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Pitchwars 2021 Wishlist for Farah Heron and Namrata Patel

Pitch wars graphic showing an owl camping. Text reads We are 2021 Adult Mentors. Pitch wars established 2012 Into the publishing trenches we go with you. www.pitchwars.org

This Wishlist might not be safe for work due to excessive use of Ted Lasso gifs, and some light swearing.

For a gif and image-free PDF of this wishlist, click here.

Summary: Farah Heron and Namrata Patel are adult mentors, and will be looking for romantic comedies, contemporary romances, and commercial women’s fiction.

Middle aged white man saying Some people pronounce it 'jif'

It’s PitchWars Wishlist time again! We’re so thrilled to be adult mentors together this year! In case you’re not familiar with the program, PitchWars is a mentoring program where published/agented authors, editors, or industry interns each choose one writer to spend three months revising their manuscript with. It ends in February with an Agent Showcase, where agents can read a pitch/first page and can request to read more.

Two 40 something brown ladies, one in a blue sari and one in a silver sleeveless top. — Namrata and Farah in 2019

This is our first year mentoring together, and we’re thrilled. Farah was Namrata’s PitchWars mentor in 2018, and we’ve been friends ever since. Farah writes rom-coms for adults and teens, and Namrata writes Women’s Fiction, and we are both passionate about diversity and equity in publishing.

To see Namrata’s wishlist, click here. Make sure to check it out… our wishlists are the same, but Namarata’s gifs are different (and awesome!)

The two coaches (white men) from the show Ted Lasso hitting their beer glasses together and taking a drink.

Farah is a South-Asian romance writer from Toronto. Her debut, The Chai Factor was named one of the summer’s best books by The Globe and Mail, and was praised in Book Riot, Smart Bitches Trashy Books, Bustle and more. Her next release, Accidentally Engaged, was praised in Entertainment Weekly, USA Today, NPR, The Toronto Star, Glamour magazine, and Oprah magazine. Her young adult debut, Tahira in Bloom, will be out November 1, 2021, and her next adult release will be Kamila Knows Best, out March 8, 2022. This will be her third year as a PitchWars mentor. All of Farah’s amazing past mentees have gone on to sign with agents and have sold books to major publishers.

Namrata is an Indian-American writer who lives in Boston. Her writing examines diaspora, dual-cultural identity among Indian-Americans and explores this dynamic while also touching on both—the family’s we’re born with and those we choose. Namrata has lived in India, Spokane, London, and New York City. Her debut, The Candid Life of Meena Dave, will be published by Lake Union publishing in summer 22.

So what are we looking for? We are open to Romantic Comedies, Contemporary Romance, and Women’s Fiction.

Romantic Comedies & Contemporary Romance

This is hopefully self-explanatory: We want romance genre manuscripts that are fresh, preferably funny, and modern. If it’s funny, and at times irreverent, and has a satisfying, swoony love story, it’s for us.

White man sits next to a white woman on a couch and she put a furry Blanket on his lap.

Does that mean we want only fluffy books? Nope, not necessarily. Some of our favorite rom-coms tackle serious issues. Farah wrote a whole article on this topic. By the way, we’d love to see anything like the recommended books in that article. To us, rom-com is more about the language used rather than zany hijinks or humiliation. Lots of banter, close friends and witty language.

Bring us something like The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang, The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon, a Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole, One and Only by Jenny Holiday, or The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa.

Women’s Fiction

This is pretty much exactly the same as above, but the focus of the story is a little more about the woman’s journey than just the romance. Romance can be is present, but we see deeper into the woman’s desires, driving forces, and see her character arc stronger than the love interests. These books tend to have only one POV, instead of the very common alternating POVs in romance.

Two white woman laughing on the back of a rickshaw that is covered with small lights, each of them are holding a bottle of champagne.

Examples of the types of Women’s Fiction we want: Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal, Beach Read by Emily Henry, Loathe at First Sight by Suzanne Park, or The Midnight Library Matt Haig.

There is a lot of overlap between these two genres. Sometimes we can’t even tell where a book would fall, but if you’re not sure if your manuscript would work for us, ask! More than anything, a strong voice, and a satisfying ending are the most important things for us. Mostly, we want fun, high concept, commercial projects.

More details about what we’d love to find:

Themes and subject matter can be heavy, or deep (We get it, life is a pile of heavy right now, so let it seep into your writing). Heavy stories told with humour and a strong voice are our jam, if handled sensitively and with empathy.

Two white men and a white woman. One of the men says to the woman "If that's a joke, I love it. If not, I can't wait to unpack that with you."

We like fluffy lighthearted escapism reading as well.
To us, the story needs to be somewhat realistic about the actual world we live in. No unlimited Louboutin budgets on an intern’s salary. No scenes in New York without diversity.
We will take #MeToo and abuse stories. BUT- if there is any sexual abuse or assault in the story, it should not be between the main romantic pairing.
We will consider books about abortion, divorce, drug addiction, poverty, mental illness, and racism. But we’re not looking for super depressing, painful narratives. These topics are not particularly triggering for us, but we’re unlikely to want to work on a project for months unless it’s empowering for the characters. If you can weave humour with those topics with sensitivity, please send it to us. We are not looking for characters who are continually tortured by the events in their lives.
All types of consensual relationships are welcome. M/M, F/F, M/F, genderqueer, etc. So long as it’s consensual adults, we’re happy.

White man trying to embrace a white woman. She says" Seriously, I have a lot of work to do. So if you're gonna be here, you need to sit quietly on the couch and read your book, yeah?"

We love Epistolary novels! Send them our way, so long as they fall into romance or women’s fiction.
Authors of colour writing main characters sharing the same identity are encouraged! We know how hard it is to break into publishing as a racialized author, and we want to help in any way we can.
Single or dual POV is fine. Past or present tense is fine.
Historical or contemporary is fine, as long as it meets our other requirements.
Tropes? Yes! We love tropey stuff. Favorites are: forced confinement, enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, second chance.

Smiling Hispanic man saying "Mucho, Mucho joy."

