of my mentee. If you feel you can put kindness first and hard work second in your life for at least the next five months, #TeamWhimsy is the place for you.

 

Authors I love:

Robin Hobb
Maggie Stiefvater
Patrick Rothfuss
Karen Marie Moning
Beth Cato
S.A. Chakraborty
Mackenzi Lee
George R.R. Martin
Lynn Flewelling
J.D. Robb
K.D. Edwards
Judith Tarr

 

Pitch Wars 2019 Adult Mentors’ Wish Lists

Paris Wynters
Kathleen Barber (Accepts NA)
Ian Barnes
Mary Ann Marlowe (Accepts NA)
Elizabeth Little
Hayley Stone and Erin A. Tidwell
Gwynne Jackson (Accepts NA)
Maxym M. Martineau (Accepts NA)
Katie Golding (Accepts NA)
Ava Reid and Rachel Morris (Accepts NA)
Carolyne Topdjian
Natalka Burian
Tim Akers
Alex Segura
Michelle Hauck and Carrie Callaghan (Accepts NA)
Laura Brown (Accepts NA)
Mia P. Manansala and Kellye Garrett (Accepts NA)
Kerbie Addis and Ren Hutchings (Accepts NA)
Susan Bishop Crispell (Accepts NA)
Kelly Siskind and Heather Van Fleet (Accepts NA)
Janet Walden-West and Anne Raven (Accepts NA)
Kate Lansing (Accepts NA)
Kristen Lepionka and Ernie Chiara
Alexa Martin and Suzanne Park (Accepts NA)
Gia de Cadenet (Accepts NA)
Rob Hart
Layne Fargo and Halley Sutton
Michael Chorost (Accepts NA)
Sarah Remy (Accepts NA)
Nicole Glover (Accepts NA)
Farah Heron (Accepts NA)
Samantha Rajaram
Keena Roberts (Accepts NA)
Rebecca Enzor (Accepts NA)
Matthew Quinn Martin (Accepts NA)
Denny S. Bryce (Accepts NA)
Meryl Wilsner and Rosie Danan (Accepts NA)
P.J. Vernon and Kelly J. Ford (Accepts NA)
Gladys Quinn (Accepts NA)
Diana A. Hicks (Accepts NA)
Damyanti Biswas
Stephen Morgan (Accepts NA)

 

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Adult/New Adult* Mentor
Sarah Remy
#TeamWhimsy

Who I Am

This is my first year as a PitchWars mentor. Needless to say I’m super excited. I was a 2017 YA Mentee and had such an amazing experience, I wanted to pass some of the squee on.

I have a four book epic fantasy series with HarperVoyager. I self-publish LGBTQ+ fantasy. Last year’s PW manuscript – a speculative thriller with a trans main character – was picked up by NineStar Press. I’ve also written SciFi for Edge/Tesseract.

My degree is in English Lit and Creative Writing, with a minor in James Joyce. I was a book buyer for Rizzoli Bookstore when they were still around as a chain. In college I interned first as a slush-pile screenplay reader, and later as an intern for a SoCal agent. Most recently I spent a year as Communications Officer at the Organization for Transformative Works.

Basically, I do words.

 

What I’m Looking For in a Manuscript

Fantasy. All the fantasy, all the subgenres. Epic, urban, paranormal, steampunk, gaslamp, etc.  Send them my way. Extra points for non-European settings, anti-heroes, likable villains, grit and #ownvoices.
Sci-Fi. I prefer character driven, ‘soft’ scifi. Think space operas, thrillers, or heists with sociological, anthropological or physiological elements. EX: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. Extra points for a super diverse, #ownvoices cast. 
Other Spec. Horror. If it has supernatural or futuristic elements and you’ve got a new take on old tropes, I want to see it.
LGBTQ+. If you have a QUILTBAG MC, and your MS is not specifically a coming out story, it should definitely end up in my mailbox. Doesn’t have to be Spec. If it’s Adult/NA fiction and it’s LGBTQ+, I need it.

What I’m Not Looking For

ANY instances of animal abuse, dubcon, rape, or child abuse.
Stories about suicide or cancer.
Sex is fine but I’m not looking for erotica. 
Dark is great, but make sure you’re not throwing gratuitous violence or gore my way.
In general, I prefer manuscript word count that sticks close to industry standard over those that run long. This is a pretty good guideline, if you’re not sure about your industry standard.

