I'm not a new writer. Been in the business for 28 years, took a 12 year break to do other things in real life. I'm coming back to writing as a newbie, with a different pen name, different profile, and lots of new experiences to share in different media.
My mentor was Ursula Bloom, way back 39 years ago. She published over 500 novels, was editor for UK women's magazines, national radio programmes etc. Best advice she ever gave me? 1) Study the market and write for it., 2) Go away and live a little young man! I was 23 at the time.