My dream came true!
✨I'M GOING TO BE PUBLISHED!✨
You are cordially invited to a twisty thriller set in a wealthy Black boarding school, featuring sapphic cheerleaders, female rage, and debutante balls!
My debut novel, WE KILL THE FLAME, is coming in 2025 from
@HarperCollins
!
For years, I’ve dreamed of this moment.
Thrilled to announce, I’m repped by the incredible
@Natalie_Lakosil
!
Excited to
#AmplifyBlackVoices
with my
#DVPit
rap novel about:
An African rapper👩🏾🇸🇱
Afro-Latinx MC 🧑🏾🦱🇩🇴
Body Positivity💁🏾♀️
Fake Dating👩❤️👨
&
Black Pride✊🏾
Don’t Give Up!
THE POET X meets RHYTHM+FLOW
For 17y/o Diamond, a rap competition is the only way out of her projects in Queens & to raise money to treat her newborn daughter’s heart condition. But winning’s only half the battle, when she falls for her main competitor
#DVPit
#YA
#OWN
✨My Book Deal is Publisher’s Marketplace Official✨
WE KILL THE FLAME is WE WERE LIARS meets EUPHORIA, written in the vein of Gillian Flynn for Gen Z!
Perfect for fans of:
•Dark Academia
•Sapphic Cheerleaders
•True Crime
Debuting in 2025 from
@HarperCollins
@QuillTreeBooks
✨I’m SO EXCITED to announce my mentee for
#PitchWars
is
@Tyler_Alecia
✨
@Aaron_Cole
& I fell in love with her YA Fantasy BALLAD OF THE GODS’ BLESSED! An Aeneid retelling with a Black Daenerys Targaryen lead, steeped in rich African-American folklore.
Welcome to
#TeamSkywalker
!
Yay! The news is out!
So THRILLED to announce I’ll be mentoring YA in
#PitchWars
with my bestie
@Aaron_Cole
! This is our first year and we’re so excited to have our future mentee join us on
#TeamSkywalker
!!!!!!
Black SADIE+ONE OF US IS LYING
Lavender’s twin sister was murdered. Retracing her steps, Lavender takes her twin’s ‘prima’ ballerina spot at their dance academy. But, when more dancers turn up dead, Lavender has to find the killer or risk being the next victim
#DVPit
#YA
#T
#OWN
✨SO PROUD to announce I’ll be a YA Mentor for
#AuthorMentorMatch
Round 9 with
@Aaron_Cole
!✨
This is a full circle moment for me. I was an
#AuthorMentorMatch
mentee & it changed my life as a writer. Thrilled to now be an
#AMM
mentor & elevate my future mentee’s voice and story!
✨Pitch Wars Critique Giveaway✨
#TeamSkywalker
is excited to be doing another free query critique!
The rules are simple to enter:
✨ Reply with a gif that describes your
#PitchWars
book.
✨Follow
@Aaron_Cole
and I!
✨RT this tweet
Open to all! Giveaway ends 9/12!
✨I’m THRILLED to announce my mentee for
#AuthorMentorMatch
is
@rs_traylor
!✨
Raven’s book, WAKE ME UP BEFORE YOU GO is clever, timely, and moving. Think MORE HAPPY THAN NOT meets BACK TO THE FUTURE, but with a Black lead.
@Aaron_Cole
and I are so excited to get started!
#AMMR9
✨Hello,
#PitchWars
!✨
So thankful to all who submitted to
#TeamSkywalker
! We are so excited to dive into your amazing submissions.
@Aaron_Cole
and I will be doing
#PWTeasers
, so please stay tuned for updates!
We can't wait to find our mentee🥺
THE POET X meets RHYTHM+FLOW
For 17y/o Diamond, a rap competition is the only way out of her projects in Queens & to raise money to treat her newborn daughter’s heart condition. But winning’s only half the battle, when she falls for her main competitor
#DVPit
#YA
#OWN
✨Pitch Wars Update✨
#TeamSkywalker
has officially sent out our first
#PitchWars
requests! Don’t forget to check your spam folder. Also, please don’t be discouraged,
@Aaron_Cole
and I will be sending more requests throughout the month.