My Strengths

 I’ve been reading, writing, and selling in the industry for years. I’ve had my share of successes and made my share of mistakes. I’m familiar with life in the trenches. I also have a network of author friends, and while I’d never give up my sources, we do share with each other the ups and downs we’ve experienced in the industry during our disparate publishing journeys. I’ll do my best to steer you in the right direction, professionally. 
I do words. Did I say that already? I can’t finish an algebraic equation to save my life, but I know how to put together a good sentence, a great page, a fantastic chapter, and a solid book.
World building. When it comes to your fictional universe, I can teach you how to show, not tell. No mentee of mine will suffer from the dreaded info-dump-itis.
Voice. It’s my super power. I’ll spot your voice in a jiffy and help you polish it until it shines through.

 

My Communication Style

I’m an extremely busy person – I tend to overbook – and am often on the road, so Skyping or phoning it in are not usually practical for me.
I’m attached to my phone by umbilical cord, and am possibly the world’s fastest thumb-typist, so you can expect quick responses via email, text, DM, etc. I have no qualms about giving up my phone number. You can text me all day if you like and I’ll answer quickly…
…except for when I’m asleep, which happens to be 9PM-5AM PST, or when I’m on horseback, which is generally about an hour a day.

What You Can Expect from Me as a Mentor

I’m quite frank. In both of my edit letters and my line edits I’ll tell you exactly what I think, good and bad.
If you disagree with a suggested change, I’ll explain why I think the change is necessary, but after that it’s your decision. Think of me as a guide rather than the end-all-be-all of writing advice. Because when it comes down to it, the story you’re telling isn’t mine.
I’m full of squee, but I’m not an effusive, full-time cheerleader. If I pick your manuscript, you can be certain I believe in it. But if you need someone around to shore up your writerly insecurities 24 hours a day – I’m not that. And neither are most industry editors. 
I’m easy going. My feathers don’t get ruffled. We won’t have a falling out over semi-colon placement.
I’m whimsical. I believe in ghosts, dessert for breakfast, mismatched socks, and crystal therapy. But I take writing – and by association PitchWars, very seriously. Deadlines are more important than sleep. I’m competitive. Most people who jump horses over fences in pursuit of blue ribbons are. If I take you on, I’ll be not so secretly hoping your MS gets THE MOST agent requests, and I’ll do what I can to help you toward that end.

 

What I’m Looking for in a Mentee

Work hard and be kind. It’s a rule I try to stick to in life – both professionally and personally – and it’s what I expect of my mentee. If you feel you can put kindness first and hard work second in your life for at least the next five months, #TeamWhimsy is the place for you.

Authors I Love 

Robin Hobb
Maggie Stiefvater
Patrick Rothfuss
Karen Marie Moning
Beth Cato
S.A. Chakraborty
Mackenzi Lee
George R.R. Martin
Lynn Flewelling
J.D. Robb
Judith Tarr

Shows I Binge-Watch 

Supernatural
Killing Eve
Game of Thrones
Orange is the New Black


Sherlock
Versailles
Hannibal
Million Dollar Listing NY
WestWorld
PREACHER
American Gods

Podcasts I Listen To

Pod Save America


Reply All
Someone Knows Something
My Favorite Murder
Generation Why
True Crime Garage
My Brother My Brother and Me
The Adventure Zone
Lore
Tanis
Lovett or Leave It
…and a hell of a lot more. 

By now you should have a good sense of who I am, but if you’re looking for further insight, feel free to poke around on my Media menu o r hit me up on Twitter. No question is too inconsequential.

I can’t wait to meet you, #TeamWhimsy. We’re going to kick ass.

 

 

*The NA Conundrum: I love NA. I read NA and I’ve written NA, but I haven’t placed NA. Some of us tried hard to make it a thing in the SFF community, but it never really caught on trade-wise. You’ll see NA in the Romance market,  but in my opinion if you’re looking to publish NA SFF, you’ll probably have to go indie. So. If you’ve got just a fantastic NA SFF MS, sure, go ahead and send it to me. But be aware: if it’s the story I fall in love with, I’ll come back to you with two options:

Up-tailor it as Adult, and we’ll pitch it as Adult. This will mean extra work, but isn’t as difficult as you think. I’ve just finished doing something similar with a MS of my own.
Just can’t let your NA vibe go? I’ll have to pass you up as mentee – even if I ADORE your story – but I’ll be more than willing to be your sounding board if you have questions about putting it out as indie.

 

1.

Alexa & Suzanne (Accepts NA)

2.

Alice

3.

Angel (Accepts NA)

4.

Carolyne

5.

Carrie

6.

Dan & Michael

7.

Diana (Accepts NA)

8.

Farah (Accepts NA)

9.

Gigi

10.

Heather & Lana (Accepts NA)

11.