Any heat level is okay, but it needs to fit the book. Rom-Com tends to not be as high heat as other romance, and WF tends to be closed door.
We’re going to say it again, because it’s super important to us. CONSENT is everything. Safe, healthy, sexual activity only. Enthusiastic consent during sexy times is hot. No dubious consent… even if they are already in a relationship. This is a hard line for us. Watch for power dynamics that can impact the ability to consent such as teacher/student, boss/employee, slave owner/slave, Nazi/Anyone, etc.
Diversity! (have we mentioned that enough, yet?) All types of diversity are encouraged: racialized characters, any disability status, mental illness, LGBTQ+ characters, religious minorities, neuro-diversity, etc.

Black man saying to a white woman "You're so lovely, you must get romantic invitations all the time." She responds "That's nice", smiling.

Interracial couples encouraged!
Resistance! Bring us your stories about fighting back against the evil isms– fascism, racism, sexism, ableism, classism, etc.
We are serious foodies! Food themes are very, very welcome!

White woman eating a cookie and saying "Fuck me!"

The term “women’s fiction” is not limited to those assigned as female at birth. Own-voices trans women, and non-binary stories are welcome.
We love the geeky stuff! Bring your nerds finding love! STEM characters! Music nerds! Gamers! Cosplay! Even obscure nerdy pastimes! Pens! Barbecue! Tabletop miniature games! knitting! Needle-felting Star Wars characters!
We love ensembles! Found families! Big friend groups!

What we’re NOT looking for

No genres or sub-genres not listed above. That includes, dark romance, high-fantasy, thrillers, horror, domestic suspense, literary fiction, romantic suspense, paranormal, or memoir.
No billionaires.We like to be grounded in reality. Rich characters are okay, just not unrealistic stinking-rich characters.
No romances with reformed white supremacists or liberal/conservative pairings. We can’t stomach this kind of dynamic.
Not overly detailed with regards to politics. Farah is Canadian. American political stories will probably go over her head.
Please no books about serious illness, parenting challenges or motherhood, childhood illness, childhood death, infertility, cancer, death of spouse or parent, or childbirth, pedophilia, and animal abuse. These elements can be present in the story, but not what the story is about.
No unreliable narrators or intentionally unlikable main characters. They can be strong willed. They can swear, drink, sleep around, etc. They just can’t be selfish, or a down-right mean person.
No inspirational or religious-themed manuscripts. We don’t mind religious characters, but no overall inspirational themes.
Prefer no cops, law enforcement, or military characters, but we might budge on that for a great story. No war stories please.
No assholes. We’re not a huge fan of Alpha heroes, but sometimes they work for us. But Alphas don’t necessarily have to be dickheads. We’ll take Alphas. We won’t take dickheads.
Also, no cheating (by the main character) on significant others, please!
No redeemed racists, Islamophobes, homophobes, etc. We’re not the mentors for a story about a main character who sees a marginalized person as undeserving of human rights, even if that character is redeemed during the course of the story. (If a side character is a bigot who is redeemed, fine. Great, even.)
No cliffhangers. We need a full story– beginning, middle and satisfying end. (We will read your synopsis and ask clarifying questions if we have any.)
No twisty, unstructured, literary works. We’re more focused on commercial pacing.
No series books. Standalone only. Standalone with series potential is fine.
Nothing that’s already been published. A self-published book is published. Agents won’t take these books, which means they’re not right for this program (But good luck, because self-publishing is hard work, and we really respect self-published authors).
If Farah or Namrata has critiqued/read your entire manuscript before, you’re better off getting a new set of eyes and choosing other mentors. If we’ve looked at a chapter, a partial or query of yours, by all means, submit. we will give no special consideration to works we’ve seen before.
If we’re good friends (regular DMs or coffee dates), please don’t submit to us. It would be inappropriate for us to select you, so why waste a submission slot!

Our Critique Style:

We won’t mince words. We will tell you everything that is working about your manuscript, as well as everything that is not working. Please understand we wouldn’t have picked your manuscript if we didn’t LOVE it, though.

White man saying "smells like potential."

Farah’s strengths are characterization, complex relationships, pacing, and dialogue. She will help you increase the emotional impact of your characters, and help make their reactions believable. She’s great at banter, and at adding nuance to relationships.
Namrata’s strengths are sense of place/setting, character arcs/motivations, and emotional beats.
We plan to do two passes of the entire manuscript with you, so be willing to do a lot of work in a short time frame.
This process will not just be copy-editing, or polishing up some grammar and word choice. It will be closer to a full developmental review. We may ask you to practically re-write the book. We might gain or lose scenes, POVs, and even entire subplots. We trust our instincts, and sincerely want to make your book the best it can be, but you should be willing to do major work on your manuscript before submitting.
Be prepared to hate our edit letter at first. If you want a cheerleader, or someone to tell you that your special baby is nothing but perfection, ask your grandmother for a critique. If you’re looking for someone who will be tough and won’t mince words, ask Farah’s grandmother or Namrata’s mother. Or better yet, submit to us.

We will communicate as much as you are comfortable with. We will probably schedule a Zoom session to go over the first edit letter. We will be there for you via email or twitter DM. BUT– like many writers, we have deadlines. We may not be overly chatty, or respond immediately, but we’re still here for you. We have busy lives outside of PitchWars, but we’re confident our mentee and us will find a balance that works.
We plan to ask for full manuscripts from any of my submissions if we want to see more, instead of asking for partials. We may not read all of every full manuscript we request. You’ll get an email from us requesting the manuscript, and asking a few questions about you and the work if we want to see it. Feedback is not possible at this time because we have limited time and again, pending deadlines.

Some extra information

Self-edited, polished manuscripts only. We’ll probably make requests fast, so your manuscript needs to be ready to go.

Brown man unfolding a piece of paper saying "you know what. it's not even that good. It's probably bad. It's embarrassing even..."

Appropriate word counts please! If your manuscript is under 60,000 words or over 100,000, seriously consider doing another editing pass before the submission period starts. Our sweet spot (because of genre guidelines) would be anywhere between 70k and 90k.
We’re looking for people who are easy to work with, professional, and who are positive, upbeat and genuinely want help improving. There’s a lot to love and hate about publishing, and it can be challenging for marginalized writers, but we’re looking for optimists who are willing to keep an open mind about the progress within the industry. We will be your biggest cheerleader, and will be there for you if anxiety about this business creeps in.

If you have questions about whether something falls into our wishlist, please feel free to reach out. Our preferred communication with regards to this wishlist is Twitter DMs or ask up openly on Twitter.