#PWTeasers
✨
#PitchWars
Critique Giveaway✨
#TeamSkywalker
is doing our final query critique giveaway before the submission window opens!
The rules are simple to enter:
✨Follow
@Aaron_Cole
and I!
✨RT this tweet
✨ Reply with the genre you write in
Open to all! Giveaway ends 9/24!
✨WE KILL THE FLAME is now available to add on Goodreads✨
Link:
WE KILL THE FLAME is if Bring It On’s Clovers were the stars of a small town murder mystery. Perfect for fans of:
🔥Dark Academia
🔥LGBTQ+ Rep
🔥BIPOC Rep
🔥Love Triangles
🔥Debutante Balls
My dream came true!
✨I'M GOING TO BE PUBLISHED!✨
You are cordially invited to a twisty thriller set in a wealthy Black boarding school, featuring sapphic cheerleaders, female rage, and debutante balls!
My debut novel, WE KILL THE FLAME, is coming in 2025 from
@HarperCollins
!
✨I’m so excited to be mentoring in
#AuthorMentorMatch
with
@Aaron_Cole
this year!✨
Please check out our MSWL for everything we’d love to see in our inbox! We can’t wait to read your stories and find the perfect mentee to join us in
#AMM
!
Wishlist Link:
THEY'RE HERE! Browse the
#R9AMM
Mentor Wish Lists and start building your sub list! You can submit to up to 4 mentors when the window opens January 12-14 2022.
#AuthorMentorMatch
First thing, the quality in the subs we received this year are excellent! I can see every writer’s book doing great things and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for everyone!
#PWTeasers
✨Hi
#PitchWars
community!✨
So grateful for all of the amazing submissions
#TeamSkywalker
received!! Excited to dive in and read all of your wonderful stories!
Get ready for
#PWTeasers
!
May the force be with me.
✨Pitch Wars Critique Giveaway✨
#TeamSkywalker
is doing another fun & free query critique giveaway!
The rules are simple to enter:
✨ Reply with a gif that describes your
#PitchWars
book.
✨Follow
@Aaron_Cole
and I!
✨RT this tweet
Open to all! Giveaway ends 9/19!
✨Pitch Wars Critique Giveaway✨
#TeamSkywalker
is excited to be mentoring for
#PitchWars
! To celebrate
@Aaron_Cole
& I will give a free query critique each week until sub. window opens!
Rules:
✨Follow me &
@Aaron_Cole
✨RT this post
1st giveaway ends Sep. 3rd @ 11:59PM PST.
✨Hi
#WritingCommunity
it’s the last day to submit to
#PitchWars
!✨
This is
@Aaron_Cole
and I’s first year as YA co-Mentors! We’re so excited to read all of your submissions and find the perfect mentee to join us on
#TeamSkywalker
!
Our wishlist is here:
✨
#TeamSkywalker
is SO grateful for all the amazing
#PitchWars
submissions we received!✨
There was so much talent & beautiful stories, it was hard to pick only one.
Please don’t give up. No matter what happens. Because
@Aaron_Cole
& I can’t wait to see your stories on shelves!
✨So excited for everyone subbing to
#PitchWars
✨
If you haven’t decided on your mentor picks,
@Aaron_Cole
and I invite you to check out
#TeamSkywalker
! We are mentoring YA/NA in all genres and would love to have you on our team!
✨Our wishlist is here✨
✨
#PitchWars
Critique Giveaway✨
#TeamSkywalker
is doing our final query critique giveaway before the submission window opens!
The rules are simple to enter:
✨Follow
@Aaron_Cole
and I!
✨RT this tweet
✨ Reply with the genre you write in
Open to all! Giveaway ends 9/24!
✨It’s Day 3 of
#PitchWars
!✨
My mentee’s Aenid reimagining stars Dido, a fearless Black Queen, who wages a war against her brother when he kills her lover. It features power-hungry girls who will burn down kingdoms to avenge the ones they’ve lost.
✨Team Skywalker’s
#PitchWars
Wishlist is LIVE!✨
We’re OPEN to ALL YA and NA genres!
@Aaron_Cole
and I can’t wait to read your words and fall in love with your stories! SO excited to welcome our future mentee to
#TeamSkywalker
!
