The submission window for the 2021–2022 SCBWI WWA Mentorship Program is now underway! Between now and July 30, we’ll be sharing interviews with each of our multitalented mentors to help prospective mentees get to know them better. Learn more about the mentorship program, including how to apply, here.
I like to mentor because . . .
Every mentor I’ve had from dancing ballet to writing in college and beyond has been such an integral part of my life. There are pieces of me that bloomed in big ways because of my mentors. And I love being part of that journey for someone else. It’s the kind of thing that sticks with you always. And to me, a mentor is a person you can always fall back on creatively, so being that for someone sounds amazing and gratifying.
What can a mentee expect from your mentorship?
One thing about myself and any project I’m working on or person I’m working with is that my enthusiasm for the work will always stay bright. So, while there may very well be hard work to do and changes to be made and progress to be had, there will also be enlightenment and inside jokes and a sense of love for the art my mentee has created. I come ready to work and support my mentee but we’re definitely gonna have a little fun while we’re at it!
Besides writing, what’s something you’re good at?
Dance. I love to dance. Hip hop, jazz tap, lyrical, ballet. I’ve been dancing all my life and am classically trained but I love when I can be free and fun and improvise at a family cookout just as much.
Who inspires you and why?
My little sister (she’s actually 26 so, not so little, I suppose). But don’t tell her I said so. She’s so full of life and even when she’s having a hard time or struggling, she’s still out there doing the damn thing and saying yes to everything and sharing her kindness and experiences with others. Also, Emery Lord. That woman is friggin amazing. And she has so much to say but she’s making space for others to speak their piece instead. But anytime I get a nugget of advice from her as my friend or as an author, it’s big and profound and I don’t know how any human can exist with that much careful knowledge inside of them.
Lord
What surprised you most about becoming an author?
How much work is required outside of the “writing” part of things. I never knew and now I understand that being an author requires A LOT more work than me sitting down to put words on the page.
What helps you get through challenging writing times?
A good, straightforward, in-your-face You Got This pep talk. Truly. My best friends are amazing at it.
What do you listen to when you create?
I usually curate a playlist as I go along, but when I’m actively drafting it’s usually Studio Ghibli’s All That Jazz collection. And when I need a little boost, I jam to X Ambassadors, who are my favorite band.
What roles do diversity, equity, and inclusion play in your writing?
Big roles. Major and multiple roles. I write the world as I see it and I see the world full of different people who have various intersections. I believe it’s our job as creators in this world to interrogate and help build those spaces for others to come into in the future.
What are you reading?
Romance! I’m reading so much contemporary romance right now. If not that, then I’m doing re-reads of my favorite PNR vampire series.
What are you working on these days?
Ironically, a vampire PNR. It’s new and still coming together. But I realized that this project is where my heart’s been leading me for a year now.
What qualities would your ideal mentee have?
I would love to work with someone who is ready to really engage and brainstorm. Ready to work with someone who is enthusiastic and can smile and joke through a plot problem even as they might be stressing over it, too. Because both those mentalities are central to being an author.
What’s the writing advice you give most often?
Keep going. If you’re stuck and the words just aren’t coming, write the words that you know you’ll delete later. Keep going. If you’re feeling discouraged by a review or a rejection or a critique or (please don’t read them but) comments—keep going. All we can do as creators is keep creating. Stay in your magic and trust the process.
Cam Montgomery (non-binary she/her/Dad) spends her time teaching dance to queer kids, bingeing anime, tending bar and writing romancey novels. Two of her YA novels—Home and Away and By Any Means Necessary—are available now. Of late, she also finds herself the editor of a YA romance anthology—titled All Signs Point to Yes—out with Inkyard Press in winter 2022. Having ditched L.A., the transplant now lives in Seattle, WA, and has made a habit of complaining about the weather even though she secretly loves it. Visit Cam’s website at candicemontgomery.com, and follow her on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Goodreads.
Brought to you by Suma Subramaniam and Jenny Tynes, SCBWI WWA Mentorship Program, and Dolores Andral, Pen & Story.