Helen (Accepts NA)

12.

Ian & Laura (Accepts NA)

13.

Jason (Accepts NA)

14.

K.A. Doore

15.

Katrina

16.

Kristen L.

17.

Kristin R. (Accepts NA)

18.

Kristin W. (Accepts NA)

19.

L. D. Lewis

20.

Laura & Tif (Accepts NA)

21.

Layne

22.

Marty & Léonie (Accepts NA)

23.

Mary Ann (Accepts NA)

24.

Mia & Kellye (Accepts NA)

25.

Michelle (Accepts NA)

26.

Michelle & Katie (Accepts NA)

27.

Natasha

28.

Nikki (Accepts NA)

29.

Paris

30.

Rebecca (Accepts NA)

31.

Rheea

32.

Sarah (Accepts NA)

33.

Shari & Clarissa

34.

Susan (Accepts NA)

35.

T. Frohock

36.

Victoria & RF (Accepts NA)

37.

Wendy (Accepts NA)

Powered by… Mister Linky’s Magical Widgets.

 

 

 

 

It’s a post about climbing hills.

Once upon a time on the dry side of Washington State there lived an Adult SFF author who  – for a variety of FANTASTIC reasons – really wanted to try their hand at YA. Being an optimistic sort our author sat down and punched out a nice mid-sized manuscript chockablock full of magic, murder, Manhattan and…tattoos. Also some fun YA protags going head-to-head with a supernatural serial killer.

At this point our author – okay, fine, it’s me – hit a road block. I’d been writing in the Adult world, and most of my CPs and betas were of the Adult variety. I didn’t want to send Earnest Ink out into the world without some YA eyes-on. I needed guidance, some up front critique, someone who knew the YA market better than I did, and would help make this baby manuscript the best it could be. Yup, you guessed it. I needed a mentor.

Obi Wan wouldn’t return my calls but PitchWars was just opening up for 2017 submissions so I took a chance and entered EI. The Force must have been with me because my submission caught YA Mentor Leigh Mar’s eye and the game was on. Leigh saw the good, the bad, and the ugly plot holes in my MS that I couldn’t (or wouldn’t) recognize. With her help EI turned into a story I’m super proud of, and I can’t say that about everything I’ve written.

This is the query I sent to PWs:

Dear Mentors,

Hemingway is a trans boy making an excellent living as a tattoo artist in Hell’s Kitchen. Hemingway’s tattoos are special; even the President of the United States has Hemingway’s magical ink on her wrist. But it turns out being rich and famous isn’t always enough. 

But when Hemingway’s best friend, Grace, goes missing from her father’s apartment in Chelsea, the cops figure she’s the newest victim of the East River Ripper. Hemingway’s not willing to give Grace up as lost; he’s determined to find her and bring her home one way or another. But the East River has its own secrets and neither Hemingway’s peculiar brand of magic nor his stoic cop roommate may be enough to win Grace back. 

YA/NA fiction is my first love. I work with children; I see daily the challenges they face in this changing world. I’m also a true crime aficionado who can tell a creepy story. I write epic fantasy professionally for HarperVoyager, and LGBTQ+ fiction under my own label. I’d really like to focus long term on queer YA, beginning with Hemingway’s story, which I have brought to life with humor, tenderness, and the requisite amount of darkness.

At 65,000 words, EARNEST INK is my first foray into YA urban fantasy, and I could really use a mentor’s guidance. I want to do it right, and I want to do it well.

It hits most of the query ‘buttons’.

Who Hemingway is. (Trans, magical, tattoo artist, Manhattanite)
What Hemingway wants. (To save Grace)
What stands in his way. (Serial killer, his own magic)

It’s a fine query. I didn’t hate it, and neither did Leigh. But it wasn’t perfect. It needed more work. Quite a bit more work.

Leigh and I went back and forth for a few weeks, trying this and that, cutting here and adding there, polishing and tweaking. Leigh has the patience of a saint. THIS is the query that I put up for the 2017 PitchWars agent round:

While seventeen-year-old FTM Hemingway is making an excellent living as a tattoo artist in a near-future version of Hell’s Kitchen, the rest of the country is splintered and struggling in the wake of a war gone on for too long. Technology has collapsed, borders rise and fall overnight, and magic has awakened without rhyme, reason, or rule, turning average unwitting citizens into wielders of strange and specific strands of magic. 

Hemingway’s particular brand of magic has made him a household name. Not only is he a talented artist, but his work comes to life. Literally.

