Start getting your manuscripts ready...we have a 2026 Novel Mentor!!
Sheela Chari is the author of several critically acclaimed novels, including KARTHIK DELIVERS, an NEA Read Across America book, and THE UNEXPLAINABLE DISAPPEARANCE OF MARS PATEL series, based on the Peabody Award-winning mystery podcast. Her other titles include FINDING MIGHTY, a Children's Choice Award finalist; and VANISHED, an APALA Children’s Literature Honor Book and Edgar Award finalist. Sheela holds an MFA from New York University and is on faculty in Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA Program in Writing for Children and Young Adults. She lives in New York.
Mentorship applications will open in January of 2026. Applicants will submit a synopsis and ten pages of their manuscript. An anonymous team of judges will select the top three applications, and Ms. Chari will choose the mentorship recipient! The winner will work with Ms. Chari over the course of 2026 and receive a "Golden Ticket" to submit their mentorship project to an acquiring editor or agent.
The September Critique Carousel is a great time to get feedback on your work to prepare for this incredible opportunity! You can get more information about the Critique Carousel here.