Please keep your questions vague– no pre-pitching. For example, asking us if we’re open to women’s fiction with a 80+ year old protagonist is okay, asking if we want a story about an 80 year old woman who takes up nude sky-diving after her husband dies wrestling a bear is too specific, and is pre-pitching.

A huge good luck to everyone entering, whether or not you are submitting to us! Getting this far in your writing career is a massive accomplishment in itself, and we are rooting for you! You got this!

Good luck with your submissions! We can’t wait to see them!

Pitch Wars 2021 Adult Mentors’ Wish Lists

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

Chicken (or paneer) Tikka Skewers and Naan

Here is a recipe Reena and Nadim make together in the book—Indian naan with chicken tikka skewers. They cook it on a grill, but a cast iron pan for the naan and a 400 degree oven for the chicken gives results as good as a restaurant.

Reena and Nadim’s Naan

Mix 1 tsp sugar, ½ cup warm water, and 2 tsp yeast in a bowl. Rest until foamy (10 minutes).
Add 2 ½ cups flour, ½ cup yogurt, ½ tsp salt, and 1 tbsp oil. Stir.
Knead 10 minutes until smooth, adding another tbsp warm water if needed.
Cover and rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
Divide dough into 8 pieces. Roll each into an 8” circle.
Heat a skillet (cast-iron preferred) over medium high heat and lightly oil the surface.
Brush a circle of dough with water, then sprinkle with chopped cilantro.
Place on the skillet wet side down. When it puffs up and dark spots appear, flip to cook other side.
Repeat until all naan are cooked.
Brush warm naan with melted butter. Enjoy!

Reena’s Tandoori Marinade for Chicken Tikka

Reena’s secret to the best tandoori marinade is to use the freshest spices available. Serve with a simple raita sauce made with yogurt, cumin powder, and cilantro leaves.

In a large bowl, mix ½ cup plain yogurt with the following spices: ½ tsp turmeric, 1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder, ½ tsp coriander powder, ½ tsp cumin powder, ½ tsp garam masala, ½ tsp dry fenugreek leaves (optional), 1 tsp grated ginger, 1 tsp grated garlic, 1 tsp salt.
Mix, then add 1 tbsp lemon juice and 1 tbsp oil. Add red food colouring if desired.
Marinate skinless chicken cubes (thighs work best) or paneer cubes in the mixture in the fridge for several hours, or overnight.
Thread meat or paneer onto skewers with onions and peppers and grill or bake at 400 degrees until cooked though.

Mayai Maani

This casserole is as ubiquitous in Indian East African homes it gets. Although the dish didn’t make it in the final version of Accidentally Engaged, I imagine this is something that both Reena and Nadim would have grown up eating. A dry curry of ground beef and potatoes is topped with eggs, then baked in the oven until the eggs are set. Served with fresh maani or rotli (chapatti), the finished dish is a bit like huevos rancheros with an Indian twist. It’s a family favorite around here.

1 lb lean ground beef

1 medium onion, diced

½ tsp grated ginger

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder or cayenne pepper

1 tsp ground coriander powder

1 tsp ground cumin powder

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp salt

4 tbsp tomato paste

2-3 potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾ inch cubes

1 cup water

6 eggs

3 tbsp chopped cilantro for garnish

Preheat over to 350 degrees.
In a medium sized pot over medium heat, cook the beef and onions together, stirring constantly to break up beef. Cook until beef is no longer pink, and the onions are tender.
Add garlic and ginger and cook one minute, stirring.
Add turmeric, Kashmiri chili, coriander, cumin, garam masala and salt. Stir, and cook one minute.
Stir in tomato paste. Cook 2 minutes.
Add potatoes and water. Sir. Increase heat until it boils.
Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 10 minutes until potatoes are just cooked.
Transfer beef and potato mixture to a casserole dish. Smooth top.
Crack six eggs evenly spaced over the dish.
Bake 20 minutes or until eggs are set to desired doneness.
Top with cilantro, and serve with fresh maani (Indian flatbread) or soft bread.

Maani (chapatti, rotli)

2 cups durum atta flour (or substitute whole wheat flour)

½ tsp salt

2 tbsp vegetable oil

¾ -1¼ cup warm water

Extra atta flour for rolling out

Mix flour and salt in a bowl.
Add 2 tbsp oil, and rub between fingers until it looks like a coarse meal and holds together when squeezed in hand.
Drizzle warm water over it, a little at a time, and mix by hand until a soft dough is formed. It should be quite soft and pliable and a little sticky.
Knead dough for about five minutes until no longer sticky. Add more flour if necessary, but dough should be soft.
Form into a ball and cover. Rest at least 10-30 minutes.
Knead dough briefly again and divide into 8 equal balls.
Coat one ball completely in flour, and roll in plenty of flour to prevent sticking. Roll thin with a rolling pin to a 7-to-8-inch circle.
Place rolled maani on a dry pan heated on medium. Cook about one minute until you see small bubbles on surface. Flip and brush with oil/ghee. It should start ballooning up at this point. Press with spatula to encourage layers. Flip again.
Keep cooking, flipping often and pressing the bubbles and edges with the spatula until cooked through, with dark spots on both sides. Keep in covered container to prevent drying out.
Repeat with remaining dough balls.

Reena and Nadim’s Tanzanian Potato Bhajias with Tomato Chutney

Also called nylon bhajias in East Africa, these simple pakoras are easy to make and more addictive than French fries. Serve them with Reena’s tomato chutney, or with my shortcut chutney–ketchup and chili garlic sauce mixed together. The only ingredient that might be hard to find is Gram flour, also called besan. or sometimes chana flour. This recipe might work with regular AP flour instead, or another legume-based flour, but gram flour has a distinctive flavor. For more kick, add extra spices or chilis to the batter.

Ingredients:

3 large potatoes, cleaned and sliced thinly (1/8 to 1/4 inch)

1 cup gram flour (besan)

1 teaspoon minced ginger

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon ground cumin

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

2/3 cup water

1/2 teaspoon salt or more to taste

oil for frying

Directions:

In large bowl, mix gram flour, ginger, garlic, cornstarch, salt and cumin.
Add 1/3 cup water, and whisk until lump free. Gradually add another 1/3 cup of water, whisking for a smooth batter.
Add sliced potatoes to the bowl and toss to coat.
Heat 1/2 inch of oil in small pan until hot. Drop potatoes into hot oil. Fry 1-2 minutes, then flip to fry other side. Cook until golden brown.
Enjoy hot with chutney.

