Bio

Kala Godin is a 27-year-old author and editor living with a physical disability (Spinal Muscular Atrophy type 2) and is confined to a wheelchair. She has been editing and writing for the last 7 years. She lives in a small town in Alberta, Canada. She's had 3 poetry collections and several short horror stories published. Halloween is her favorite holiday. She likes tattoos, chocolate, horror, and witchcraft.

Pronouns: She/Her

MSWL

MG:

• Contemporary: Yes. For MG Contemporary, I would really like to see something that breaks the mold that is Contemporary fiction. I want something like Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson.
• Sci-fi: Yes. I want Dystopian, and I want it to be humorous.
• Mystery: Yes. I love a fun mystery. Something in the vein of Nancy Drew.
• Horror: Yes. Any horror. I love body horror. But I also really love a haunting. Think City of Bones by Victoria E. Schwab or Goosebumps by R. L. Stine.

YA:

• Contemporary: Yes. I am going to be really specific here. I want a physically disabled main character.
• Sci-Fi: Yes. I want dystopian again here! Or something that feels like Stranger Things.
• Mystery: Yes. I want a murder mystery gone wrong. Or something like Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson.
• Horror: Yes. Literally any horror. Gimme!

Adult:

• Contemporary: Yes. Send me something that feels like the main character is in a cult.
• Fantasy: Yes. I want something to do with witchcraft, but little on the fantasy. With really high stakes. Think Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom or Circe by Madeline Miller
• Sci-fi: Yes. Dystopian.
• Mystery: Yes. I want cults. Serial killers. And unreliable narrators!
• Romance: Yes. Specifically horror romance. Think Grave Matter by Karina Halle or A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson.
• Horror: Yes. Pretty much anything.

Do NOT send me anything that has a main character who is a cop or a detective. Little/fluffy romances aren’t my thing. No aliens. Also no space opera.

Q&A

How can a manuscript’s first five pages make you sit up and take notice?

I'm the kind of person who needs action, ambiance, or intrigue right away when reading. If it's a horror, I want it to feel eerie (or I want to be kind of grossed out). A mystery needs to piqué my interest very early on. A Romance is great but my favorite is Horror-romance.

What can writers expect from working with you during #RevPit, including communication?

I will communicate with a writer regularly! However, I only want to chat via emails. This is because I am physically disabled and I have a hard time with Video chats and calls. For Developmental Edits, I do 3 passes.

My first pass will include in-line comments and an edit letter. Then I let the writer go over it and make their edits; during this, the writer is free to email me any questions they have about the edits.

When the writer is done, they can send the edited manuscript back to me and I can do the second pass. This pass will include in-line comments about what the writer could still improve on. And I send it back to the writer again. The writer is still free to ask me anything.

When the writer is done when with the edits of second pass, they can send it back to me for the third pass. The third pass will only include in-line comments. I allow up to 5 months for this process.

My editing style is pretty blunt, but I am definitely not insensitive.

What do you expect from writers during the #RevPit revision process, including communication?

I expect kindness and understanding. I only work so many days out of the week, so I am not available every day. I will not hound a writer for answers, so I ask for the same courtesy. I am very prompt, but there are some cases where I won't be able to answer for a few days.

I am happy to accommodate writers where I can but I love a set boundary. I expect a writer to be blunt with me. What do you want/need from me?

What hobbies do you have outside of writing and editing?

Reading! But that seems like an obvious answer. I love The Sims 4, however I like building on it more than gameplay. I love horror, in any media.