MENTOR:
Maureen Marshall (she/her)
CATEGORY:
New Adult, Adult
SUB GENRES:
Historical, Rom Com, Romantic Suspense, Fiction with strong romantic elements
SOCIAL MEDIA:
BIO:
Maureen Marshall is a former history teacher who writes queer fiction and lives in Richmond, VA. She has four kids, won’t enter the debate of dogs vs. cats because = both, and will always order crab cakes if they’re on the menu. She has lived in most mid-Atlantic states, Sweden, Scotland, and most recently the south of France. Her upcoming upmarket novel THE PARIS AFFAIR debuts from Grand Central/Hachette in June 2024, and BEST LAID PLAIDS and WHERE THERE’S A KILT, THERE’S A WAY were published by Carina Romance under the name Ella Stainton. She is a true believer in mentoring contests having been chosen as a mentee and mentor previously, and is active in the online writing community.
MSWL:
SEND ME:
Characters handling neurodiversity (or any adversity they can’t change) WITHOUT it being the focus of the story
Historical fiction set in a new/exciting/fresh locale
LGBTQ+
I’d love #ownvoices!
I like retellings and settings which are like their own character
I LOVE stories which tell “the other side” of something I might already be familiar with
Anti-heroes and flawed characters who don’t always make good choices
Characters who feel like they don’t quite fit in without being either smug or super insecure about it
DO NOT SEND ME:
SFF unless it is sort of background noise
Bleak alternate universes (or anything terribly gloomy)
Not the best fit for sports stuff but if everything else aligns, I’m open
I'm not interested in secret babies, SA, animal or child abuse
If you're not sure, add a content warning in the query
MENTORING STYLE
I'm a very hands-on mentor who will read your manuscript and return with some inline comments and a healthy edit letter. I will be available for video chats/phone calls, DMs, cheerleading, friendship, and hand-holding. When you've edited, I'll do another read-through and help you with your submission package, and am happy to stick around for agent vetting, and celebratory champagne toasts!
I'm looking for a mentee who is willing to consider thoughtful feedback and is hungry to be a traditionally published author. My last mentee became one of my best CPs, dear friends, and landed a fabulous agent and Big 5 deal (to be fair, she's enormously talented, had a great book we polished up, and was already 85% there before I got involved). I don't expect my mentee to blindly follow my suggestions, but also hope that they can trust I've got their back. Communication is vital!
I tend to be enthusiastic about craft/writing threads on SM. Writing contests are such a super way to connect with other writers!