More About Paola Santos (She/Her)

Paola Santos is a children's book author born and raised in Venezuela. After moving to Canada, she found the courage to share the words and stories that had long been enclosed in her imagination. Her stories are now woven with her culture, experience in a new country, hope, happiness, and diversity. Her debut picture book, How to Eat a Mango (Holiday House), illustrated by Juliana Perdomo, will be released in summer, 2024.

Paola holds a bachelor's in Literature from the University of Zulia (Maracaibo, Venezuela) and a master’s in Children's Literature and Reading Promotion from the Castilla-La Mancha University (Castilla-La Mancha, Spain). She is an active member of the SCBWI and a graduate of the Children's Book Academy. She has been awarded various mentorship programs, including Las Musas-Hermanas (fall 2020) with author Alexandra Alessandri and Wee Need Diverse Books (2021) with Meg Medina.

When not writing, she enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter, and her fluffy kitty Dulcinea. She lives in Edmonton, Canada.

You can find Paola online at:

www.paolasantos.com

Linktree | Twitter/X | Instagram | Goodreads

Paola’s strengths are…

• Discovering the right layers of the story

• Building and developing characters that stand out

• Creating a cohesive story structure to help a manuscript stand as a whole

• Finding dynamic ways to play with story structure

• Finding the heart and emotion in a story

• Expressing the heaviest of feelings in a child-friendly way

• Making the story sing, whether as prose or free verse

• Exploring the best visuals to give colors to a manuscript

• Navigating the author-agent relationship

• Exploring the editorial process

• Creating query packages and guiding through the submission process

Paola is looking for…

A mentee who is unafraid to search and find their true voice and identity is ideal for Paola. Having struggled to discover her own voice in the industry, she understands the difficulties of pursuing one's dreams. She values a mentee who is committed to investing time and effort into the editing process to achieve their goals and refine their craft. Paola is willing to offer the same level of dedication to her mentee.

One significant quality that Paola looks for in a potential mentee is their passion and ability to connect with their emotions and work from the heart. She also appreciates a mentee who is open to guidance, can accept constructive criticism, and is willing to explore various options to enhance their story.

Paola will provide you…

• Hands to guide ideas, ears to listen to concerns, and a heart to show companionship. She will share authenticity and a positive mindset to help a potential mentee take the subsequent steps in their journey.

• An environment for exchanging ideas, where unique voices and cultural perspectives shine through in picture books.

• Encouragement during the inevitable challenges of the creative process, whether it's overcoming writer's block or navigating the intricacies of the publishing world.

A Note from Paola:

“Be honest and vulnerable. We are here to help each other and continue learning. When applying, be specific about the goals you hope to achieve and why you believe I am a good fit for your work. Do you want to find the heart of your story or create a satisfying ending? Please state that in your application. And even if you are not selected, keep writing and learning. I wish you all the luck in the world!”

Paola’s Upcoming Picture Books

If Paola created a Visual Wish List, it would be made up of…

*Unless otherwise stated, the below serves as a wish list only. Each mentor is excited about the opportunity to find a manuscript they can’t stop thinking about. Please apply if you think you’d be a good fit.

Paola is a good fit for…

• Cultural themes that explore topics such as family, traditions, rituals, etc.

• Lyrical prose or free verse poetry

• Creative non-fiction

• Nature-related stories

• Stories that showcase wonder and first-time experiences

• Heartfelt fantasy stories

• Exploration of grief, loss, and adoption

• Bilingual stories that include both English and Spanish or even stories written solely in Spanish!

Paola is not a good fit for…

• Rhyming stories (Paola is currently learning and doesn't feel fully qualified for this yet)

• Humor

• Stories with a lot of slang or idioms

• Biographies that follow the character from childhood through adulthood

• Non-fiction

• Stories about sports

Who can apply to Paola? All underrepresented, unagented authors may apply; however, she would be a great fit for Latinx creators due to her fluency in Spanish and familiarity with their culture.

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