Who I am:
Hey Everyone! I’m Rebecca Enzor, an analytical chemist and fantasy author from Charleston, SC, and this year I’m mentoring adult SFF. Since you’re here, you probably know I’m a huge fan of mermaids. I’m also a fan of science, and went to school for fisheries biology. I took these two loves and turned them into a book called SPEAK THE OCEAN, which is basically a mashup of BLACKFISH and THE LITTLE MERMAID. Mermaids at Sea World. It’s full of sciencey goodness, but also a good ol’ heaping of fantasy, which explains the things I love most pretty well. I’m also part of the PUTTING THE SCIENCE IN FICTION anthology by fellow PitchWars mentor Dan Koboldt, which means I can help you get your science right (or your pseudo-science right-ish, because I love making up pseudo-science).
What I’m looking for:
My favorite is low fantasy, bordering on magical realism. If you have just one magical element in an otherwise normal world, I’m your girl (like I said, I like science, so realistic fantasy is my jam). I also like the feel of big, epic stories (THE LIGHT BEARER by Donna Gillespie is my favorite book and does this so well. FINNIKIN OF THE ROCK is another example). Low fantasy + epic stories = definitely send it to me!
I love historical fantasy, because it takes the real and adds magic/mythology (for instance: FROM UNSEEN FIRE by Cass Morris). Same with contemporary fantasy or paranormal fantasy (although I’m not your gal for vampires/werewolves/angels/zombies – see below).
I love dark fantasy and light fantasy and humorous fantasy. If you have an anti-heroine like Lada from AND I DARKEN? Send her to me! If you have something that’ll make me feel light and fuzzy like a fantasy version of WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI? Send it to me! If you have something that’ll make me laugh out loud like KILL THE FARM BOY? PLEASE send it to me! The same goes for Sci-fi. Funny Sci-Fi is the best. (MECHANICAL FAILURE by Joe Zieja is my favorite funny sci-fi)
For Sci-Fi I’m looking for all the pseudo-science! It needs to make sense, but if you can come up with something that doesn’t obviously break the universe, send it to me. The more character-centered the better (think A LONG WAY TO A SMALL, ANGRY PLANET, SEVENEVES, or THE BOBIVERSE trilogy). I love to read hard sci-fi, but I’m no astrophysicist, so if you don’t know the numbers for re-entry to the atmosphere, neither do I. If your book is about nuclear or analytical chemistry, though? I KNOW THOSE NUMBERS. Send it ????
(If your book is a combo of analytical/nuclear chemistry AND mythology/magic? I WANT THAT)
Also, all the sexy books. Send me all the shower scenes and non-fade-to-black…and also all the fade-to-black because that’s good too. Make me swoon or need to fan my face and I will love it.
In that vein: please please please send me all the LGBTQIA+ SFF! I’m a bi-mer-alicorn and I am here for the stories about anyone kissing anyone.
I’m also here for the stories of no one kissing no one, so if your story focuses on friendships or family relationships without any sexy times, please send it to me.
Honestly, I like verbal arguments best. If you have lots of that, send it to me! And crying. If your book makes me cry I’ll love it (happy cry, sad cry, doesn’t matter).
I will accept NA – but I will ask you to age it up to adult. There’s no market for NA SFF (trust me, StO was NA that I had to age up to adult too).
What I’m not looking for:
Angels, angels, angels. I have some give on vampires and werewolves and zombies (very little, but it’s there), but I’m not going to read an angel story. Not my thing.
In the same vein, I don’t need anything “inspirational”. I’m not religious, and I won’t be able to help you with overtly religious stories. (Mythology is different from religion)
Anything-Punk. Steam-punk. Cyber-punk. Gaslight-punk. I know it doesn’t make sense because it’s science combined with punk, but I haven’t read enough of it to help you. Save your stories for a mentor who will be helpful.
Urban fantasy. I’m not really into the whole “cop is a demon hunter at night” thing.
Military SFF. I love reading it, but I don’t know anything about the military.
Horror: OMG DO NOT SEND ME HORROR. I have an over-active imagination as it is. I don’t need nightmares.
Don’t send me on-page rape. Backstory is ok, off-screen is ok. I don’t need to live it through your character (and if I’m not living through your character then I’m not the right person for your submission).
Any sort of mutilation of nipples. I don’t care whose nipples they are, I don’t want to read this. I don’t even care if it’s consensual nipple mutilation. Don’t send it to me. Ow.
Literary highbrow anything. I like characters and plot and don’t really care as much about pretty sentences. I definitely can’t help you with a literary novel.
Friend’s books – if I’ve read for you before or I know you well already, please don’t sub to me. I’ll CP your book anyways! (If I’ve read for you as part of a fundraiser auction, feel free to sub to me though, as I haven’t read enough of your book for it to count)
Communication/Mentoring Style:
If you have gchat/hangouts we can talk as much as you want. *I don’t do phone calls unless it’s important* (you can ask my agent, Eric Smith, about this – it was my first question to him). I don’t have cell service in the lab, so phone calls will have to be scheduled.
