Jessica C. Parra
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ABOUT JESS AS A MENTOR...
Preferred Age Category: YA
Preferred Genre or Sub-Genres: Contemporary, Horror, Romance
As a mentor I love working on: Novels that feature a BIPOC/marginalized cast of characters. I also adore stories that center BIPOC joy and HEAs (even in horror). I love humor in stories too, so anything that makes me laugh is a must-read for me.
Areas of expertise/strengths as a mentor: I love doing a developmental edit. I think I'm a better editor than writer. I LOVE breaking story, and helping writers achieve the best version of their story possible. In law school, all my electives were in entertainment law, and I actually wanted to be a film agent. I've interned at ICM, and management companies. During the pandemic, I went back to UCLA extension and took several literary agency representation classes too to brush up on my skills. I was also a mentee in Transatlantic's BIPOC mentorship program, since my ultimate dream is to be a writer-agent like Eric Smith and Patrice Caldwell. As a mentor, I feel confident that I can bring both perspectives to my mentee: the story work and the business side of publishing.
Areas of weakness as a mentor: My mind defaults to working on the big picture, which means I will not be the best mentor for more line level work such as line-editing or copyediting. For similar reasons, I will not be the best mentor for an uncompleted manuscript or an early draft. Give me something that has gone through some revision, but now you need more seasoned eyes on it before hitting the query trenches. I am also very extroverted and in my señora era, which means I will be checking in on you frequently (unless you don’t need or want that)!
I look forward to reading your wonderful manuscripts and connecting with the 2024 class of Hermanas! Pa’lante!
Preferred Age Category: YA
Preferred Genre or Sub-Genres: Contemporary, Horror, Romance
As a mentor I love working on: Novels that feature a BIPOC/marginalized cast of characters. I also adore stories that center BIPOC joy and HEAs (even in horror). I love humor in stories too, so anything that makes me laugh is a must-read for me.
Areas of expertise/strengths as a mentor: I love doing a developmental edit. I think I'm a better editor than writer. I LOVE breaking story, and helping writers achieve the best version of their story possible. In law school, all my electives were in entertainment law, and I actually wanted to be a film agent. I've interned at ICM, and management companies. During the pandemic, I went back to UCLA extension and took several literary agency representation classes too to brush up on my skills. I was also a mentee in Transatlantic's BIPOC mentorship program, since my ultimate dream is to be a writer-agent like Eric Smith and Patrice Caldwell. As a mentor, I feel confident that I can bring both perspectives to my mentee: the story work and the business side of publishing.
Areas of weakness as a mentor: My mind defaults to working on the big picture, which means I will not be the best mentor for more line level work such as line-editing or copyediting. For similar reasons, I will not be the best mentor for an uncompleted manuscript or an early draft. Give me something that has gone through some revision, but now you need more seasoned eyes on it before hitting the query trenches. I am also very extroverted and in my señora era, which means I will be checking in on you frequently (unless you don’t need or want that)!
I look forward to reading your wonderful manuscripts and connecting with the 2024 class of Hermanas! Pa’lante!
ABOUT THE QUINCE PROJECT...
Castillo Torres, Student Body Association event chair and serial planner, could use a fairy godmother. After a disastrous mishap at her sister's quinceañera, all of Cas's plans are crumbling. So when a local lifestyle-guru-slash-party-planner opens up applications for the internship of her dreams, Cas sees it as the perfect opportunity to learn every trick in the book so that things never go wrong again.
The only catch is that she needs more party planning experience before she can apply. When she books a quinceañera for a teen Disneyland vlogger, Cas thinks her plan is taking off...until she finds that real life is more complicated than a fairy tale. Cas soon discovers that the party is just a publicity stunt, and she catches feelings for the chambelán. It's clear that her agenda is about to go way off-script.
But maybe Happily Ever Afters aren't just for the movies. Can Cas go from planner to participant in her own life? Or will this would-be princess turn into a pumpkin at the end of the ball?
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Castillo Torres, Student Body Association event chair and serial planner, could use a fairy godmother. After a disastrous mishap at her sister's quinceañera, all of Cas's plans are crumbling. So when a local lifestyle-guru-slash-party-planner opens up applications for the internship of her dreams, Cas sees it as the perfect opportunity to learn every trick in the book so that things never go wrong again.