When NYC’s most infamous serial killer—the East River Ripper—abducts Hemingway’s best friend, Grace, he has only days to save her. Hemingway teams up with his stoic cop roommate to hunt for the killer and rescue Grace before she becomes the Ripper’s latest victim. But as the duo chase clues to the serial killer’s identity Hemingway begins to fear the magic he and the Ripper share might eventually corrupt him too.

Complete at 72,000 words, EARNEST INK is a Urban Fantasy with a noir flavor that will appeal to fans of VERONICA MARS and X-MEN. 

I write epic fantasy for HarperVoyager’s Impulse line, and publish LGBTQ fiction under my own small press label. You can find out more about me at www.sarahremy.com

You’ll notice my bio has been cut dramatically (hey, we all want to talk about ourselves, right?) to make room for story details, and the query is just generally more dynamic. Hemingway’s stakes are upped by bringing a taste of dystopian Manhattan into the mix. And upped yet again when the reader learns he has only days to save Grace.

The first version was fine. The second version is awesome. Needless to say, it earned me a juicy double handful of agent requests.

And almost every one of those agents came back to me with some version of: THIS IS GREAT BUT IT READS ADULT. The pacing is Adult. The verbiage is Adult. The stakes are Adult!

Actual footage of me reading agent responses:

I did warn you. This is not a post about writing queries. This is a post about walking uphill. Because that’s how I like to describe life as an author. It doesn’t matter if you’re at the top of the bestseller list, or submitting your MS to PitchWars, or sitting down in front of a keyboard for the first time ever with the beginnings of a story idea nipping at your thumbs. If you’re writing, you’re struggling forward, and at an uphill incline. Every once in a while, if you’re lucky, you get to stop, rest on your laurels, and enjoy the view. Most of the time you’re slipping on scree, taking three steps forward and one back. Some days that hill you’re climbing feels like a mountain.

What’s the goal, you ask? What’s the prize at the top of the hill? Can’t tell you, because it’s different for everyone. Often, for me, that seemingly unreachable dividend changes day by day. But I will say every successful writer I’ve met keeps climbing, even in the face of disappointment.

Which is what I did. I listened to the industry professionals. I stopped sulking, sat down in front of my computer, and addressed the sheer cliff wall that looked like my strengths and weaknesses. Then I rewrote Earnest Ink as Adult. I placed the manuscript with a few Adult CPs, ran it by a sensitivity reader, and sent it back out in the world.

It wasn’t the YA masterpiece I’d wanted to write. But it was the story I was uniquely qualified to tell. Oh, and I updated my query one last time, added an extra line:

This MS was selected for Pitch Wars 2017 in the YA category, but feedback suggested it would do better as an adult novel, so I’ve since rewritten with that direction in mind.

Sarah Remy/Alex Hall is a nonbinary, animal-loving, proud gamer Geek. Although Sarah reads widely across the Adult genre their passion is SFF (in all its forms, epic to urban, angst to fluff) and LGBTQ+ fiction.

Earnest Ink was picked up by NineStar Press shortly after it was rereleased into the wild as Adult Spec.

I’ve had sudden a sprouting (today’s update theme is ‘forest’) of mostly unexpected writing commitments in the last few months, which means my private projects either get pruned or pushed back. Spun‘s very close to ready, but I will be moving pub date from summer to fall. Until then, have a teaser! And if you haven’t yet been introduced to Corbin, David, Nell and Littleton’s beastly fiend, pick up a copy of book one: Beastly Manor.

The black forest in spring smelled heavily of the rich loam that made Littleton’s fields so fertile. Gigantic ferns grew in verdant clumps between tree and thorny briar, clogging the forest path with fronds the size of a small man. Purple hyacinth and silver-white Mary’s Stars blossomed bravely in between the ferns. The trees – ancient specimens with high, gnarled branches and leaves so green they were nearly black – were festooned with yellow vines. The vines reminded David uncomfortably of serpents complete with hungry, gaping mouths in the form of pink trumpet flowers.

Fat bumble bees flitted from flower to flower, buzzing industriously. Gray forest squirrels chattered in the canopy above, scolding human intrusion, while brightly colored birds flitted from branch to branch, calling alarm. David watched them all from flat on his back in the wagon, his leg propped on a pile of blankets, his head pillowed on Nell’s lap. Either the brandy was working on him at last or Nell’s soft singing was more witchery at work because the ferns, and the trees, and the forest creatures, and even Nell’s hard thigh, seemed very distant.  Although he knew his body was in distress, his brain felt muffled in layers of fog, indifferent.

“Opium and brandy is a dangerous mix,” he said, making the connection too late. He knew he should be furious, but all he felt was vague alarm. “You lied to me.”

