GET TO KNOW ME
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Born and raised in Eastern Washington, I'm currently a literary agent at the Belcastro Agency. Reading and writing have been my passion for as long as I can remember, and I graduated from NYU in 2017 with a bachelor's in English, and minors in Creative Writing and Psychology. My fur-babies keep me on my toes; between my sweet, destructive lab-mix Rhaegar and my feisty calico Holly, I definitely have my hands full. When I'm not doing book-related things, I'm spending time with my husband, my animals, or attempting a new craft I'll never spend enough time on to truly get good at. Supernatural and The Office are constantly running on my TV, and I adore watching creative shows (i.e. baking shows and Project Runway are my jam).
As a queer, neurodivergent person, I love to see healthy representation of queer/neurodivergent identities, especially in SFF, and I'm ecstatic to find and represent books that would have benefited me as a teen. I adore seeing works that celebrate and normalize these experiences, particularly in YA, and works that allow characters from all marginalized identities to simply exist as they are. Compelling characters are what grab me the most; I love books with strong, dynamic, complex characters that have complicated and nuanced relationships with others. I love romantic threads that weave in seamlessly with the plot and characters’ motivations, particularly in SFF, and especially ones that allow the characters to push each other to become the best and most authentic versions of themselves. I also adore seeing raw representation of how trauma affects people, and the messy, often confusing and conflicting journey that is healing. In regard to POVs, the closer, the better (in both 1st and 3rd person!); I want to live inside characters' heads when I read, and love as little distance as possible. I enjoy when authors break stereotypes and tropes, and I love when plots and characters surprise me, leaving me breathless on the edge of my seat. Some of my favorite books: A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas City of Bones by Cassandra Clare The Shining by Stephen King Tithe by Holly Black Skinned by Robin Wasserman This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab The Light Between Worlds by Laura E. Weymouth The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern Rules for Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall Vicious by V.E. Schwab |
EVENTS
September 20th - 21st, 2022 - Pacific Northwest Writers Association (Seattle/Online)
Taking pitches! More info and registration here.
Note: While this conference is being held in-person in Seattle the 23rd - 25th, I will NOT be present in-person and will only be taking pitches virtually the 20th and 21st.
Taking pitches! More info and registration here.
Note: While this conference is being held in-person in Seattle the 23rd - 25th, I will NOT be present in-person and will only be taking pitches virtually the 20th and 21st.
October 8th, 2022 - Minnesota Writing Workshop (Online)
Taking pitches! More info and registration here.
Taking pitches! More info and registration here.
INTERVIEWS AND PANELS
"Cortney Radocaj - Intersectionality, Publishing and Diverse Literature"
Hosted by Ability Magazine
March 2022
"What to Expect When Your Agent is Submitting Your Work"
Ft. Claire Winn
Hosted by Literary Rambles
Dec. 1, 2021
Hosted by Ability Magazine
March 2022
"What to Expect When Your Agent is Submitting Your Work"
Ft. Claire Winn
Hosted by Literary Rambles
Dec. 1, 2021
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"Beyond Agents: Submission Survival" Hosted by WriteHive Ft. Paulette Kennedy, Jill Tew, and Sunyi Dean June 11, 2022 |
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"Queer Kids: LGBTQ+ Rep in MG and YA" Hosted by WriteHive Ft. Adiba Jaigirdar , Kalynn Bayron, and Jesse Pohlman June 10, 2022 |
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"Great Minds Think Differently: Neurodiversity in Fiction" Hosted by WriteHive Ft. Andy Peloquin, Lio Lylark, and Nicole M. Pagán-Aponte April 16, 2021 |
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"Belcastro Critique Party Part 2" Ft. Kaitlyn Johnson, Sharon Belcastro, and Ella Marie Shupe April 11, 2020 |
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"Belcastro Critique Party Part 1" Ft. Kaitlyn Johnson, Sharon Belcastro, and Ella Marie Shupe April 11, 2020 |
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"Top 3 Reasons Why Agents Reject Books" Hosted by Meg LaTorre (iWriterly) Ft. Kaitlyn Johnson, Megan Manzano, Kat Kerr, Maria Heater, Kelly Peterson, and Naomi Davis Dec. 4, 2019 |