✨Wishlist Linked Below✨
🎉 The 2021
#PitchWars
Mentor Wishlist Blog hop is officially live! 🎉
View wishlists here:
Join social programs here:
The sub window opens at midnight ET Sept 26 & closes 10pm ET Sept 30.
JORDAN PEELE+ONE OF US IS LYING
Lavender’s twin sister was murdered. Retracing her steps, Lavender takes her twin’s ‘prima’ ballerina spot at their dance academy. But, when more dancers turn up dead, Lavender has to find the killer or risk being the next victim
#DVPit
#YA
#T
✨ICYMI✨
Our amazing mentee
@Tyler_Alecia
’s Entry (
#13
): BALLAD OF THE GODS’ BLESSED is LIVE on
#PitchWars
! This Aeneid reimagining is steeped in African-American folklore and is THE GILDED ONES meets DAENERYS TARGARYEN, if she was a Black Queen.
Link:
Grateful for all of the special memories I’ve made and amazing people I’ve met during
#PitchWars
! As a first year Mentor, this experience was beyond a dream come true!
Thank you again to
@brendadrake
and
@kellyekell
and the incredible
#PitchWars
family!✨
After ten amazing years of building mentorships and an online community of writers,
#PitchWars
and
#PitMad
are coming to an end. As an entirely volunteer-run event, we are truly overjoyed and grateful for the opportunity to assist so many writers on their journeys. 1/3
Day 3 of the
#Pitchwars
showcase & it’s also
#BHM
!! My Afrofantasy has:
👑 Deadly brother-sister war
👑 Power-hungry, vengeful queen
👑Gods playing dress up as mortals
👑Girl gang ala ATLAs Azula, Mai, & Ty Lee
👑 Afro-American folklore
My entry is
#13
!
✨So excited that
#TeamSkywalker
’s interview for
#PitchWars
is LIVE!✨
@Aaron_Cole
and I are sooo insanely proud of all of the hard work
@tyler_alecia
has put into her stunning novel, BALLAD OF THE GODS’ BLESSED! Agents get ready!
#PitchWars
is officially underway! Last week I got a chance to chat with PW mentor
@Aaron_Cole
about his mentee to mentor journey and what it's like to co-mentor and co-write with his sister
@TamaraCole
, check it out here:
✨Happy Crying✨ for our talented SUPERSTAR mentee,
@tyler_alecia
! Tyler has worked SO hard and went above and beyond for her revisions! She is a true force, with an irresistible prose that will have readers hooked!
Her
#PitchWars
YA Entry is
#13
!BALLAD OF THE GODS’ BLESSED!✨
✨So excited for the world to read
@tyler_alecia
’s amazing Aeneid reimagining! Her Fierce Queen is
#BlackGirlMagic
! It’s been such a privilege to mentor her and her stunning novel during
#PitchWars
!✨
Happy
#pwparty21
✨I’m Tyler & my
#pitchwars
MS is a YA fantasy reimagining of the Aeneid inspired by Afro American folklore. A magical princess must wage war on her brother after he 🔪 her lover & fight off the colonizers who invaded the kingdom she built in her lover’s honor✨
✨I’m a
@HarperCollins
author✨
Thank you to my fabulous editor
@CapChapReads
for loving this novel and seeing my vision and how important this story was for me to tell!
Endless thanks to my amazing agent
@Natalie_Lakosil
! Your belief in me & my career has been life changing!
✨
#PitchWars
Critique Giveaway✨
#TeamSkywalker
is doing our final query critique giveaway before the submission window opens!
The rules are simple to enter:
✨Follow
@Aaron_Cole
and I!
✨RT this tweet
✨ Reply with the genre you write in
Open to all! Giveaway ends 9/24!
✨Hi
#PitchWars
!✨
I’ll be on here throughout the day to answer your
#AskMentor
questions!
This year, I’m co-mentoring with
@Aaron_Cole
in all YA/NA genres.
#TeamSkywalker
can’t wait to read your stories!
