MENTOR:
Swati Hegde (she/her)
CATEGORY:
Young Adult, New Adult, Adult
SUB GENRES:
Contemporary Romance, Rom Com, Fiction with strong romantic elements
BIO:
Swati Hegde is a fiction writing coach and the author of the forthcoming desi romantic comedy novel, MATCH ME IF YOU CAN, releasing in 2024 from Penguin Random House. She lives in Bangalore, India, and is a self-proclaimed coffee shop enthusiast who can usually be found at the nearest café with a hot mug of tea.
Some of her favorite things include mint chocolate chip ice-cream, people-watching (and occasionally listening in on conversations), and Taylor Swift.
Swati is represented by Rachel Beck at Liza Dawson Associates.
MSWL:
I'm excited to work with my mentee across age categories this time, as long as you write romance, rom-coms, or fiction with strong romantic elements.
What/who I'm a good fit for:
- Tropes! Be it friends to lovers, fake dating, enemies to lovers, grumpy/sunshine, or even arranged marriage to lovers, I'm here for it all!
- Slowburn romance of all heat levels
- Diverse/BIPOC/queer authors: I am super eager to champion a mentee from a marginalized community, including but not limited to folks who are BIPOC, queer, disabled, or neurodivergent.
- Authors who are eager and open to revise and potentially rewrite their manuscript with my support.
What/who I'm not a good fit for:
- Fantasy/science fiction/horror: I don't read or write in these genres, so I wouldn't be the right person to mentor you.
- Instalove relationship arcs
- Authors who are only looking for general advice and not in-depth editorial support.
Please keep in mind that if your manuscript is NA, I may recommend aging it up or down to A/YA.
MENTORING STYLE
I'm a fiction writing coach as well as a certified life coach, so my mentoring style is focused on both heavy editorial support as well as mindset support. I'm encouraging and will be your biggest cheerleader on days when you feel low or discouraged, but I will also critique your work and (kindly) point out areas that could require significant changes or revisions.
As for communication, I love monthly Zoom calls with my mentee while also staying in touch over text/DMs as needed.