Hey!

First, let me thank you in advance for considering me as a mentor! It's such an honour to have started this journey as a BCM mentee in 2021 and to be given the opportunity to mentor two years later is so amazing!

For those who don't know me, hi, I'm Dene! I'm an agented author currently on submission with my YA Fantasy Queen of Thieves, the rewritten version of the Robin Hood fanfic that earned me a spot as a mentee. I work part-time as a Native Studies and Traditional Parenting facilitator and LOVE pizza, aesthetic mood boards and music! Seriously though, if you have a Spotify Playlist, I'd love to see it! This is my first year as a mentor, and I'm so excited to be here.

With that said, let's get started!

Give me a high-concept ACTION & ADVENTURE book with a killer voice, a deeply immersive atmosphere and slow-burning tension that makes me squeal when their hands finally touch! Snappy banter is always a favourite, but I do love a shy character who finds their voice at the end. Books surrounding the complexities of friendship, family and sister/brotherhood are my favourites! As are retellings—if they bring a new (gender-swapped, feminist, queer, etc.) twist to the table. Think Stalking Jack the Ripper and Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco or Enola Holmes.

My first love is YA/NA FANTASY, but I, unfortunately, will be very picky in my selection. I will not be taking high fantasy, but if the book has lighter elements and is more historical or paranormal, I would love to take a look!

In ROMANCE, I'm looking for anything sloooow-burn with LOTS of tension. I will take spicier books with explicit scenes so long as they are 18+ and limited to two... maybe three depending on the content. I would love a good rom-com, something sweet and comical like Tessa Bailey's Secretly Yours, or a fun 24-whirlwind romance that is fun, funny, and joyful with a diverse cast of characters, but I am not limited to this. If you have a romance with heart, soul and characters I can root for, I would love to take a look! I am not a good fit for books with themes surrounding SA, non-consent or bully romances.

I live for a good HORROR! Give me murders and make-outs with a complex plot similar to that of Scream, I know what you did last Summer or The Conjuring. I want my heart to thrash in my chest and have to call for my husband to turn on the light because I'm too afraid to leave the safety of my comforter.

I am DYING for a good MYSTERY. Something in the vein of Clue or Sherlock Holmes. Bonus points if it makes me laugh out loud and cry simultaneously. I'm very interested in books with a late 1800 Victorian setting or have a cottage-core witchy feel with worldbuilding that feels essential to the story (umm, Practical Magic, anyone).

As mentioned in the ask-a-mentee sessions, I REALLY want a good FRIENDSHIP STORY! If your manuscript has little to no romance but has a long, perilous Sam Wise and Frodo journey or a 'we were once best friends, and now we're enemies, but we have to solve this mystery together,' I am VERY interested!

For ONGOING STORIES, I prefer to keep the word count between 40k to 80k. COMPLETED STORIES no longer than 100k, but if it's a little over and you have a book similar to anything I've mentioned above, please let me know, and I may consider it.

What I am not interested in:

• High Fantasy
• Fanfiction
• Science Fiction

My knowledge may be limited in these areas, and I'd hate to give the wrong advice.

I find books with sexual assault and child abuse triggering and won't be accepting manuscripts with these themes.

Child death, unless it's off-page. For example, a widower lost his child years before the story starts, and now he's afraid to love again.

I'm not a fan of bully romances or non-consent books. I will also not tolerate discrimination against any marginalized group. This includes but is not limited to, BIPOC and LGBTQ+