Hi! I’m Jessica Grace Kelley.

This is my #AmmConnect bio. If you’re unfamiliar with Author mentor Match, check it out by clicking on the link.

I started writing novels after spending a year reviewing books on my book blog, anchoredgypsy.com. I work with teens as a fiction teacher at The Muse Writer’s Center and present a YA workshop with HRW’s Traveling Pen series. Blogging is still a passion, and I’m happy to be a contributor at allthewayya.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MERCY KILLERS : YA Fantasy

There are worse things that dying from the Plague.    You could survive it, and be forced to serve as a     Mercy Killer.

Quick Summary :

At age 19, the Guardian has taken hundreds of lives, euthanizing sufferers so they don’t have to endure the Plague’s cruel end. When he arrives in Attica, the only city with a perfect quarantine system, people treat him like a God.

But Greylin, a 17-year-old vagabond who grew up outside the safety of Attica, can’t see past the blood on the Guardian’s hands. She understands the Plague’s danger because she lost a childhood friend to the sickness. Greylin is the only one asking the question: why is a Mercy Killer visiting the only city that’s never fallen to the Plague?  The Guardian doesn’t travel for fun, he travels for work, and his occupation is death.

Mercy Killers has

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*Twisted themes * Glittery atmosphere * Enemies to lovers *Complicated female friendships *Flawed antiheroes *Morally gray characters *Murder *Magic *Spiderwebs  *Roma Culture *Tragic backstory *Redemption for the wicked

**A MIND-BLOWING ENDING**

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The hook is killer, pun intended. The characters are vivid. But at this point it’s a slow burn, and that needs to be fixed. I want to build a story that does this hook and these characters justice. I will slay and bleed and slaughter words like it is my job, because that’s what’s being a writer is. For me, this mentorship isn’t just about THIS project, it’s about learning craft and buckling up the the long run.

 

Why Pick Me?.

• Revisions don’t scare me. They excite me. I always want the work to be better.
• I’m fast. I can spit out 5k+ words in a day without blinking.
• Re-writing is my jam.
• Little darlings? Let’s murder them all! It’ll be fun.
• Craft matters to me.  Every plot point, character, and arc.
• I am so aware of how much I don’t know. That’s why I’m here.

Writing is my life. I teach fiction, I freelance, and I’m part of a fiction studio.  My projects have won the YA Authors.me contest, the YA Molly Award, the Emma Merritt Award, the Fools for love Contest, and placed top three in over a dozen others. Despite these small successes, I know that I’m not where I need to be– but I’m close. I want to learn how to navigate a pitch, how to polish a query until it stuns, and how to build a story with forward movement, sharp dialogue,  and out of this world imagery.

What I’m looking for in a Mentor

I want you to love my story, and I want you to see the flaws.

Tell me to cut. Tell me to kill. Ask me to burn a chapter, replace a POV,  or rewrite fifteen scenes, I welcome it. It’s going to happen– I’m pretty sure I have soggy beginning syndrome. Teach me to pull out the dark and gritty threads that make a story great. Show me how to build a submission package. Give me pointers on choosing an agent. Let’s brainstorm together, laugh, cry over failures and celebrate the highs. I want to get to know you.

I really, really hope I get the chance to be a mentee.  And when I learn enough to reach my goals, I promise to help someone else do the same.

 

Thanks to all the Mentors who give their time toward this incredible event. I hope you all find a book you love! Special shout out to Heather Kaczynski and Alexa Donne for creating and managing this incredible opportunity.

Good luck Mentees!