Reena’s Tomato Chutney

I always have the ingredients for this chutney on hand, and it tastes fantastic on almost everything. You may need an Indian store for some of the ingredients, but the spices will last a long time in your pantry. And a tip: curry leaves freeze beautifully.

Ingredients:

2 tsp oil

1 tsp black mustard seeds

1/2 tsp dried methi/fenugreek leaves

5 curry leaves torn into pieces

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2-inch ginger, grated

pinch of asafetida/hing (optional)

1/4 tsp turmeric

1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder

796 mL (28 oz) can whole tomatoes, diced

2 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp salt

Dirrections:

In medium saucepan or deep frying pan over med-high, heat oil until hot.
Add mustard seeds, fenugreek, and curry leaves.
Once the mustard seeds start popping, add garlic, ginger, and asafetida.
Sauté one minute, then add Kashmiri chili powder and turmeric.
Sauté another minute, then stir in tomatoes, sugar, and salt. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer 10 minutes.
Uncover and increase heat. Cook over medium high until reduced and thick. Mash tomatoes with the back of a spoon while cooking. Texture should be like a thick, chunky salsa. Enjoy warm or cold!

Reena’s Sour Cream Apple Pie

1 unbaked 9 inch pie crust
¾ cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
4 cups diced apples (about 5 small apples)
⅓ cup sugar
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cardamom powder
¼ cup chilled butter, diced

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Press the pie crust into and up the sides of a 9 inch pie plate

Step 2: In a medium bowl, stir together 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons of flour, and salt. Mix in the sour cream, egg and vanilla until smooth. Add apples, and stir to coat. Scrape the mixture into the pie shell.

Step 3: Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and continue baking for 30 minutes more.

Step 4: While the pie is baking, prepare the topping in a medium bowl. Stir together 1/3 cup of flour, 1/3 cup sugar, and cardamom. Rub in the butter with fingertips until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.

Step 5: After the 30 minute bake time has passed, cover the top of the pie with the crumb topping, and continue to bake for 10 minutes, or until topping is lightly browned and apples are tender. Allow the pie to cool, then refrigerate until chilled before serving.

Reena’s Challah bread

Challah is a traditional fortified bread, and Reena’s version is simultaneously more straightforward and more complicated than most recipes, much like Reena herself. The recipe starts with a tangzhong: a mixture of cooked flour and water than will both strengthen and soften the finished crumb. Reena loves making this bread into grilled cheese sandwiches with sharp cheddar and Indian green cilantro chutney.

1 cup lukewarm water, separated
2 teaspoons active dry or instant yeast
4 ½ cups all purpose flower, separated
2 teaspoons salt
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
Black sesame seeds

Proof the yeast: put ¾ of a cup of lukewarm water in a large mixing bowl, along with the yeast and a pinch of sugar. Let stand for 10 minutes until bubbles form on the surface.
Make the tangzhong: Take the remaining ¼ cup of water and mix it with 1 ½ tablespoons of flour in a small bowl. Microwave for 10 seconds on high. Stir. Microwave for five more seconds. Stir again. You may need to microwave another five seconds. You are aiming for a thickened, pudding-like consistency. If it’s lumpy, whisk until smooth.
Mix all ingredients: Add 4 cups flour, 2 whole eggs, 1 egg yolk (save the white for later), the sugar, the oil, and the tangzhong, into the bowl containing the yeast and water. Using a rubber spatula, break up the eggs and fold the mixture onto itself to make a shaggy dough.
Knead on a board for about 10 minutes (or knead in a mixer with a dough hook). It’s going to be a sticky dough—you may need to add more flour if you can’t work with it. But refrain from adding too much extra flour. You want a slightly sticky, smooth, elastic dough.
Place in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Divide dough into 12 pieces using a kitchen scale, and form into balls. Roll each ball into a 16-inch snake.
Braid dough – take 6 of your dough snakes and lay them on your board, pinching the tops together. To braid: Take the strand on the far right and move it towards the left, going over the first two strands, under the third, then over the fourth and fifth. You will continue braiding this way: over two, under one, over two, always starting with the strand on the right and bringing it to the left. When complete, tuck ends under to neaten.
Repeat with the remaining 6 strands. You know have two braided loaves.
Cover with plastic wrap and rise in a warm place for one hour until puffy.
Beat the reserved egg white and brush over the loaves. Sprinkle with black sesame seeds.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until golden brown.
Cool before cutting the bread. Enjoy!

Tahira In Bloom!

I’m so thrilled to announce that I’m writing young adult rom-coms!

First up is TAHIRA IN BLOOM. It’s about

👗 Fashion
💐 Flowers
💞 That weird time when you learn who you are.

🪴(Also, a really cute plant-loving nerd)

Out late 2021 from Skyscape. Stay tuned for more information but you can add it to Goodreads now!

Pitchwars Wishlist for Roselle Lim and Farah Heron

Click here for a text-only PDF of this wishlist Download

Roselle and Farah on June 11, 2019, the day both our debuts were released

Summary: Roselle Lim and Farah Heron are adult mentors, and will be looking for romantic comedies, contemporary romances and commercial women’s fiction.

This is our first year mentoring together, and we’re thrilled. Now, some might say, but wait, Farah writes rom-com and Roselle writes women’s fiction fabulism? Why are they mentoring together? Well, we actually have more in common than we have differences!

Case in point:

-We are both Asian Canadians from the east end of Toronto (Scarborough represent!)

Volvo of toronto GIFs - Get the best GIF on GIPHY — Toronto skyline at night

-Our debut books came out on the exact same day in June 2019.

-We recently figured out that we actually lived on the same street at the same time once, but alas, we didn’t know each other then. But we probably saw each other all the time, not realising that fate, and publishing dreams would throw us together one day.

-We are both passionate about diversity and equity in publishing.

-We are both really, really into talking about food.

anime rainbow cute food gif : Feast - Fruits Baskets ep4 — Animated food scrolling by

Since we’re mentoring together, we’ve got exactly the same wishlist (although some pictures might be different). Checkout Roselle’s wishlist on her website, too!