As a mentor I won’t be cruel, but I will be honest. If you want someone to tell you that you’re the best, bye.
I don’t pull punches on my critiques. I will tell you what I think is wrong. I will also tell you how I would change it, or how I’ve seen others do the same thing. It’s up to you to decide if I’m wrong. If you decide I’m wrong, we’ll go forward with your vision. It’s your book, not mine.
My strengths for editing are structure, linearity (if your character’s drinking tea on one page and coffee on the next, I promise I’ll notice it), characterization, and dialogue. If I work with you, we’re going to be making major changes, not just changing a word here or there to make a sentence sound nice. Honestly, if your book just needs a few words changed, you should probably be querying instead of joining PitchWars.
Oh, and I love synopses, so we’ll definitely polish yours to a shine! I’m also going to ask for one if I’m interested in your book, so make sure you have one ready (even if it’s bad, that’s fine, that’s what I’m here for).
If you have any questions, hit me up on Twitter – I’ll have my DMs open during the submission window. I’m also participating in the #AskMentor chat on the 16th!
I can’t wait to see what you guys send me!
2018 Adult Mentors
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Will Dragon dwarfs be okay? My necromancy system has some connection to radioactive decay, and it has physiological effects. I have a medical background and I couldn’t help adding some physiology to my magic systems. Contemporary fantasy setting, but alternate earth.
I am hitting some of your other wants too, but there is some dark stuff in my story and people get wounded somewhat graphically, but I wouldn’t call it horror. Just wounds. None gratuitous, just in the line of magic.
Wounds are fine, even graphically described wounds. I worked at a vet for a couple of years so blood and gore doesn’t generally bother me 🙂 As for dragon dwarfs, I’d be interesting to see what that means, and I’m not opposed to either dragons or dwarfs.
Thanks!
Hi Rebecca,
I am a first time writer, new to the industry, desperate to get published, and in need of your expertise. I read your bio and you seem to know exactly what position I’m in and from what I’ve read. We have some similar interests, Killer whales are my favorite animals, I enjoyed Blackfish and love the ocean. My book is a low fantasy, there is no real magic and I try to keep the world very real. It is a historical fantasy with Orcs in it, although I use the term because I like the name, they are essentially Mutants. Other than that there is nothing related to Tolkien Characters (elves, dwarfs, that kind of stuff).
I’m not the best writer, and I’m a worse editor but I have a good story. It is complete but I’m sure you could refine it. I have blurred lines between protagonists and antagonists, where one could easily be the other if you just switched POV.
My book is set in a second world fantasy with rich, fully-realized characters. They are full of diversity, face adversary, and must make complex choices . I care equally about building the characters as I do about building the world they live in. My story is built around hope and survival
I’m really new to twitter, just got it for Pitch Wars so feel free to email me and I would be happy to talk more!
Hey Andrew, you aren’t supposed to pitch your book directly to mentors before the submission window opens, but feel free to pitch to me when it does through the pitchwars form on their website 🙂 And yay team Killer Whales!
Thank you, I know i’m on vacation when that is going on. I’ll be in mexico, no killer whales but i’ll see some cool fish. Anyway I should have internet so i’ll be sure to send you a pitch. I’ve been on the website I haven’t seen the location where you actually submit a pitch yet. I’ve mostly just been going on the forums there and looking at mentor bios/ wish lists.
They’re still testing the section where you’ll actually send the pitch to make sure it works with all the traffic, so you can’t get to it yet, but it’ll be there on Monday! Enjoy the fish, and if you see any sergeant majors (they’re my favorite reef fish) tell them a mermaid says Hi! 😉
Hi Rebecca,
Do you read/are interested in Speculative Fiction with Sci-Fi elements (i.e. Time Travel plots). My book involves someone forced to relive their past and diving into the idea of what would happened if you changed your past. I’m having a difficult time selecting which mentors I want to pitch to for Pitch Wars. Most mentors who are looking for Sci-Fi tend to only want epic space battles with laser guns.
And I do have a scientific explanation for how he went back in time ????
While epic space battles with laser guns are fun, i’m open to all types of spec fic (except the ones listed in my no section). Time travel sounds fun too!
I love to write a dash of humor in my fantasy (loved Kill the Farm Boy too). But senses of humor are very subjective, so I’m curious: what’s yours like? For example, more Terry Pratchett or Sam Sykes? Thank you!
Sam Sykes for sure! I freaking loved CITY STAINED RED 🙂
I loved the one too! Thank you!
I know it’s late in the game, yet, I’m wondering if you read duel pov’s in historical fiction with time travel /magical realism? choosing mentors has me revising my mentor list at the last minute, again…
That sounds fine to me 🙂
I wanted to thank you for participating in Pitch Wars. Regardless of whether or not you liked my entry, I will be reading ‘Putting the Science in Fiction’, which I don’t think I would’ve found if it wasn’t for your existence. I do love getting the science right!! ????
I’m so glad to hear that! I’m really hoping that book helps lots of SFF writers (including me!l