✨Our wishlist is below✨
INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE x PERCY JACKSON
12 y.o. Félix gets body slammed to a parallel dimension where magic is real and his recently deceased mom is alive. But when a dark force threatens his new life, Félix must fight to stop it, before it destroys both dimensions
#Pitlight
#MG
I am beyond excited to share my first YA Romance with you!! RHYTHM & MUSE. I cannot wait for you to meet Darren and Dillie! It was my goal for a Black boy to be the front and center of his own love story, with both the girl of his dream and his art. I can’t wait to share more!!🙌🏽
✨South L.A. vs the apocalypse?! I’m in!✨
Y’all, Aaron’s writing will give you ALL THE FEELS!! It’s heart-pounding, hilarious, and I loved every second of it!!!✨
My book teaser low-key blew up on TikTok. So, sharing here:
It’s a queer,
#StrangerThings
meets
#LovecraftCountry
starring Black kids and is set in a South L.A. backdrop, inspired by Boyz In The Hood 🙌🏾
Wish this was an April Fool’s Joke, but I’ve been under the weather.
Grateful to be feeling better now and I can’t wait to share all the exciting updates about my book deal coming soon!
Until then, you can add my debut, WE KILL THE FLAME, on
@goodreads
:
I want to thank my Co-Author/ Best Friend/ Brother,
@Aaron_Cole
! CYPHER would be nothing without your voice. There’s no one else I’d want to go on this journey with! 🎤 🔥
✨Pitch Wars Critique Giveaway✨
#TeamSkywalker
is excited to be mentoring for
#PitchWars
! To celebrate
@Aaron_Cole
& I will give a free query critique each week until sub. window opens!
Rules:
✨Follow me &
@Aaron_Cole
✨RT this post
1st giveaway ends Sep. 3rd @ 11:59PM PST.
I am sooo beyond happy for my mentee
@rs_traylor
! She’s an amazing author and championing her work was an experience I’ll never forget. So incredibly proud to have been on this journey with you!!!✨
Thank you to everyone who has helped me on this journey, especially my wonderful AMM mentors
@TamaraCole
&
@Aaron_Cole
, my brother
@HoratioTraylor
(who’s been my beta reader ever since he could read 🤣), and all my writer friends/beta readers with a special thanks to
@destaciax
Reminder - YA mentors will be on Twitter tonight 7-8 ET browsing the
#AskMentor
hashtag and answering all of your burning questions about MSWLs, subs, etc.
If you have any general
#AMMR9
questions, you can reply to this tweet and admins will chime in too.
A huge shout out to the entire
@AuthorMentorM
team for all of their tireless work behind the scenes.
#AMM
uplifts so many underrepresented voices and I’m so grateful to be apart of it!
Yay! The news is out!
So THRILLED to announce I’ll be mentoring YA in
#PitchWars
with my bestie
@Aaron_Cole
! This is our first year and we’re so excited to have our future mentee join us on
#TeamSkywalker
!!!!!!
So unbelievably thankful for
@Aaron_Cole
and
@TamaraCole
for their kind words and on-point feedback on my query and opening pages for my
#PitchWars
sub.
And thank you
@PitchWars
for everything you do behind the scenes! You’re all amazing!!
HUNGER GAMES x COBAB x FOURTH WING
Inspired by the Central African mythology of the Underworld of Kalunga
A boy with dangerous blood magic must compete in a deadly competition to save his mother’s soul, before it's sacrificed to the Gods of the Underworld
#Pitlight
#YA
✨We’re sooo grateful for you!!!✨ These past few months mentoring in
#PitchWars
have been the best! We can’t wait to see how far you and your novel will go! You are magic
@tyler_alecia
! 💕
#pwparty21
Day 7 ✨ MENTOR SHOUTOUT ✨ So thankful for my mentors
@Aaron_Cole
@TamaraCole
who are the best cheerleaders, teachers, and friends! Their enthusiasm for my characters, vision for my story, & incredible hard work + support has made
#pitchwars
such a great experience
✨
#PitchWars
Query Critique Winner✨
We loved seeing everyone’s gif entries! Thanks for entering.
We’re so excited to announce the winner of
#TeamSkyWalker
’s Pitch Wars Query Critique:
@khadley11
! Congratulations! Please DM
@Aaron_Cole
and I for details!
✨Pitch Wars Critique Giveaway✨
#TeamSkywalker
is excited to be doing another free query critique!
