Hi everyone! I’m so excited to be a part
of Pitch Wars again, this time as a co-mentor with my insanely talented friend
and CP, Lori Goldstein! My first time around, I was a mentee of YA author Sarah
Nicolas during Pitch Wars 2012, where I received 7 agent requests, which ultimately
led to me signing with the incredible Andrea Somberg of Harvey Klinger, Inc.
Pitch Wars is such an amazing
opportunity for everyone who participates, both to get your work seen by multiple
agents and to get more involved in the writing community. I made three lifelong
friends and CPs thanks to Pitch Wars, including Lori Goldstein, whose keen
editorial eye and knack for untangling even my most complicated plot threads
have made all the difference in my writing. For more information on Lori and
her editorial style, check out her Pitch Wars 2015 blog post!
As for my editorial style, I pay
particular attention to pacing, tension, and conflict—drama is what makes the
book go ’round! If an agent/editor/reader doesn’t care about your character or
their (hopefully escalating) stakes, it doesn’t matter how exciting that
opening car chase is or how meticulously you’ve outlined your plot, they’re
going to put the book down and walk away. You need to make them care about your
characters from page one, sentence one, in order to stand out.
For more information, you can check out the ‘About
Me’ page on my website. You can also follow me on my blog and on twitter for Pitch
Wars updates and writing tips. For more on the contest, including submission
details and the agent list, visit host Brenda Drake’s
Web site.
And now, without further ado, here is
our joint wish list!
Our Pitch Wars Wish List
While we read and
love all genres, we feel we can have the greatest impact on YA contemporary,
contemporary fantasy/urban fantasy, and realistic or light science fiction. We
welcome strong friendships and romance. We don't mind love triangles (see
Lori's #TVD above). But above all, if your book makes us laugh, you will
win our hearts. Characters rule for us. The stronger, the better.
We love stories that blend genres and styles: a dash of humor, a pinch of
suspense, an ounce of romance. Make your characters real and make us
care about them, and you've got us. We're less drawn to straight-out
action, crime, horror, and high fantasy. Stories involving religious themes,
sports of all sorts (unless they are in the Friday Night Lights vein,
where the sport serves as a backdrop to strong character arcs), and very dark
or political aspects are probably not for us.
Our critique will
be full of smiley faces but won’t shy away from pointing out the areas that
need work. Lori has an ear for dialogue and Chelsea
is particularly good at trimming the fat. We won’t ask you to do anything
we won’t, and haven’t, done. Lori will use everything she's learned as a
third-time Pitch Wars mentor and as a survivor of a Big 5 publisher's editing
rounds for two books. Chelsea will use her experience as a Pitch Wars mentee in
2012 to ensure she knows what it's like to be in your shoes and she'll guide
you every step of the way.
We both know firsthand
how one or two pointed questions can make your book better. We've done this for
each other, and now we can do the same for you. If you pick us as your
mentor, you'll get two minds for the price of one. We’ll devote all we’ve
learned to make your book the best it can be.
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