I'm a Pitch Wars Mentor Again!

I'm so excited to be a mentor for 
Pitch Wars again this year!
(looking for YA this time around)

Last year was so much fun! I got to mentor three fabulous middle grade writers as they polished and perfected their manuscripts, in addition to all of the other amazing writers I met through the process, who I still count among my dear friends. If for no other reason, the lasting connections we make are the best reason for participating in online pitch contests like Pitch Wars.

So why do you want me as your 

Pitch Wars Mentor?

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I write in all age categories of children’s literature, from Picture Books to Young Adult, so I can bring a unique perspective to the process that other mentors may not have.  My debut novel, a Young Adult contemporary romance called TWELVE STEPS, released on 25 March 2014, and reviews have been great so far. Last October, I caught my amazing agent, Jessica Sinsheimer's attention with my middle grade novel, LETTERS FROM HEAVEN, and I also write picture books. 

Want to learn more about me? I have a list of links to recent interviews on my About Me page. Also, in case you missed it, last March I got to participate in a great online panel about being an introvert vs. being an extrovert in the publishing world, with Elizabeth Flora Ross and two of my favorite literary agents, Jessica Sinsheimer and Connor Goldsmith. (Jessica is one of the agents for Pitch Wars again this year, so this video interview is a great way to get to know her as well!)

 Through contests like Pitch Wars and connections I've made on Twitter, I've also helped dozens of writers with polishing their queries and manuscripts, 

See? It's official. I'm awesome. ;)

and many of them have gone on to find success in the query trenches and in online pitch contests like this one. In fact, one of my critique partners had an extremely popular pitch in last September’s Pitch Madness contest, spurring a bidding war between agents, which later led to not only an agent success story, but a three book deal! Another critique partner just signed with an agent (and I have no doubt her fabulous book will be snapped up soon.) And just a few weeks ago, one of my other critique partners announced her own two-book deal.

Even Brenda Drake, the contest queen herself, thinks I'm pretty awesome. (See? I have proof!)

Now, I'm not necessarily saying that choosing you as your mentor will guarantee amazing things will happen to you ... I'll just let the results speak for themselves. *winks*

So now that we've established the fact that you want ME to be your Pitch Wars Mentor, you're probably wondering what types of manuscripts I'm looking for, right?

This year, I'm a mentor for Young Adult! 

Specifically, I'm hoping to find:

*  YA Contemporary Romance -- This is my absolute favorite (as you probably guessed, based on my own books). I love a good "fluff" book (sometimes, cotton candy is exactly what the doctor ordered, after all), but I also adore a book that can balance romance and bigger issues in a hopeful, upbeat way. A couple of my recent favorites are THE BREAK-UP ARTIST by Philip Siegel and the CAMP BOYFRIEND series by J.K. Rock.

* Retellings -- I'm a sucker for taking well-known stories, like fairy tales, folk tales or titles from classic literature and giving them a new, fresh twist. Some YA favorites recently are DON'T FALL by Rachel Schieffelbein and OLIVIA TWISTED by Vivi Barnes

* Science Fiction -- I've always loved Isaac Asimov. In fact, I try to read his "Nightfall" collection of short stories at least once every couple of years. And I absolutely loved CINDER by Marissa Meyer. I'd love to find something with a similar feel. (I'm a little burned out on dystopian books these days. If your sci-fi story has a dystopian feel to it, I may not be the mentor for you.)

* I’m an incurable optimist, so I prefer stories with an upbeat outlook. If you write super-dark, serious books, I’m probably not the mentor for you. To be clear, I don’t shy away from serious issues, but I love to laugh. And if you can make me laugh and cry in the same manuscript, you’re golden.

No matter what the genre or plot, I’m looking for strong characters, a great story, and a unique voice. If your YA manuscript fits the bill, you definitely want me as your mentor. :)

If I'm not the mentor for you, there are many other fabulous mentors to choose from. Even more than last year!

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More details about Pitch Wars here, and 
you can find a list of this year's participating agents here.