So what are we looking for this year? This year we are open to Romantic Comedies, Contemporary Romance, and Women’s Fiction.

Romantic Comedies & Contemporary Romance

Rom com GIF - Find on GIFER — Boy saying Let’s go get the shit kicked out of us by love

Bring us something like The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang, The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez, a Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole, One and Only by Jenny Holiday, The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa or Get a Life Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert.

Women’s Fiction

This is pretty much exactly the same as above, but the focus of the story is a little more about the woman’s journey than just the romance. Romance is present, but we see deeper into the woman’s desires, driving force, and see her character arc stronger than the love interests. The focus is on her journey. These books tend to have only one POV, instead of the very common alternating POVs in romance.

12 signs you're addicted to Bollywood – BRITISH BINDI — Indian aunties dancing

Examples of the types of Women’s Fiction we want: anything by, Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal, Beach Read by Emily Henry, Loathe at First Sight by Suzanne Park, or The Wedding Clock by Zara Raheem.

More details about what we’d love to find:

Themes and subject matter can be heavy, or deep (We get it, life is a pile of heavy right now, so let it seep into your writing). Heavy stories told with humour and a strong voice are our jam, if handled sensitively and with empathy.
We like fluffy lighthearted escapism reading as well.

Pin on cappuccino — cartoon bear hugging bear with hearts

To us, the story needs to be somewhat realistic about the actual world we live in. No unlimited Louboutin budgets on an intern’s salary. No scenes in New York without diversity.
We will take #MeToo and abuse stories. BUT- if there is any sexual abuse or assault in the story, it should not be between the main romantic pairing.
We will consider books about abortion, divorce, drug addiction, mental illness, and racism. But we’re not looking for super depressing, painful narratives. These topics are not particularly triggering for us, but we’re unlikely to want to work on a project for months unless it’s empowering for the characters. If you can weave humour with those topics with sensitivity, please send it to us.
All types of consensual relationships are welcome. M/M, F/F, M/F, genderqueer, etc. So long as it’s consensual adults, we’re happy.

Authors of colour writing #OwnVoices are encouraged! We know how hard it is to break into Romance as a racialized author, and we want to help in any way we can.
Single or dual POV is fine. Past or present tense is fine.
Historical or contemporary is fine, as long as it meets our other requirements.

Jane GIF - Find on GIFER — the Bennet sisters from Pride and Prejudice (2005)

Tropes? Yes! We love tropey stuff. Favorites are: forced confinement, enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, second chance.

Any heat level is okay, but it needs to fit the book. Rom-Com tends not to be as high heat as other romance, and WF tends to be closed door. You’ll need to be open to changing your heat level.
We’re going to say it again, because it’s super important to us. CONSENT is everything. Safe, healthy, sexual activity only. Enthusiastic consent during sexy times is hot. No dubious consent… even if they are already in a relationship. This is a hard line for us. Watch for power dynamics that can impact the ability to consent such as teacher/student, boss/employee, slave owner/slave, Nazi/Anyone, etc.

Consent GIFs | Tenor — Man saying consent is sexy

Diversity! (have we mentioned that enough, yet?) All types of diversity are encouraged: racialized characters, any disability status, mental illness, LGBTQ+ characters, religious minorities, neuro-diversity, etc.
Interracial couples encouraged!

Resistance! Bring us your stories about fighting back against the evil isms– fascism, racism, sexism, ableism, classism, etc.

Best Star Wars Resistance GIFs | Gfycat — Rey from Star Wars fighting with her light saber

We are serious foodies! Food themes are very, very welcome!

The term “women’s fiction” is not limited to those assigned as female at birth. Own-voices trans women, and non-binary stories are welcome.
We love the geeky stuff! Bring me your nerds finding love! STEM characters! Music nerds! Gamers! Cosplay! Even obscure nerdy pastimes! Pens! Barbecue! Tabletop miniature games! knitting! Needle-felting Star Wars characters!

Gamer Girl | Meg Lee – RCL Blog — Woman saying Boo-Yah to a computer

We’ll take New Adult manuscripts– but we might ask you to age them up to adult if we think the story and genre warrants it. New Adult works in the romance genre, so if your rom-com has early twenties characters, it might be okay. New adult is rare in women’s fiction, though. And in either genre, it would be a hard sell to a traditional publisher, so we advise you to be open to changing your age demographic if we decide to.
We love ensembles! Found families! Big friend groups!

What We’re NOT looking for

No genres or sub-genres not listed above. That includes, dark romance, high-fantasy, thrillers, horror, domestic suspense, literary fiction, romantic suspense, paranormal, or memoir.
No billionaires. Farah likes to be grounded in reality. Rich characters are okay, just not unrealistic stinking-rich characters.
No romances with white supremacists or liberal/conservative pairings. Roselle can’t stomach this kind of dynamic. It’s a hard no for her.
Not overly detailed with regards to politics. We’re both Canadian. American political stories will probably go over our heads.
Please no books about serious illness, parenting challenges, childhood illness, childhood death, infertility, cancer, death of spouse or parent, or childbirth, pedophilia, and animal abuse. These elements can be present in the story, but not what the story is about.
No unreliable narrators or intentionally unlikable main characters. They can be strong willed. They can swear, drink, sleep around, etc. They just can’t be selfish, or a down-right mean person.
No inspirational or religious-themed manuscripts. We don’t mind religious characters, but no overall inspirational themes.
Prefer no cops, law enforcement, or military characters, but we might budge on that for a great story. No war stories please.
No assholes. We’re not a huge fan of Alpha heroes, but sometimes they work for us. But Alphas don’t necessarily have to be dickheads. We’ll take Alphas. We won’t take dickheads.
Also, no cheating on significant others, please!
No redeemed racists, Islamophobes, homophobes, etc. We’re not the mentors for a story about a main character who sees a marginalized person as undeserving of human rights, even if that character is redeemed during the course of the story. (If a side character is a bigot who is redeemed, fine. Great, even.)
No cliffhangers. We need a full story– beginning, middle and satisfying end. (We will read your synopsis and ask clarifying questions if we have any.)
No twisty, unstructured, literary works. We’re more focused on commercial pacing.
No series books. Standalone only. Standalone with series potential is fine.
Nothing that’s already been published. A self-published book is published. Agents won’t take these books, which means they’re not right for this program (But good luck, because self-publishing is hard work, and we really respect self-published authors).
If Farah or Roselle has critiqued/read your entire manuscript before, you’re better off getting a new set of eyes and choosing other mentors. If we’ve looked at a chapter, a partial or query of yours, by all means, submit. we will give no special consideration to works I’ve seen before.
If we’re good friends (regular DMs or coffee dates), please don’t submit to us. It would be inappropriate for us to select you, so why waste a submission slot!

Our Critique Style:

We won’t mince words. We will tell you everything that is working about your manuscript, as well as everything that is not working. Please understand we wouldn’t have picked your manuscript if we didn’t LOVE it, though.

Tell It Like It Is GIFs | Tenor — Woman saying let me brew a hot cup of tellin’ it like it is

Farah’s strengths are characterization, complex relationships, pacing, and dialogue. She will help you increase the emotional impact of your characters, and help make their reactions believable. She’s great at banter, and at adding nuance to relationships.
Roselle’s strengths are narrative structure, continuity, character arcs, spelling (Farah pointed this out), worldbuilding, and setting. She loves being able to shape and rearrange scenes if necessary for maximum impact.
We plan to do two passes of the entire manuscript with you, so be willing to do a lot of work in a short time frame.

This process will not just be copy-editing, or polishing up some grammar and word choice. It will be closer to a full developmental review. We may ask you to practically re-write the book. We might gain or lose scenes, POVs, and even entire subplots. We trust our instincts, and sincerely want to make your book the best it can be, but you should be willing to do major work on your manuscript before submitting.
Be prepared to hate our edit letter at first. If you want a cheerleader, or someone to tell you that your special baby is nothing but perfection, ask your grandmother for a critique. If you’re looking for someone who will be tough and won’t mince words, ask Farah’s grandmother. Or better yet, submit to us.
We will communicate as much as you are comfortable with. We will probably schedule a Skype session to go over the first edit letter. We will be there for you via text or DM. BUT– like many writers, we have deadlines. We may not be overly chatty, or respond immediately, but we’re still here for you. We have a busy life outside of PitchWars, but we’re confident our mentee and us will find a balance that works.

We Love You Love Ya GIF - WeLoveYou LoveYou LoveYa - Discover & Share GIFs — 4 young people saying We Love You!

We plan to ask for full manuscripts from any of my submissions if we want to see more, instead of asking for partials. We may not read all of every full manuscript we request. You’ll get an email from us requesting the manuscript, and asking a few questions about you and the work if we want to see it. Feedback for every request is not possible at this time because we have limited time and again, pending deadlines.

Some extra information

Self-edited, polished manuscripts only. We’ll probably make requests fast, so your manuscript needs to be ready to go.
Appropriate word counts please! If your manuscript is under 60,000 words or over 100,000, seriously consider doing another editing pass before the submission period starts. our sweet spot (because of genre guidelines) would be anywhere between 70k and 90k.
We’re looking for people who are easy to work with, professional, and who are positive, upbeat and genuinely want help improving. There’s a lot to love and hate about publishing, and it can be challenging for marginalized writers, but we’re looking for optimists who are willing to keep an open mind about the progress within the industry. We will be your biggest cheerleader, and will be there for you if anxiety about this business creeps in.

David Rose GIF by Schitt's Creek - Find & Share on GIPHY — David Rose saying Everyone will be participating. Thank you so much.

If you have questions about whether something falls into our wishlist, please feel free to reach out. Our preferred communication with regards to this wishlist is for you to leave a comment below, or ask us on Twitter, rather than through the contact form on our websites or DMs.

Pop Tv GIF by Schitt's Creek - Find & Share on GIPHY — Moira Rose saying One must champion oneself and say I am ready for this

Good luck with your submissions! We can’t wait to see them! To see the other mentor wishlists on the PitchWars blog, click here. Or check out the links below of all the Adult Mentors.

Pitch Wars 2020 Adult Mentors’ Wish Lists

Click here to view all Pitch Wars 2020 Mentors’ Wish Lists

PitchWars 2019 Wishlist

Please Note: this wishlist might not be safe for work. There is some swearing and kissing gifs, plus a cat with a mustache, because I absolutely cannot resist.

anigif_enhanced-21578-1446726575-2 — Very happy South Asian woman happily tossing a poor dove in the air

YAY YAY YAY!!!

It’s PitchWars Wishlist time again! I’m so, so thrilled to be an adult mentor once again in 2019! In case you’re not familiar with the program, PitchWars is a mentoring program where published/agented authors, editors, or industry interns each choose one writer to spend three months revising their manuscript with. It ends in February with an Agent Showcase, where agents can read a pitch/first page and can request to read more

So much has happened since I announced I was a mentor last year. At the time I considered myself a baby writer– I had an agent and a book deal, but the book deal was still a secret, and while I had helped many friends with their manuscripts, I felt pretty green in the industry. Since then? I announced my debut novel – The Chai Factor. Then the book came out, was everywhere, got great reviews, and best of all, I had a launch party with a Barbershop Quartet. And I announced a new deal: my new rom-com The Right Spice, will be out before you know it.

66399957_10161844075390648_9159014266911588352_n — Me and the the Yonge Guns, the real Barbershop Quartet that sang at my book launch. I’m the teeny tiny one in the middle.

And most importantly, I started and finished my first cycle as a PitchWars mentor. I was so lucky to mentor two amazingly talented writers, and hold their hands guiding them through 2 significant rounds of edits each. And I stood by beaming with pride as they both signed with agents in the showcase. Check them both out: Meryl Wilsner and Nam Patel. And one of them, Meryl, is a mentor this year, too! I adore Meryl, but I’m fully prepared to go to war with them if we both fall in love with the same manuscript…

EBDsvy7X4AIsDyx — Me and my 2018 mentees

And I am significantly narrowing the genres I am accepting in 2019. I am accepting Adult and New Adult manuscripts, and am specifically looking for:

Romantic Comedies, Contemporary Romance, or Funny Women’s Fiction with Central Romance ONLY.

Romantic Comedies & Contemporary Romance

thequint_2016-12_efb5f081-dd46-4e5b-af85-812e26cc4d5b_tumblr_oeug93j12C1rqdv6ro4_400.gif — Overly cheerful couple being silly and playing airplane I think

This is hopefully self-explanatory: I want romance genre manuscripts that are fresh, preferably funny, and modern. If it’s funny, and at times irreverent, and has a satisfying, swoony love story, it’s for me.

