View my accessible wishlist here.

tedlassohowfy.gif

I’m so excited to be a Pitch Wars YA mentor this year!

Pitch Wars is a mentoring program where publishing industry professionals choose one writer each to spend three months revising their manuscript. It ends in February with an Agent Showcase, where agents can read a pitch and first page and can request to read more.

Feel free to @ me on Twitter with any specific questions. I’m @carlylheath.

Scroll down for my wishlist!

About Me

  • Hi! I’m Carly Heath, author of THE RECKLESS KIND, a queer YA historical novel set in 1904 Scandinavia, out November 2, from Soho Teen.

  • I teach for various colleges and universities (I have a lot of experience giving feedback).

  • I love astrology, horses, and farm animals of all kinds.

  • I tend to write historical fiction (my current WIP is fantasy) and my characters tend to be queer, disabled, and/or marginalized in some way.

  • I’m a Libra rising with a stellium in Libra, Moon in Libra, Sun in Virgo. INFJ. Metal Rooster. Plant-based and pagan.

  • I live in the city and tend to a small flock of sheep.

  • A long time ago I was an extra in The Princess Diaries with Anne Hathaway.

ledlasso2.gif

What am I looking for?

First, I am a YA mentor (but am open to NA).

I read across all genres, so the most important thing for me is BIG FEELS. I’m drawn to characters who care passionately about something or someone from the first page.

Some other things I love:

  • Queer main characters

  • Feminism

  • Stories where characters care DEEPLY about each other whether its romantic or platonic

  • Anything related to defeating the imperialist white supremacist capitalist cisheteropatriarchy and white settler colonialism

  • Confronting/subverting toxic masculinity and the gender binary

  • Disability representation

  • People of all genders who wear make-up/jewelry/dresses

  • Human characters who care about animals/fight for animal liberation

  • Main characters from marginalized/non-Christian religions

  • Aesthetics

  • Humor

What I’m not looking for:

  • Holocaust stories written by non-Jewish authors

  • Stories centered on marginalization written by non-marginalized authors

  • Alpha-male love interests

  • Graphic, on-the-page abuse/trauma

  • Stories where the emotion is one-note, dark/gloomy without levity

  • Christian/inspirational stories

  • Unchecked racism/homophobia/ableism

Random fav authors:

Madeline Miller
Becky Albertalli
Taylor Jenkins Reid
Adam Silvera
Laura Ruby
Casey Mcquiston
N.K. Jimisin
Cat Sebastian
K.J. Charles
Octavia Butler
Talia Hibbert
T.J. Klune

Me as a mentor:

I want to help you perfect the book according to YOUR VISION. I’ll make in-line notes on the document, write an edit letter, and we can brainstorm over zoom!

BELIEVE!

Pitch Wars 2021 Young Adult Mentors' Wish Lists

  1. Mary E. Roach (Accepts NA)

  2. Amelia Diane Coombs (Accepts NA)

  3. Diana Urban

  4. Susan Bishop Crispell (Accepts NA)

  5. TJ Ohler (Accepts NA)

  6. Laurie Dennison (Accepts NA)

  7. Justine Pucella Winans (Accepts NA)

  8. Zoulfa Katouh and Molly X Chang (Accepts NA)

  9. Sonora Reyes (Accepts NA)

  10. Abigail Johnson

  11. Rosiee Thor and Emily Grey

  12. Carlyn Greenwald (Accepts NA)

  13. M.T. Khan (Accepts NA)

  14. Sarvenaz Taghavian

  15. Emery Lee

  16. Margie Fuston (Accepts NA)

  17. Aashna Avachat (Accepts NA)

  18. Allison Saft (Accepts NA)

  19. Fiona McLaren

  20. Jessica Lewis

  21. Brianna Bourne (Accepts NA)

  22. Jamie McHenry

  23. Meg Long and Rochelle Hassan (Accepts NA)

  24. Laura Weymouth (Accepts NA)

  25. Natalie Crown and Angelica Monai (Accepts NA)

  26. Skyla Arndt and Alex Brown (Accepts NA)

  27. Charity Alyse and Cimone Watson (Accepts NA)

  28. Emily Thiede and Lauren Blackwood (Accepts NA)

  29. Anna Sortino and Annika J. Cosgrove (Accepts NA)

  30. Jenny Perinovic and Kyrie McCauley (Accepts NA)

  31. Carrie S. Allen and Sabrina Lotfi

  32. Jamie Howard and Meredith Tate (Accepts NA)

  33. KL Burd (Accepts NA)

  34. Jennifer Yu (Accepts NA)

  35. Hoda Agharazi and Lyssa Mia Smith (Accepts NA)

  36. Em X. Liu and Grace D. Li (Accepts NA)

  37. Carly Heath (Accepts NA)

  38. Kiana Krystle (Accepts NA)

  39. Sarah Underwood and Kat Dunn (Accepts NA)

  40. Joel Brigham (Accepts NA)

  41. Dante Medema and Liz Lawson (Accepts NA)

  42. Aty S. Behsam and Maedeh B. Saaina (Accepts NA)

  43. Kylie Schachte (Accepts NA)

  44. Gabi Burton (Accepts NA)

  45. Aaron Cole and Tamara Cole (Accepts NA)

  46. Hannah V. Sawyerr and Olivia Liu (Accepts NA)

  47. Bethany Mangle (Accepts NA)

  48. Lane Clarke (Accepts NA)

  49. Sunya Mara (Accepts NA)

  50. Karen Bao (Accepts NA)