I am Brittany DeMaria. I am a full-time high school English teacher.  I just finished my master's in writing.  I also coach cheerleading.  I've not been published anywhere, but I hope to one day.  I've written six short stories and I have about 30% of a novel started.  My absolute favorite genre is YA, but I hang out in other genres occasionally.  I love to read and write, but I have such a busy schedule.  It is difficult to find time to do what I enjoy! 

Aside from reading and writing, I love to make crafts and tshirts.  I also love-love-love my animals.  I have two great danes (we are hoping our female is pregnant), a dachshund, two cats, and about 15 chickens.  Life keeps me busy, but thankfully I love coffee and Mt. Dew!

I'm D.L., presently in Hudson Valley, NY where I've finished two draft YA novels - hopefully the first two in a post-apocalyptic trilogy. The first MS is in its fourth (and final?? - i hope, i beg, i plead with myself) revision. I'm planning to start the query process in August, and as this is my first time through, have all the butterflies and nerves of a teen facing that first day of high school/try outs for the team/revealing they really do care about something. This re-invention comes after a decade of working for the USG, where I wrote constantly, but none of it fiction. I'm loving rediscovering my creative side, really enjoy the freedom and innocence of the YA genre, and would really, really like to make this a viable career choice. Welcome any/all advice. 

Thanks so much, Sara! And welcome to the group. Best of luck with your book. And to everyone!  Mine is now up on amazon, so it is starting to feel real! Keep going. So happy to have the support of this group.

Hi Pam! You're so right about the importance of having an objective, experienced person give you feedback. Sometimes we get so close to our manuscripts that we can't actually see them, if that makes sense. Good luck with your book! Love your website!

Hi Leza! Congratulations on your recent two-book deal! That sounds exciting!

Hi Susan! I love reading about people with psychic abilities. So much fun! It sounds like you are a very busy writer right now. I am REALLY new to SheWrites so I thought I'd say hello!

Hey everyone! I'm a total newbie to this website so I'm just figuring everything out here. It's pretty cool so far!

So my name's Sara, and I'm from the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. I'm a musician, a playwright, a poet, and a screenwriter occasionally but my main focus over the past few years has been on young adult fiction (even though my MFA is actually in playwriting). I am represented by literary agent, Marie Brown, who is trying to get my urban fantasy young adult debut published. (It's currently on submission as it has been for 1800 years. Okay, that may be an exaggeration...) I also run a writing blog and a YouTube channel where I talk about books, writing, and music. (I'm a bit of an indie music freak.) I have two cats who are the best kitties ever, and I love using too many exclamation points and parenthesis. (Can you tell?) Some of my favorite YA authors are Stephen Chbosky, Rainbow Rowell, and Marissa Meyer.

Looking forward to making new writer friends!

Hi everyone, I'm Susan Tuttle. I have 4 adult suspense novels published and one awaiting a cover, and am deep in a series about a female PI with psychic abilities (one short story, 2 novellas and 3 books so far). But lately when I sit down to write, these YA fantasy stories keep pushing to the fore, so I now have 3 YA books I'm working on, too. Sometimes it's hard not to get my characters mixed into the wrong story! LOL

I'm the part-time office manager for my church and the head of the music ministry. I'm also the treasurer and newsletter editor for SLO NightWriters, the premier writing organization on the Central Coast of CA, and the newsletter editor for the local chapter of Sisters in Crime. I teach fiction and creative nonfiction writing on Wednesdays and have a series of books out based on my workshops called Write It Right: Exercise to Unlock the Writer in Everyone. 5 of the 6 volumes are out; #6 is almost halfway done. There may be a 7th on self-editing and technical stuff, still mulling that over, though my students keep asking for it.

Right now I'm looking for some teenagers I can "borrow" for the duration of the books I'm writing. It's been a long time since I was a teen (my son turned 39 today!). But it is fun to go back to being young, cause this time I get to do it the way I wished I had "back in the day.! LOL And Candy, can I join you and Janet for lunch? I'll bring Livia Day from Tasmania with me, she'd be a great addition to the laughter!

Thanks, Leza! And three cheers for us late-bloomers! I, too, started after 50 (after many years in journalism/PR). Your story gives me hope.

Sounds like you are in good hands, Pam! Good luck with your book. Your website is lovely.