Does that mean I want fluffy books? Nope, not necessarily. Some of my favorite rom-coms tackle serious issues. I wrote a whole article on this topic. By the way, I’d love to see anything like the recommended books in that article. To me, rom-com is more about the language used rather than zany hijinks or humiliation. Lots of banter, close friends and witty language.

Some writers in this genre I love: Alyssa Cole, Sonali Dev, Annabeth Albert, and Jenny Holiday. Bring me something like The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang, The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez, a Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole, One and Only by Jenny Holiday, Well Met by Jen DeLuca, How to Hack a Heartbreak by Kristin Rockaway, Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, Get a Life Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbart, or Intercepted by Alexa Martin.

Funny (Commercial) Women’s Fiction with Central Romance

anigif_enhanced-18031-1420051814-1 — Aunties in saris dancing together

This is pretty much exactly the same as above, but the focus of the story is a little more about the woman’s journey than just the romance. Romance is present, but we see deeper into the woman’s desires, driving force, and see her her character arc stronger than the love interests. These books tend to have only one POV, instead of the very common alternating POVs in romance.

Examples of the types of Commercial Women’s Fiction I want: anything by Jojo Moyes or Marian Keys, Bridget Jones Diary by Helen Fielding, Attachments by Rainbow Rowell, Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal, Austenland by Shanon Hale, or The Wedding Clock by Zara Raheem.

There is a lot of overlap between these two genres. Sometimes I can’t even tell where a book would fall, but if you’re not sure if if your manuscripts sounds up my alley, ask! More than anything, the humour, a strong voice, and a satisfying ending are the most important things for me. Mostly, I want fun, high concept projects.

More details about what I’d love to find:

Themes and subject matter can be heavy, or deep (I get it, life is a pile of heavy right now, so let it seep into your writing). Heavy stories told with humour and a strong voice are my jam, if handled sensitively.
I like fluffy lighthearted escapism reading as well.

Woman saying “I am single because the only good men are fictional” while two handsome men look on.

To me, the story needs to be somewhat realistic about the actual world we live in. No unlimited Louboutin budgets on an intern’s salary. No single in New York without diversity.
I will take #MeToo and abuse stories. BUT- if there is any sexual abuse or assault in the story, it cannot be between the main romantic pairing.
I will consider books about abortion, divorce, drug addiction, mental illness, and racism. But I’m not looking for super depressing, painful narratives. These topics are not particularly triggering for me, but I am unlikely to want to work on a project for months unless it’s empowering for the characters. If you can weave humour with those topics with sensitivity, please send it to me.
All types of consensual relationships are welcome. M/M, F/F, M/F, genderqueer, etc. So long as it’s consensual adults, I’m happy.

Two snuggling Indian women in a kitchen.

Authors of colour writing #OwnVoices are encouraged! I know how hard it is to break into Romance as a racialized author, and I want to help in any way I can.
Single or dual POV is fine. Past or present tense is fine.
Subgenres: if you have a historical rom-com, paranormal rom-com, or even a sci-fi rom-com, I am open to it. It needs to be modern with a strong, fun voice. Examples: books similar to works by Tessa Dare, Gail Carringer or Cat Sebastian.
Tropes? Yes! I love tropey stuff. Favorites are: forced confinement, enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, second chance.

Image result for I hate you bollywood gif — Woman saying “Yes, I really hate you”

Any heat level is okay, but it needs to fit the book. Rom-Com tends not to be as high heat as other romance, and WF tends to be closed door. You’ll need to be open to changing your heat level.
I’m going to say it again, because it’s super important to me. CONSENT is everything. Safe, healthy, sexual activity only. Enthusiastic consent during sexy times is hot. No dubious consent… even if they are already in a relationship. This is a hard line for me. Watch for power dynamics that can impact the ability to consent such as teacher/student, boss/employee, slave owner/slave, Nazi/Anyone, etc.

Woman saying “When I say no, it means no.”

Diversity! (have I mentioned that enough, yet?) All types of diversity are encouraged: racialized characters, any disability status, mental illness, LGBTQ+ characters, religious minorities, neuro-diversity, etc.
Interracial couples encouraged! I’ve been in an interracial relationship for over 20 years.

Related image — Two women with different skin-tones kissing.

Resistance! Bring me your stories about fighting back against the evil isms– fascism, racism, sexism, ableism, etc.
I’m a serious foodie! Food themes are very, very welcome!

Image result for samosa gif — Samosa being dipped into green chutney

The term “women’s fiction” is not limited to those assigned as female at birth. Own-voices trans women, and non-binary stories are welcome.
I love the geeky stuff! Bring me your nerds finding love! STEM characters! Music nerds! Gamers! Cosplay! Even obscure nerdy pastimes! Pens! Barbecue! Tabletop miniature games! knitting! Needle-felting Star Wars characters!

Two men playing video games who keep kissing each other.

I’ll take New Adult manuscripts– but I might ask you to age them up to adult if I think the story and genre warrants it. New Adult works in the romance genre, so if your rom-com has early twenties characters, it might be okay. New adult is rare in women’s fiction, though. And in either genre, it would be a hard sell to a traditional publisher, so I advise you to be open to changing your age demographic if we decide to.
I love ensembles! Found families! Big friend groups!

