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 . . .
Dave Swindler – Mentee
Lisa Lewis Tyre – Mentor
Dave: Why did you choose Lisa?
The selection process was all about deciding what I felt my story’s strongest points were and pairing those strengths with a mentor who was looking for the same qualities. I was seeking a partner who was looking for a story which contained two, maybe three of the elements which were contained in SNOW DAY. Turned out, there were about half a dozen or so of Lisa’s “wish list” items sprinkled throughout SNOW DAY in some form or another. While she was immediately on my radar, I actually did not have the final say in the matter. I needed to collaborate with our nine year old daughter, Ashley, to see if she felt the match was a good one. Only after I received the green light from her did we submit, and yes, it was Ashley who actually hit the SEND button.
Lisa: Why did you choose Dave’s manuscript?
Choosing a mentee is always so hard. There were several manuscripts that I really liked. What I kept going back to was the uniqueness of David’s story, and the great voice of the protagonist. Plus, I had a few email exchanges with David prior to choosing and he kept making me laugh. That’s always a good sign!
Dave: Summarize your book in three words.
Let it snow!
Lisa: Summarize Dave’s book in three words.
It BETTER snow.
Dave: Tell us about yourself. What makes you and your manuscript unique?
My family and I live outside of Akron, Ohio, and before you ask- no, I don’t know LeBron (although I really do like The Black Keys.) We have two daughters who keep us hopping and a Havanese puppy named “Ninja” who keeps all of us in line. You’ll not find any Oreos in our house, not because we don’t like them, it’s actually quite the opposite and the middle row seems to disappear before we can make it home from the grocery store… and we don’t live very far from the grocery store.
My story, SNOW DAY, is unique because of the evolution it’s gone through. I originally wrote it several years ago as a 4,000 word rhyming poem, and since then it has morphed into a 44,000 word adventure, although it remains to be seen how many of those current 44,000 words will still be hanging around after October 31.
PitchWars is without question the biggest opportunity on the grandest stage I have had thus far in my writing career. I would just like to reiterate what’s been said a thousand times already and thank Brenda for this platform, Lisa for her belief, and of course, give a very special tip of the cap to all the countless others working so hard for all of us. Rock stars! Each and every one of you!
Lisa: Tell us about yourself. Something we might not already know.
I LOVE to play bridge. When I’m on deadline, I have to limit my time at the bridge club. It’s a reward for pages written. If I weren’t a writer, my dream would be to play bridge professionally!
Check out Lisa Lewis Tyre’s latest release . . .
LAST IN A LONG LINE OF REBELS
Lou might be only twelve, but she’s never been one to take things sitting down. So when her Civil War-era house is about to be condemned, she’s determined to save it—either by getting it deemed a historic landmark or by finding the stash of gold rumored to be hidden nearby during the war. As Lou digs into the past, her eyes are opened when she finds that her ancestors ran the gamut of slave owners, renegades, thieves and abolitionists. Meanwhile, some incidents in her town show her that many Civil War era prejudices still survive and that the past can keep repeating itself if we let it. Digging into her past shows Lou that it’s never too late to fight injustice, and she starts to see the real value of understanding and exploring her roots.
* “Accomplished debut. . . . