Announcing: We Write to Empower Mentee!

I’m a mentee in We Write to Empower, a writing mentorship specifically designed to pair published authors with emerging writers to develop meaningful work about trauma. I will be working with author and poet Robin Gow on my novel-in-verse about losing my mom to opioid crisis when I was a kid.

See the announcement here!!!

Though my manuscript is currently a middle grade novel-in-verse, I’m hoping to better learn how to separate my personal trauma to make better storytelling decisions so that I may revise it into a more accessible young adult novel-in-verse.

As many of you know, this story has been my passion project for a while. I lost my mom when I was 11 years old. I wrote a novel-in-verse about my loss, hoping to reach young readers who need grief books specifically centered on the unique loss caused by addiction (& to help foster empathy from those who misunderstand addiction).

I used to think my story had to be in the middle grade section because I was 11 when my mom died, but I’ve since realized that aging it up is the best way to reach the readers who need this story the most.

I’m hoping this mentorship helps me separate my own lived experience and trauma to create a new, accessible story for modern audiences. 🫂

I’m so incredibly grateful to be a part of this program, and I’m ready to get started.

Wish me luck!

~SAT

P.S. My next free writing webinar is coming up on October 8, 2026 at 7pm Eastern: Tips for Writing Spooky Webinar: Want to write stories that delight with fright? Author Shannon A. Thompson will provide tips for writing stories that strike fear in the hearts of readers. Learn more.