The only catch is that she needs more party planning experience before she can apply. When she books a quinceañera for a teen Disneyland vlogger, Cas thinks her plan is taking off...until she finds that real life is more complicated than a fairy tale. Cas soon discovers that the party is just a publicity stunt, and she catches feelings for the chambelán. It's clear that her agenda is about to go way off-script.
But maybe Happily Ever Afters aren't just for the movies. Can Cas go from planner to participant in her own life? Or will this would-be princess turn into a pumpkin at the end of the ball?
ADD TO GOODREADS
ORDER
ABOUT RUBI RAMOS'S RECIPE FOR SUCCESS...
Graduation is only a few months away, and so far Rubi Ramos’s recipe for success is on track.
But when Alma waitlists Rubi’s application, her plan is in jeopardy. Her parents–especially her mom, AKA the boss–have wanted this for her for years. In order to get off the waitlist without her parents knowing, she needs math tutoring from surfer-hottie math genius Ryan, lead the debate team to a championship–and remember the final step of the recipe.
Rubi has always been obsessed with baking, daydreaming up new concoctions and taking shifts at her parents’ celebrated bakery. But her mother dismisses baking as a distraction–her parents didn’t leave Cuba so she could bake just like them. But some recipes are begging to be tampered with…
When the First Annual Bake Off comes to town, Rubi’s passion for baking goes from subtle simmer to full boil. She’s not sure if she has what it takes to become OC’s best amateur baker, and there’s only one way to find out--even though it means rejecting the ban on baking, and by extension, her parents. But life is what you bake it, and now Rubi must differentiate between the responsibility of unfulfilled dreams she holds, and finding the path she’s meant for.
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Graduation is only a few months away, and so far Rubi Ramos’s recipe for success is on track.
- Step 1: Get into the prestigious Alma University.
- Step 2: Become incredibly successful lawyer.
But when Alma waitlists Rubi’s application, her plan is in jeopardy. Her parents–especially her mom, AKA the boss–have wanted this for her for years. In order to get off the waitlist without her parents knowing, she needs math tutoring from surfer-hottie math genius Ryan, lead the debate team to a championship–and remember the final step of the recipe.
- Step 3: Never break the ban on baking.
Rubi has always been obsessed with baking, daydreaming up new concoctions and taking shifts at her parents’ celebrated bakery. But her mother dismisses baking as a distraction–her parents didn’t leave Cuba so she could bake just like them. But some recipes are begging to be tampered with…
When the First Annual Bake Off comes to town, Rubi’s passion for baking goes from subtle simmer to full boil. She’s not sure if she has what it takes to become OC’s best amateur baker, and there’s only one way to find out--even though it means rejecting the ban on baking, and by extension, her parents. But life is what you bake it, and now Rubi must differentiate between the responsibility of unfulfilled dreams she holds, and finding the path she’s meant for.
Add to Goodreads
Order
ABOUT JESSICA...
As a lawyer and daughter of Guatemalan and Cuban bakers, Jessica Parra never objects to an extra slice of cake. She’s a Los Angeles native who loves to write about Latinas with big hair (and even bigger dreams), complicated families, and the healing magic of acceptance. She’s the author of Rubi Ramos’s Recipe for Success, as well as the forthcoming The Quince Project, and many unfinished first drafts about cats living their best lives—all nine of them. When she isn’t drafting books you can find her sipping kombucha, cuddling with her kitties, or co-piloting the Millennium Falcon at Disneyland’s Galaxy’s Edge.
You can visit Jessica at jessicaparra.com
As a lawyer and daughter of Guatemalan and Cuban bakers, Jessica Parra never objects to an extra slice of cake. She’s a Los Angeles native who loves to write about Latinas with big hair (and even bigger dreams), complicated families, and the healing magic of acceptance. She’s the author of Rubi Ramos’s Recipe for Success, as well as the forthcoming The Quince Project, and many unfinished first drafts about cats living their best lives—all nine of them. When she isn’t drafting books you can find her sipping kombucha, cuddling with her kitties, or co-piloting the Millennium Falcon at Disneyland’s Galaxy’s Edge.
You can visit Jessica at jessicaparra.com