Chantal Patton
Colony Member
Hi. New member here, though I've been watching Pop-Up Submissions for a few weeks and am gradually working my way through a lot of the previous ones too, as I love it. I might even pluck up the courage to submit my own at some point, when I feel like it's ready.
I'm based in Cardiff (Wales, UK), though I've lived in quite a few different places (mostly in England, though I also spent a year in New Zealand and a year in Canada).
I'm currently working on my first novel, which I'd describe as 'contemporary fiction' (though I'm not the best with genre labels). I've lost track of which draft number I'm up to, but I'm hoping to get it to a point where I can start querying agents later this year (fingers crossed).
In terms of my reading tastes, a lot of my favourite books and authors are ones that I discovered in my late teens (in the late '90s), as that was a particularly formative time for my tastes. Most of my favourite bands are ones that I discovered around that time too (I'm a big music fan). So favourite books include The Wasp Factory, The Beach, High Fidelity and Bridget Jones' Diary. I also love some dystopia in the vein of 1984 and The Handmaid's Tale, and occasionally some surrealism a la Murakami or Andrew Kaufman. Recently I've been trying to read more female authors and have particularly enjoyed Room by Emma Donoghue, Followers by Megan Angelo, and Dietland by Sarai Walker. Any recommendations along those types of lines are always welcome (though my To Be Read pile is always ridiculously large and seems to grow at a rate that's impossible to keep up with...).
I'm based in Cardiff (Wales, UK), though I've lived in quite a few different places (mostly in England, though I also spent a year in New Zealand and a year in Canada).
I'm currently working on my first novel, which I'd describe as 'contemporary fiction' (though I'm not the best with genre labels). I've lost track of which draft number I'm up to, but I'm hoping to get it to a point where I can start querying agents later this year (fingers crossed).
In terms of my reading tastes, a lot of my favourite books and authors are ones that I discovered in my late teens (in the late '90s), as that was a particularly formative time for my tastes. Most of my favourite bands are ones that I discovered around that time too (I'm a big music fan). So favourite books include The Wasp Factory, The Beach, High Fidelity and Bridget Jones' Diary. I also love some dystopia in the vein of 1984 and The Handmaid's Tale, and occasionally some surrealism a la Murakami or Andrew Kaufman. Recently I've been trying to read more female authors and have particularly enjoyed Room by Emma Donoghue, Followers by Megan Angelo, and Dietland by Sarai Walker. Any recommendations along those types of lines are always welcome (though my To Be Read pile is always ridiculously large and seems to grow at a rate that's impossible to keep up with...).
I'd recommend trying out the writing groups before trying Pop Ups simply because that will help you knock your writing into shape before going on the show. If you're only working on your first novel, push through and finish it, nothing helps you figure out what you're writing like a completed MS 
