MENTOR:
Grace Demyan (she/her)
CATEGORY:
Adult
SUB GENRES:
Contemporary Romance, Rom Com, Historical Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Dark Romance, Romantasy, Fiction with strong romantic elements
BIO:
Hello! I’m Grace Demyan and I write women’s fiction, often with strong romantic elements. I’ve been agented with Laura Bradford at the Bradford Literary Agency since 2023, and after being on submission to publishers for several months, I’m currently *vague.* When I’m not reading or writing, I enjoy traveling, exploring the great outdoors, baking, and listening to country music. Originally from Ohio, I’ve also lived in Boston, New Orleans, and Washington D.C.
MSWL:
THINGS I LOVE:
•Witty/flirty banter
•Plus-sized heroines
•Sports romance
•Friends to lovers
•Sunshine x grumpy
•Intersectional feminist narratives
•Diverse characters (including but not limited to LGBTQA+, BIPOC, neurodivergent, and disabled characters)
•Historicals with a slow burn romance, set in a unique time period with badass women doing badass things. If anyone has a historical pirate romance, please send it my way
•Heartwarming contemporaries–bonus points it makes me laugh and cry
•Romantasy!!
•I’m a huge #swiftie, so anything that comps to a TS song, especially Down Bad, Anti-hero, Archer, or Is It Over Now?
NOT THE BEST FIT FOR:
•Stories that romanticize sexual assault or abuse (emotional or physical)
•Love interests with significant age gaps
•Insta-love
•Unreliable narrators
•Horror, romantic suspense, or paranormal
•Stories with heavy religious elements
MENTORING STYLE
I’m very flexible and will adapt to your writing and editing process. However, you can expect lots of communication and encouragement throughout the mentorship. Email is the best way to reach me, and I aim to respond in 48 hours. I’m here to help and want you to get as much from this opportunity as you can, so please ask any and all questions about revisions, the querying process, working with an agent, and the publishing industry.
After mentees are announced, I’d love to set up a Zoom call to get to know you, your vision for the manuscript, and discuss the editing process/timeline. If you don't want to be on camera, that's totally fine! I’ll also send an edit letter addressing big-picture revisions, then provide line-edits for the first 50 pages.
My goal is to make your manuscript and submission package as rejection-proof as possible, while maintaining your voice and vision for the book.
APPLICATIONS FROM CONNECTIONS
Please do not apply to me if we've ever beta read for each other, been part of the same critique group, or have had extensive conversations online. If we're in the same discords or mutuals on social media but haven't talked more than a comment on a post here or there, feel free to apply!
MORE MENTORS
Christine Cowan & Noreen Mughees (NA, A)
Liana De la Rosa (NA, A)
Faye Delacour (A)
Grace Demyan (A)
Noelle Douglas (A)
Amaka Egbe (YA, NA)
Christina Elle (YA, NA, A)
Isabelle Engel (NA, A)
K. M. Enright (NA, A)
Shaylin Gandhi (A)
Daniel James (YA, NA)
Anahita Karthik (YA, NA, A)
Rufaro Faith Mazarura (NA, A)
Pyae Moe Thet War (A)
Taylor Moore (YA, NA, A)
Noreen Nanja (A)
Katie Naymon (NA, A)
Melissa O’Connor (NA, A)
Megan Oliver & Ava Watson (A)
Kalie Reid (NA, A)
Audrey Ruoff (A)
Annika Sharma (NA, A)
Mia Sosa (NA, A)
Celia St Gelais (A)
Ravynn Stringfield (YA, NA)
Neely Tubati Alexander (NA, A)
Alexandra Vasti (A)
Sujin Witherspoon (YA, NA)
Lenora Woods (NA, A)