Bio

Madelyn Knecht is a freelance editor and owner of MadHope Editorial from Texas with 7+ years of writing and editing experience, including a current internship at a literary agency. 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

• Age Groups: Middle Grade, Young Adult, Adult
• Genres: Fantasy (all subgenres), Science Fiction (all but military), speculative, horror, paranormal, thriller, mystery

I'm looking for one main component in all my submissions: fun.

I want fun books full of magic and whimsy and maybe a bit of comedy. I love when books are able to make me smile or laugh. But I also want to be hiding behind my hands reading something spooky. I'm looking for voice, and commercial stories with a lyrical edge.

Some of my favorite authors include: F.T. Lukens, Aiden Thomas, Andrew Joseph White, Samantha Shannon, Jonathan Stroud, Liselle Sambury, and Leigh Bardugo.

Some favorite books: A Marvellous Light, Their Vicious Games, Six of Crows, The Lightning Thief, A Study in Vengeance, The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Voyage of the Damned, Spellbound by F.T. Lukens.

I would love a happy, queer story with magic. But I also love twisted mental stories such as THEIR VICIOUS GAMES with an unreliable narrator like A STUDY IN VENGEANCE. I'm especially looking for stories by marginalized authors.

Some things I love:

• A series of games/trials/exams (think the Hunter Exams in HunterxHunter or the tests in Their Vicious Games)
• Seaside settings
• Atmospheric fantasy and horror
• The occult (unique takes on witches, vampires, etc., although I'm not a fan of werewolves
• dragons (all kinds. bring the unique takes on dragons)

NOT FOR ME:

• sexual assault/rape
• spousal abuse
• drug use (flexible on this--just ask)
• cheating

Q&A

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

Start with activity. It can be small, but have the character doing something actively instead of sitting around and thinking. That being said, I'm big on characters. If you can make your character's voice stand out in the first five pages, I'm hooked!

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

I'm happy to use Zoom or email depending on your preference, although I do prefer Zoom as a first meeting. After that, though, we can chat through email. I'm always happy to answer questions. I like to be motivational, but realistic. I won't sugar coat things, but I WILL make sure to sing the praises you (rightly) deserve.

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

I'm looking for a collaboration. I want our visions to align and our communication to be easy and consistent. I don't need updates every week, but I would like prompt responses when materials are due.

What hobbies do you have outside of writing and editing?

When I'm not wrangling six animals including my Australian Shepherds, I love playing video games (especially Rune Factory, Stardew Valley, and Legend of Zelda), coloring, drawing, and making goofy little clay crafts.