Bio

Madelyn Knecht is a freelance editor and owner of MadHope Editorial from Texas with 7+ years of writing and editing experience. She was a RevPit mentee in 2020 and is thrilled to join as an editor in 2024. She loves queer stories with dark twists and rich worlds, especially in fantasy and light science fiction. Her favorites include Middle Grade and Young Adult fantasy with fantastic characters. She is not a fit for contemporary, historical or religious stories. When not reading, editing, or writing, she's spending time with her two criminal Australian Shepherds.

Pronouns: She/Her

MSWL

Above all, I'm looking for characters who make me want to laugh, scream, or cry. Preferably all of them at different times. I enjoy lush fantasy worlds above all else, but a strong enough contemporary fantasy may sway my favor. I would especially love something that blends speculative genres, especially with horror elements. If you're not sure where your book fits, I want to see it!

This year, I'm only looking for Middle Grade and Young Adult fantasy or science fiction. I would especially like a queer story and stories by other marginalized voices.

Some tropes I love:

• Necromancy
• Eat the rich
• Friends to lovers
• Pining idiots
• Sunshine x grumpy
• Chosen One (with a twist)
• Descent into madness

Some of my favorite pieces of media (both recent and not) include:

• Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle
• Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
• Lockwood & Co. by Jonathan Stroud
• A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin
• I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me by Maison Shea
• Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
• Barbie Movie 2023
• Pride and Prejudice (2005)
• How to Train Your Dragon
• Rise of the Guardians (give me a protagonist like Jack Frost!)
• Hunter x Hunter
• Alita Battle Angel
• Supernatural (only seasons 1-4)
• Vicious by VE Schwab
• _The Lightning Thief _by Rick Riordan

I am NOT a fit for stories featuring sexual assault of any kind, western settings, hard SciFi, fantasy racism, heavy Christian themes, or historical fantasy with heavy sexism/misogyny.

Q&A

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

The first five pages shook hook me with CHARACTER. I want to sink my teeth into a great character that feels like a real person, whether they're a hero, a villain, or somewhere in between. I don't want a protagonist that just lets the story happen to them. Instead, I want to see how they're driven. I'll also be looking for grounding. Bring me into your world ASAP.

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

I'm here to be your cheerleader as well as your editor! I'll be available on email, Reddit, and/or Twitter(X) to discuss changes. When my mentee is chosen, we'll have a Zoom meeting to go over the edit letter and what I loved about your story. If you don't want to be on camera, that's fine, too!

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

While I don't want to hang over your shoulder, I do want to know how progress is going. My DMs and email will always be open. I hope to have communication throughout the process, even if it's just a message every so often to let me know how you're faring.

What hobbies do you have outside of writing and editing?

I love playing casual video games like Stardew Valley, making little clay figures, training my dogs, falling down way too many YouTube rabbit holes (especially true crime), and drawing.