Mentor Katie Kingman

by | Dec 20, 2020 | Mentors (R8) | 0 comments

@kingmanwrites

AGENT
Rachel Brooks @ Bookends

WRITES
Contemporary and Light Sci-Fi

DEBUT
DOWN WITH THIS SHIP (June 8, 2021)

BIO
Katie Kingman lives and writes in Phoenix, Arizona with her human and cat family. She has a degree in English Literature and a master’s in Secondary Education. She’s written for various pregnancy publications and the website Alpha Airlock. She teaches high school classes including British Literature, Creative Writing, and a film class. When not writing, she’s gaming or gardening. Her debut about fandom and the perils of shipping, DOWN WITH THIS SHIP, is coming from Flux Books in June 2020.

PUBLISHING BACKGROUND
After a few years of writing, Katie’s first manuscript, THE SEVEN SKIES, was accepted into the contest Pitch Madness. Though it didn’t land her an agent, it received feedback that led to several massive rewrites. The manuscript was then picked in Author Mentor Match Round 2, and took even more of an overhaul. Though it got lots of attention, it still didn’t land an agent. On a whim, it became the inspiration for the manuscript DOWN WITH THIS SHIP, which landed an agent and a publishing deal. Fun fact: THE SEVEN SKIES is the fanfiction that the main character in DWTS writes! Katie is now drafting another contemporary novel that takes place in her hometown of Phoenix, AZ.

EXPERIENCE
Katie’s been teaching English for a decade and have written for several magazines (print and online). I’ve been helping with submission packages for AMM since Round 2. I have critique partners with agents and book deals, and I’ve loved celebrating every step with them.

OVERVIEW

I want to give back to the community that took a chance on me. I’ve wanted to be a mentor since I was back in the slush pile — I’m super flexible when it comes to what a mentee needs — it’ll all depend on that manuscript! But mostly, I want to take a newbie writer and help them navigate the scary world that is publishing from concept to copy edits!

Contemporary and sci-fi (space operas please!). I love thrillers, but I’m not into too much gore. Anything about fandom culture. I’m a literature major and I adore books that find new ways of playing with the canon.

  • Contemporary
  • Romance
  • Sci-Fi
  • Mystery/Thriller
  • Historical
  • #ownvoices

Love: Enemies to lovers, slow burn, found families, supportive siblings, characters who love their pets. Settings that take place around holidays.

 

I WILL PROVIDE:

  • Edit Letter (Big Picture developmental feedback)
  • Line edit (dropping notes into a Word Document)
  • Skype or phone call
  • Freestyle in chat

WORKING STYLE
I’m so excited to help a mentee hone their craft and make their story into something that they cannot wait to query! Querying happens to be my favorite part of the publishing journey, believe it or not. When I find an idea that I’m wild about, I will follow it through to the end—and that means the celebrations that come with querying, landing an agent, and the road to publication. I will be a mentor that edits as I go, leaves helpful (hopefully) comments in the margins, and most of all, FANGIRLS about your concept, follows your characters every step of the way, and falls in love with your villain.

IDEAL MENTEE
Understands that there’s only one way to write a good book — you write a not-so-good one first and then you make it better.

SEND ME:

  • I should start with ships! They’re what will keep me reading all night! But genre wise, I love a good contemporary. Some of my favorite contemporary writers are Rachel Lynn Solomon, Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka, Abagail Johnson, and Katy Upperman, Kara McDowell. If you have anything in their vein (light-hearted with depth) then I want to see it! NEVER HAVE I EVER, the Netflix show, is my favorite contemporary story right now.
  • I’m all about geeky stories — send me your nerds! Some recent reads: COMICS WILL BREAK YOUR HEART, FANGIRL, DON’T READ THE COMMENTS. Anything that is about fandom will catch my eye.
  • I LOVE novels in verse, and anything that is literature centered will definitely be something I want to see.
  • Enemies to lovers—my absolute favorite series is THE WINNER’S TRILOGY by Marie Rutkoski. If you have a romance like Arin and Kestrel, please send it to me.
  • Slow burn—absolute must for me. I’ve been reading long enough to know what gets me—if you have the potential for this even, then I will help you hone that tension! If a first kiss happens in the first part of the book, it’s probably not going to be for me. Best friends to lovers is not my fav but I’d look at it!
  • Found families—particularly in space operas, ala FIREFLY, STARFLIGHT, and BRIGHTLY BURNING. I adore space opera — especially when it’s light-hearted sci fi. I tend to get bogged down in world building details, but if it’s light I will probably like it. GODDESS IN THE MACHINE is in my TBR, but this is right up my alley. I adore the entire STARBOUND trilogy, especially THESE BROKEN STARS.

DO NOT SEND ME:

  • Absolutely no student/teacher relationships.
  • No insta-love.
  • No bullying.
  • No animal death.
  • Nothing demonic (I’m a scaredy cat, but I can handle gore). 

FAVES

Some of my favorite recent reads include: WELL MET, KISSING MAX HOLDEN, YOU SHOULD SEE ME IN A CROWN, IF I’M BEING HONEST, WAITING FOR TOM HANKS, BLOOD WATER PAINT, LONG WAY DOWN, ONE OF US IS LYING, ALL YOUR TWISTED SECRETS, ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.

My fav shows with no particular explanation: NEVER HAVE I EVER, JULIE & THE PHANTOMS, DEAD TO ME, ZOEY’S EXTRAORDINARY PLAYLIST, PENNY DREADFUL, THE BOYS, SUPERNATURAL, BUFFY, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, FIREFLY, LOST, THE 100 (before season 4), DASH & LILLY.