Bio

Laura Galán-Wells (she/her) is a Coahuiltecan & Mexican-American writer, freelance editor, and sensitivity reader based in Austin, Texas, who mostly grew up in Spain, Egypt, and South Africa, and came home to Texas every summer. She has an HBS (Honors Bachelor of Science) in Psychology, with minors in English, Political Science, and Cognitive Science. Her writing is often inspired by Mesoamerican mythology, and she loves blending Speculative Fiction genres. She writes across Short Stories, Adult, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Novels in Verse, Poetry, and Comics.

Laura works across developmental, line, and copy editing in all age groups. Her favorite genres are Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Romance, Historical, and Alternate History. Her least favorite genres are Thriller, Mystery, and Women's Fiction. Subspecialties include world-building, character differentiation, braided narratives, and multiple points of view.

She provides sensitivity and/or authenticity reading across the following: General overview, Latinx/Texan/Mexican-American experience, culture, and microaggressions; sexism; child of immigrants; bilingualism; language immersion; third-culture kid; boarding school; private school; homeschooling; improv; volleyball; lupus; anemia; exercise-induced asthma; chronic illness/fatigue/pain; invisible disability; neurodivergence; ADHD; and the queer experience (gender fluidity, gender flux, demigirl, bisexuality).

Pronouns: She/Her

MSWL

Hi! I’ll be looking for projects that are as polished as the writer can get them, with grand-scale elements I can guide them to enhance. I have no experience in self-publishing, so would not be a good fit for writers with that goal.

THINGS I ENJOY:

• Hooky Premises - unique, intriguing, and can be summarized in a sentence or two
• Historically Marginalized Voices
• Disabled Characters
• Genre Blends of Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Historical, Alternate History, Romance, and Horror
• Multiple PoV with differentiated characters
• Favorite Romance Tropes: Love Triangles, Only One Bed, Fake Dating, Slow Burn, Enemies to Lovers, HEA
• Morally Gray Characters who are okay breaking rules/laws
• Mysteries Slowly Revealed
• Plot Twists
• Lush Cinematic Settings & Atmospheric Descriptions
• Dystopians, disasters, & plagues
• Fantasy & Romantasy inspired by real life culture, history, fables, folklore, and mythology
• Sci-fi - preference for survival type situations

NOT LOOKING FOR:

• Historically marginalized main characters written by non-marginalized creators
• Contemporary, Thriller, Mystery, Psychological Horror, Woman Fiction, Literary
• Dual timelines
• Racism/Sexism/Bigotry as driving themes
• Excessive gore or body horror
• SA on or off the page
• Consensual Non-consent, Dubious Non-consent
• Animal Characters
• Religious Themes or Angels/Demons
• Non-Happy Endings

BOOKS I LOVE:

(An eclectic selection that goes beyond the ages and genres I’m accepting, for the purpose of relaying vibes)

THE LAST CUENTISTA (Donna Barba Higuera), IVELIZ EXPLAINS IT ALL (Andrea Beatriz Arango), FRIZZY (Claribel Ortega), IRON WIDOW (Xiran Jae Zhao), ARISTOTLE AND DANTE DISCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE (Benjamin Alire Sáenz), THE BONE SHARD DAUGHTER (Andrea Stewart), THE CRUEL PRINCE (Holly Black), FAKE DATES AND MOONCAKES (Sher Lee), THE LESBIANA’S GUIDE TO CATHOLIC SCHOOL (Sonora Reyes), FABLE (Adrienne Young), THE POET X (Elizabeth Acevedo), SIX OF CROWS (Leigh Bardugo), THE GILDED WOLVES (Roshani Chokski), THEY CALL HER FREGONA (David Bowles), THE MARTIAN (Andy Weir), THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY (Matta Haig), THE INHERITANCE OF ORQUÍDEA DIVINA (Zoraida Córdova), MEXICAN GOTHIC (Silvia Moreno-Garcia), BABEL (R.F. Kuang), SAGA (Brian K Vaughan & Fiona Staples), STATION ELEVEN (Emily St. John Mandel), MOON OF THE CRUSTED SNOW (Waubgeshig Rose)

Q&A

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

I'm drawn to main characters with a unique personality that shines from page one. In the first five pages I want to see the main character's everyday life and get a sense of who and what is important to them, and why. Bonus points for showing at least one character flaw early on, which makes your character feel like a real person.

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

I take commitments very seriously and will check in if there are any unexpected delays. My favorite way to communicate is via email, and I'll send an ""acknowledging receipt"" if I can't get to a question same day.

I'm a big fan of emojis and emoticons, and love including little positivity notes throughout the manuscript.

As I'm also a sensitivity reader, I will highlight any language, depictions, and content that could potentially be viewed as unintentionally stereotypical, offensive, or otherwise harmful to readers, through the lens of my own knowledge (we are all in a constant state of learning) and experiences.

On occasion, I may suggest reading a craft book (if I see a pattern where a specific one might be helpful) while I edit.

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

Ideally, a writer working with me would be on board with communicating via email, check their writer email routinely, meet deadlines (emergency exceptions), and get in touch if anything goes awry.

I am more than happy to answer questions or be a sounding board, and always hope writers feel comfortable reaching out, including beyond the initial back and forth about the edit letter.

What hobbies do you have outside of writing and editing?

When not writing/editing/sensitivity reading, I'm rehearsing or performing with my narrative improv troupe, playing volleyball, weightlifting, reading, thrifting, hiking, camping, or playing D&D/board games/video games with friends and family.