“About emptying out your little vial and also about what was in your cup,” Nell agreed calmly. “I did intend to toss it, after I’d studied its effects for myself. Poppy juice is hard to come by, and I’m an inquisitive sort.” She paused before patting his brow. “Don’t fret. I watered the brandy down.”

David was not at all reassured. He started to scold Nell for being a thief – a dangerously uninformed one at that – when he was distracted by the abrupt appearance of Cat who dropped from the canopy above and landed in the wagon near David’s bandaged foot. Regarding David through narrow green-gold eyes, he began to purr.

“You know the Beast will pick his teeth with that animal’s bones if he catches him near the manor,” Corbin warned from where he walked alongside the mule at the head of the wagon.

Nell scoffed. “Cat goes where he likes. I’ve no say in the matter once he’s made up his mind. The Beast hasn’t taken him yet, and not for lack of trying.”

David, captured by Cat’s unblinking stare, was certain he saw the tom bare its fangs in a disturbingly human smirk.

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David had learned the principles of scrying at his uncle’s knee. He’d proved very poor it at, laughably unreliable. The things he glimpsed in the glass were impossibilities: towering buildings made of glass and iron, metal-skinned birds skimming high above even the uppermost roofline. An expansion of glass bridging a rift in red earth. Once, a giant clock face ticking atop a tower while figures swathed head-to-toe in white punted boats back and forth on a green river below.

“Imagination,” David’s uncle scolded him. “You have too much imagination. Steady your mind and try again!”

He was better at far-seeing than divination, but not by much. He could speak to a person through the mirror one room away, one house away, and on a good day one village over. While both his cousins, neither of whom had aspirations of joining the old magician on White Hill and spent more time practicing swordsmanship than the family business of poisons and potions, could scry Grand-mère in León.

“So much time spent admiring your pretty face!” They teased David as he glared into the glass. “Best hope the magician in his white château takes a shine to it as well, or he’ll never let you near his tower.”

David never met the old magician. He arrived at White Hill too late. Luckily Sir Thomas saw value in what he could do and did not judge him for what he could not.

“Use it sparingly,” he’d counseled as he’d admired the old mirror, a gift to David from his uncle – who thought himself very droll – on the day David had left Rouen for White Hill. “And for God’s sake always put yourself in a sacred circle first when you must. If you can’t control, do your best to contain.”

David did use the mirror sparingly, and while his technique improved with time, he never used it without first putting himself inside a protective circle.

He drew the circle now, limestone chalk on the cold stone floor. He didn’t need the light from the common room below. He could draw a sacred circle awake, asleep, blind and half-dead. Geometry and ritual he understand. Unlike far-seeing or divination, geometry and ritual were consistent, enduring and unchanging. The incantation fell from his lips without hesitation, his hand was steady as it moved across the floor. The chalk was a lodestone in his fist.

I keep a Keurig machine plugged into the wall by my mattress. While it brews – coffee, black, in my favorite travel mug – “Made in Boise” – I take my time  dressing for the day. It’s a ritual: boxer briefs and compression tank first, beneath a checked button-up and black denim jeans. It’s a becoming, as I rub a dollop of gel through my curls, styling by feel alone. The gel smells like vetiver, and was a Christmas gift from Thom. The little silver tube looks expensive, and although I don’t recognize the brand, I suspect she spent more for my vanity than any grunt surviving on government salary should.

I snag my steaming travel mug and take it with me into the loft. We share a bathroom. It’s not a problem. I only use the space to brush my teeth and shower and to take a shit or piss. Thom sometimes uses it as a retreat, when she needs privacy or time away from her murder wall. The bathroom’s got a lock. Thom sleeps on a futon in the main room, lives out of a closet near the kitchen. I can walk in on her any time. I think it must be like living in a fish bowl. She never complains, but on bad days she logs an hour or two straight behind the locked bathroom door.

At the moment, Thom’s a lump on the futon under a pile of mismatched quilts, blissfully unaware of the daylight creeping into the loft, puddling on our floor. The police scanner on the kitchen counter is silent, shut off. The perfume of freshly brewed coffee permeates the room, oozing from my apartment. It’s a peaceful scene, if I keep my back turned to the chalk map and polaroid photos on the north wall.

After I brush my teeth and use the toilet, I find my boots by the door where I left them and try to stamp them on without spilling coffee or waking my roommate. Then I tip toe out into the hallway, locking the bolt behind me. Thom’s not the vulnerable sort, but an unlocked door in the city, even in a secured building such as mine, is just asking for trouble.