The rules are simple to enter:
✨ Reply with a gif that describes your
#PitchWars
book.
✨Follow
@Aaron_Cole
and I!
✨RT this tweet
Open to all! Giveaway ends 9/12!
🔥Boosting my mentee!🔥
Raven’s book broke my heart and put it back together! Jada is a beautiful and relatable character. Y’all will fall in love with Raven’s words and stories for years to come! ✨
Reverse Back to the Future x You’ve Reached Sam
When 17-year-old Jada's twin brother is killed, she creates a time machine to travel to the past to stop her parents from ever meeting. But in the past, Jada begins to question if she may have a future.
#DVPit
#YA
#LGBTQIA
I like Prologues! I wouldn’t pass on a story if they had one. But they have to feel truly necessary to the story.
*And I really wish there was a secret to writing the perfect prologue 😂
#AskMentor
#AskMentor
Okay, I gotta ask it...how do you feel about Prologues? I've just called mine Chapter 1 since I hear so many don't like them. Is there a secret to making a prologue successful?
@HarperCollins
@CapChapReads
@Natalie_Lakosil
WE KILL THE FLAME is if Bring It On’s Clovers were the stars of a small town murder mystery. Perfect for fans of:
🔥Dark Academia
🔥LGBTQ+ Rep
🔥BIPOC Rep
🔥Antiheroes
🔥Love Triangles
🔥Toxic Friendships
🔥Lovers to enemies
🔥Murder Mysteries
🔥Whodunits
🔥Debutante Balls
✨ICYMI✨
#TeamSkywalker
’s
#PitchWars
Query Critique Giveaway ends today! Thanks to everyone who entered so far & don’t forget to follow the rules below! Open to all!
✨ Reply with a gif that describes your
#PitchWars
book.
✨Follow
@Aaron_Cole
and I!
✨RT this tweet
✨Pitch Wars Critique Giveaway✨
#TeamSkywalker
is excited to be doing another free query critique!
The rules are simple to enter:
✨ Reply with a gif that describes your
#PitchWars
book.
✨Follow
@Aaron_Cole
and I!
✨RT this tweet
Open to all! Giveaway ends 9/12!
@jjexists
@Aaron_Cole
For fantasy we’re looking for lush worlds and a main character with stakes and a story we could root for! We’re very interested in fantasy worlds inspired by Nigeria and other African countries!
#AskMentor
The news is out!
I’m so excited to announce I’ll be a mentor for
#PitchWars
with my bff/sis
@TamaraCole
! We’re looking forward to having our future mentee join us on
#TeamSkywalker
!
We can’t wait to read your amazing stories!
Happy Book Birthday
@AuthorJ_Elle
!Can’t wait for the world to meet Rue and read her powerful story.
And, thank you for the WINGS OF EBONY swag!! Congratulations again!!! 🎉🎉🎉
#blackgirlmagic
#WingsOfEbony
Buy here:
WE KILL THE FLAME is now available to add on
@Goodreads
!
More exciting updates are coming soon! Can’t wait to share!
Please sign up for my newsletter for all the latest announcements!
Add on Goodreads:
Newsletter Sign Up Link:
You know, sometimes dreaming is hard, writing is hard. The doubts, the rejections, the years of trying & failing. But days like these & events like
#DVpit
are a reminder you’re not alone. All the support today means everything to me! From the bottom of by heart, thank you ❤️
Hi!
@Aaron_Cole
and I would be happy to make any and all of the necessary accommodations needed for our mentee! We want to see you succeed, and more than anything we want to help and mentor!
#AskMentor
#askmentor
if you were to have an autistic (or otherwise neurodivergent) mentee do you see yourself fit to make any needed accommodations? i know i struggle with calls with new people, have a hard time understanding requests/instructions, have rejection sensitive dysphoria, etc!
✨Pitch Wars Critique Giveaway✨
#TeamSkywalker
is doing another fun & free query critique giveaway!
The rules are simple to enter:
✨ Reply with a gif that describes your
#PitchWars
book.
✨Follow
@Aaron_Cole
and I!
✨RT this tweet
Open to all! Giveaway ends 9/19!