Bio

Raquel Brown is a developmental editor and book coach for fantastic, eccentric, enchanting, and eerie fiction. She loves teaming up with writers who value the craft of storytelling and who seek to light a fire within their readers. This also means she gets way too excited about untangling plot threads, character relationships, and worldbuilding. Her favorite thing about editing is helping authors breathe new life into their work.

She serves on the board of directors for the San Diego Professional Editors Network, and is a member of the EFA, ACES, and several other editing organizations. She's worked with a variety of indie authors, as well as indie and trad publishers.

When she’s not busy with a book, you can find her cooking, hiking, or playing video games.

Pronouns: She/They

MSWL

I’m looking for engaging, sincere characters that drag me into their worlds! I’m super excited to work with adult or young adult stories in the following genres:

• Fantasy — May I see some stories with dragons, please? How about a book with vampires, faeries, paladins, werewolves, or some witchcraft? I’m hoping to get lost in a fun portal fantasy, some intriguing grimdark, or your take on a classic sword and sorcery story! Swashbuckling, anyone? Or fantasy stories with suspicious religious institutions? If you’re working on a LitRPG, catapult it over! Please send me romantasy (all spice is totally fine). I love low fantasy and high fantasy equally, and would love to see a mashup with another genre. In keeping with what I said last year, I will not hold a grudge against a doorstopper—if a chonky book grabs me, it grabs me, and we’ll get that word count where it needs to be.
• Sci-Fi —Let’s see some first contact books! I’d love some stories featuring non-earthlings as main characters. I am still searching for some droids. (If your story has a robot who falls in love, I need you to send it asap.) I’m also open to time travel. Send me a mashup sci-fi, a mystery on another planet, something on Earth in like, 3595. I would especially love to see some small-scale sci-fi. If you’re trying something new, it would be awesome to have some cozy or romantic elements mixed in. (Missed connection: cozy alien invasion?) And, last but certainly not least, my eternal request for steampunk!
• Horror — Are you working on some medieval/historical horror? Horror with a side of romance? Send it to me! I want to see some possession horror, folk horror, religious horror, gothic horror, classic monster mashes, or classic horror remixes. (It sure would be a shame if that creepy old house you just moved into was haunted!) I neglected to mention cannibalism last year, so count me in if you’re doing something neat there. Communion with the dead, creeping through a cave, camping, dripping teeth, dark forests, recognizing the beast inside yourself. Send me your ghosts and cold hands and dread.

I love epistolary novels, unreliable narrators, and genre mashups. As much as I love big, serious stories, I also have a ton of fun with highly unserious mashups and small slice-of-life stories too! I’m a big fan of expanded speculative cultures and speculative religious institutions. I think there's a little room for romance within any story, and while I’m not very trope-focused, I do appreciate the enemies-to-smooching pipeline. If there’s something not on this list, but you think I would dig it, go for it! And if you have any questions, please let me know!

I am pickier about…

• Heists
• Splatterpunk/Body horror (let’s see some scares but not just horror for shock value)
• Contemporary zombie novels
• Books that are not intended as a standalone (LitRPG authors can ignore this one)
• Fantasy stories where a group teams up to go kill a god (I really want to see some strong character/worldbuilding for something headed in this direction)
• Stories with main characters who are siblings
• Contemporary Fantasy
• Magical schools and/or summer camps
• Retellings (e.g., fairy tale or mythology remixes)
• Word counts more than 50K above genre recommendations

I’m not planning to take on…

• Contemporary Romance
• Contemporary Thrillers/Suspense
• Stories with 3+ main character POVs (Unless I absolutely fall in love with it—which is entirely possible—I am trying to stick to under 2 POVs this year!)
• Stories where a terminal illness is a major plot point

Q&A

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

An intriguing premise gets me to open a book, but what keeps me seated is a storytelling voice full of personality. I want to hear our narrator introduce the story and feel like their words make the rest of my world fade away. The language doesn't need to be complicated, just sincere. If we can get an understanding of the immediate circumstances and feel connected to the main character’s plight, even better—whether that’s overthrowing the High King, falling in love, or heading back from a bakery in the rain (all equally difficult tasks, especially without an umbrella). Atmosphere and heart are what keep me pinned to the pages. If there’s worry or hope or happiness or horror, I want to feel steeped in this right from the start. (Alternatively, an absolutely off-the-wall premise is another way to keep my attention, even in a book where the voice may need to be strengthened.)

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

We're a team, and I'm here to help you get the story where you want it to go. I view editing as conversational and interactive, and prefer to give coaching-style feedback that meets you where you are—keeping in mind that each author's creative journey is bit different. I want to challenge you to write your book the best that you can, and provide encouragement throughout the process!

When we get started, I'll send over a questionnaire, and we can chat via email or Zoom so I can get a strong sense of your goals before jumping into my side of the edits. Then, after sending over a feedback letter, we can regroup to chat through it and see how you’re feeling about the revision plan. If you need accountability, additional guidance, or want more feedback as you’re revising, I’m here to provide that support. But if you’re very independent and only want guidance at certain intervals, I’m happy to be more hands-off. I’m usually pretty speedy when it comes to responding to emails, and when we’re in Hustle Mode, I aim to respond to any questions within a day.

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

I love helping writers who are excited to see their story from a new angle, especially when it comes to digging in and making big changes. Get ready to work ;-) I really value collaboration, and would be very happy to team up with an author who is curious, someone open to brainstorming and talking through new ideas for their story.

It's also very helpful if you have a sense of your goals, both for the manuscript and writing in general. For instance, even if you don't know how to get there yet, where do you want your story to go? How do you want your readers to feel, what publishing path are you interested in, what's the biggest writing problem you're facing that I can help with?

I aim to go above and beyond for my authors, so rest assured if you're struggling in the revision trenches giving 110%, I'll be right there too. (In other words: "I can't carry it for you... but I can carry you!")

What hobbies do you have outside of writing and editing?

I really enjoy cooking, video games, wildlife, and being outside! I've got a bunch of plants that I try my best to keep alive. Aside from that, I spend most of my free time reading—big surprise, I know. And I love watching horror movies (even if I have to peek through my fingers like a scaredy-cat).