Image result for Austenland gifs — One woman and four men in Regency costume dancing

What I’m NOT looking for

No genres or sub-genres not listed above. That includes, dark romance, high-fantasy, thrillers, horror, domestic suspense, literary fiction, upmarket woman’s fiction, romantic suspense, and memoir. Fantasy, sci-fi, paranormal, and historical are okay as long as they are both funny and genre-romance.
No billionaires. I like to be grounded in reality. Rich characters are okay, jut not unrealistic stinking-rich characters.
Not overly detailed with regards to politics. I’m Canadian. American political stories will probably go over my head.
Please no books about serious illness, parenting challenges, childhood illness, childhood death, infertility, cancer, death of spouse or parent, or childbirth. These elements can be present in the story, but not what the story is about.
No unreliable narrators or intentionally unlikable main characters. I want to love them. BUT– I like a strong character. They can be strong willed. They can swear, drink, sleep around, etc. They just can’t be selfish, or a down-right mean person.
No inspirational or religious-themed manuscripts. I don’t mind religious characters, but no overall inspirational themes.
Prefer no cops, law enforcement, or military characters, but I might budge on that for a great story. No war stories please.
No assholes. I’m not a huge fan of Alpha heroes, but sometimes they work for me. But Alphas don’t necessarily have to be dickheads. I’ll take Alphas. I won’t take dickheads.
Also, no cheating on significant others, please!
No redeemed racists, Islamophobes, homophobes, etc. I’m not the mentor for a story about a main character who sees a marginalized person as undeserving of human rights, even if that character is redeemed during the course of the story. (If a side character is a bigot who is redeemed, fine. Great, even.)
No cliffhangers. I need a full story– beginning, middle and satisfying end. (I will read your synopsis and ask clarifying questions if I have any.)
No twisty, unstructured, literary, or upmarket works. I love them, but I’m not the right mentor for them.
No series books. Standalone only. Standalone with series potential is fine.
Nothing that’s already been published. A self-published book is published. Agents won’t take these books, which means they’re not right for this program (But good luck, because self-publishing is hard work, and I really respect self-published authors).
If I’ve critiqued/read your entire manuscript before, you’re better off getting a new set of eyes and choosing other mentors. If I’ve looked at a chapter, a partial or query of yours, by all means, submit. I will give no special consideration to works I’ve seen before.
If we’re good friends (regular DMs or coffee dates), please don’t submit to me. It would be inappropriate for me to select you, so why waste a submission slot!

My Critique Style:

I don’t mince words. I will tell you everything that is working about your manuscript, as well as everything that is not working. Please understand I wouldn’t have picked your manuscript if I didn’t LOVE it, though.
My strengths are characterization, complex relationships, pacing, and dialogue. I will help you increase the emotional impact of your characters, and help make their reactions believable. I’m great at banter, and at adding nuance to relationships.
I’m not great at grammar, world building or detailed settings. I’m also not as strong with action scenes. If you are looking for someone to help you in these areas, another mentor would be a better fit.
I plan to do two passes of the entire manuscript with you, so be willing to do a lot of work in a short time frame.

Mustached cat staring at a computer, then typing really fast. I imagine he is waiting for his mentor’s edit letter, then gets it and starts furiously revising.

This process will not just be copy-editing, or polishing up some grammar and word choice. It will be closer to a full developmental review. I may ask you to practically re-write the book. We might gain or lose scenes, POVs, and even entire subplots. I trust my instincts, and sincerely want to make your book the best it can be, but you should be willing to do major work on your manuscript before submitting to me.
Be prepared to hate my edit letter at first. If you want a cheerleader, or someone to tell you that your special baby is nothing but perfection, ask your grandmother for a critique. If you’re you’re looking for someone who will be tough and won’t mince words, ask my grandmother. Or better yet, submit to me.
I will communicate as much as you are comfortable with. I’m not a phone person, but will probably schedule a Skype session to go over the first edit letter. I’m there for you via text or DM. BUT– like many writers, I’m an introvert. I may not be overly chatty, or respond immediately, but I am still here for you. I have a busy life outside of PitchWars, but I am confident my mentee and I will find a balance that works for both of us.
I plan to ask for full manuscripts from any of my submissions if I want to see more, instead of asking for partials. I may not read all of every full manuscripts I request. You’ll get an email from me requesting the manuscript, and asking a few questions about you and the manuscript if I want to see it.

Some extra information

I am a South-Asian Muslim Canadian Woman. If having a mentor with any or all of those identities is important to you, keep me in mind. That being said, I am not here to be your sensitivity reader. And if I feel that some aspect of your story is problematic, I won’t be shy about telling you. I will help guide you toward fixing it.
Also, I am cis, straight, married, and a mother of two, just so you know.

Self-edited, polished manuscripts only. I’ll probably make requests fast, so your manuscript needs to be ready to go.
Appropriate word counts please! If your manuscript is under 60,000 words or over 100,000, seriously consider doing another editing pass before the submission period starts. My sweet spot would be anywhere between 70k and 90k.
I am looking for people who are easy to work with, and who are positive, upbeat and genuinely want help improving. There’s a lot to love and hate about publishing, and it can be challenging for marginalized writers, but I’m looking for optimists who are willing to keep an open mind about the progress within the industry. I will be your biggest cheerleader, and will be there for you if anxiety about this business creeps in.

This wishlist is much narrower than my list last year– so if you have questions about whether something falls into my wishlist, please feel free to reach out. My preferred communication with regards to this wishlist is for you to leave a comment below, or ask me on Twitter, rather than through the contact form on my website or DMs.

Please keep your questions vague– no pre-pitching. For example, asking me if I am open to a women’s fiction with a 80+ year old protagonist is okay, asking if I want a story about an 80 year old woman who takes up nude sky-diving after her husband dies wrestling a bear is too specific, and is pre-pitching. (Although honestly? I want to see that story.)

A huge good luck to everyone entering, whether or not you are submitting to me! Getting this far in your writing career is a massive accomplishment in itself, and I am rooting for you! You got this!

giphy (2).gif — Woman saying “One must champion oneself and say I am ready for this”

Good luck with your submissions! I can’t wait to see them!

To see the other mentor wishlists on the PitchWars blog, click here. Or check out the links below of all the Adult Mentors.

Pitch Wars 2019 Adult Mentors’ Wish Lists

Book News

Drum roll please… I am so excited to finally announce this!

PM Farah Heron

My debut will be released by Harper Collins Canada next summer!

This book means the world to me. It’s a funny little romantic comedy about an Engineer living with a Barbershop Quartet. It has all of my favorite things in it- music, food, Toronto, and lots and lots of laughter.

But really, it’s about accepting who you are in a difficult world. About how easy it is to burn out from fighting for your rights, and the rights of other’s rights in these challenging times. It’s about understanding where you fit in your culture and religion.

But most of all, it’s about love. Love for parents and sisters and grandparents. Love for both new friends and old friends. And mostly about finding lasting love in the most unexpected places. I’ve shoved as many happily ever afters for brown people as I could get in this book.

I am so excited that my story will be out in the world. Spring 2019 can’t come fast enough.