www.www.danamele.com
@MsDanaMele
AGENT
Andrea Somberg
WRITES
YA thriller / Sci-Fi / Contemporary with speculative elements
DEBUT
PEOPLE LIKE US (February 27, 2018)
Putnam
BIO
Dana Mele is a Pushcart-nominated writer and a work at home mother. A graduate of Wellesley College, she is a former actor, lawyer, musician, and briefly, associate producer. She is currently editor-in-chief of Kaaterskill Basin Literary Journal and associate editor of Luna Station Quarterly. She prefers tea to coffee, snow to sand, and stars to sunshine, and she lives in the Catskills with her husband and toddler.
PUBLISHING BACKGROUND
I like to say that my path to publication has been both long and short. I’ve always wanted to be a writer, but after college I took another path that led me first into theater, then teaching, then television, and then law. I did work at a bookstore along the way, so I was close to books, and I was allowed to write a teeny tiny bit of copy as an associate producer. And I did a ton of academic writing. But it’s not really the same. I started a few short stories here and there, and got my first idea for a novel over ten years ago. But I get really easily convinced that I’m no good, and I shelved it before I finished. I started another one a few years later, and I really liked that one too, even more maybe. But again, I lost my confidence. Fast forward to 2015. I had just come off my maternity leave and moved to the middle of nowhere and my job had become completely remote. I suddenly got laid off and had zero work prospects. I decided to give writing one last try. This time was just as scary, but I had a lot more practice. I decided to double down on that and took a couple of online classes (I mean it when I say the middle of nowhere) and volunteered to work as a reader for a couple of literary magazines so I was bombarded with literature. I focused on short fiction and got a few publications while constantly reading. I eventually took a position as an associate editor and then started my own lit journal. And I started to write another novel. I got a little overexcited then, and started querying it before it was ready, and the rejections started pouring in. And this time, I came so close to giving up again—But instead, I poured my fear and anxiety into writing another novel about fear and anxiety. And I queried that, and got requests immediately. Pretty soon after that, I got “the call” and that’s pretty much the story. It was a long and short journey.
EXPERIENCE
I majored in theater. I have about 7 years of editorial experience now in academia, journalism, and literature. I edit two literary journals currently and used to work for a third before it closed. I have several critique partners and created and admin a YA CP match Facebook group.
OVERVIEW
When I started writing with a goal of getting published, I didn’t really know what I was getting into. Looking back, I wish I’d had a mentor to talk me through manuscript issues and help me navigate the waters of signing with an agent. If I can be that for an aspiring writer with a bright future, then I want to be!
As a mentor and critique partner, I tend to be more of a big-picture sort of thinker, helping identify plot holes or missing pieces of character arcs, and brainstorming ways to work through them. If something isn’t working, I’m going to let you know (while also leaving lots of positive comments on sentences that I love). I love reading character-driven stories with strong voice, but am probably not the right mentor if you’re still trying to figure out the whole voice thing.
- Contemporary
- Sci-Fi
- Mystery/Thriller
- #ownvoices
- LGBTQIA
- Horror
Within sci-fi: I prefer near future sci-fi and sci-fi in settings similar to contemporary with advanced technology. I do like dystopian fiction, and dark stories centered around futuristic technology grounded in current tech (think Black Mirror).
Within mystery/thriller: I most prefer psychological thrillers, but really will read everything in this category.
Horror: No slashers, please. I prefer psychological horror and suspense. Think Hitchcock minus Psycho and Frenzy.
Within contemporary: I’m not so into romance as a genre, but romantic subplots are great.
I WILL PROVIDE:
- Edit Letter (Big Picture developmental feedback)
- Line edit (dropping notes into a Word Document)
- Skype or phone call
WORKING STYLE
I’m very communicative and will go back and forth answering questions and making further suggestions to work with you collaboratively after the initial edit letter. I’m also happy to help strategize re: querying, researching agents, resume building, etc.
IDEAL MENTEE
My ideal mentee is collaborative, works hard, is comfortable receiving feedback, isn’t afraid to make changes, and is ready to take the next steps toward publication.
SEND ME:
I like dark stories, flawed protagonists, and kinda sorta sympathetic villains. Multidimensional characters, moral gray areas, and stories that challenge. If your manuscript features an “unlikeable girl” I am definitely interested. I would love, love, love to get a YA Gone Girl, The Secret History, or In the Woods, a contemporary with a speculative twist like Before I Fall, anything that uses We Were Liars as a comp, or a horror story that (thoughtfully) examines society’s dismissal of the gravity of emotional violence and the power of words to inflict concrete harm. On the complete flipside, if it’s funny, especially bitingly funny, please sub it!
DO NOT SEND ME:
I’m not the best person for books where characters with mental illness or disability are demonized or die so that abled people can appreciate the value of life.
FAVES
YA books: We Were Liars, Before I Fall, The Window.
Books: The Secret History, The Woods, Gone Girl, The Shining.
TV: Westworld, Stranger Things, Game of Thrones, Lost.
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