Our mentors are editing, our mentees are revising, and we hope you’re making progress on your own manuscript! While we’re all working toward the Agent Showcase on November 3rd-9th, we hope you’ll take a moment during your writing breaks and get to know our 2016 Pitch Wars Teams.
And now, we have . . .
Jennifer Camiccia – Mentee
Kristin B. Wright – Mentor
Jennifer: Why did you choose Kristin?
I chose Kristin because, after reading her Pitchwars Wish List, I was convinced she might be my long lost twin. She hasn’t missed an Oscar broadcast since she was eleven? Check. Loves roller coasters and all things British? Check. When I scrolled down and saw who her favorite authors were I was sold. The cherry on top was that she still re-reads the scene where Anne realizes she loves Gilbert Blythe. If she loved so many of the same things I do, then she might also love my MS! The Outlander kissing gif sealed the deal.
Kristin: Why did you choose Jennifer and her manuscript?
The week subs opened, my family was camping in North Carolina, so I had time to take a solo trip to Chipotle and eat a burrito in peace. I opened Jen’s first chapter with burrito in hand and promptly forgot about the burrito. Her writing is beautiful and evocative and her story sucked me right in. I requested the full as the burrito got cold and started reading right away when it arrived. One of the best beginnings of a story I’ve ever seen. And if Jennifer loves Gilbert Blythe and Jamie Fraser, we’ll get along JUUUUST fine.
Jennifer: Summarize your book in three words.
Sisters, singing, love
Kristin: Summarize Jennifer’s book in three words.
Fighting for belonging.
Jennifer: Tell us about yourself.
I am a mother of four opinionated, wonderful children and wife to a very patient, sweetheart of a guy. I’ve always loved to write, but never really started to take it seriously until this past year and a half. I joined twitter, signed up for a few contests, and developed a relationship with a few CP’s I met through the contests.
What makes you and your MS unique?
I have a gaggle, a murder, a herd — or whatever one calls a group of teenagers in the wild — who patiently read my words. They keep my writing honest and true. This story was a personal one for me because the opening scene almost happened to someone very close to me. I initially wrote it as a way to understand why my friend would put his stepdaughters in this terrifying situation, and then as a way to empathize with all involved. The story quickly evolved into something else entirely and while I tried to keep the urgency and danger of the situation, the outcome was very different. My MC definitely had a mind of her own and kept taking the book in directions I didn’t originally intend it to go, and I can’t wait to make her story the best it can be.
Kristin: Tell us about yourself.
One of the reasons I loved Jennifer’s manuscript is that it features a main character for whom singing is salvation. One thing most people don’t know about me is that I am a refugee of a competitive high school show choir. We got dressed up in black satin and heeled dancing shoes we called “cow shoes” and danced routines while singing harmony. It was delightfully cheesy and fun and I made some great friends that way. Nowadays, my singing is confined mostly to darkened karaoke bars and the inside of my car, but I do still sing a solo in front of a crowd every now and then.
When not singing, I’m a lawyer and a mom of two and a wrangler of beagles and the occasional cow. I write young adult and women’s fiction and I’m represented by the lovely and amazing Sarah E. Younger of the Nancy Yost Literary Agency. She is not only a terrific agent but also the queen of sexy book recommendations.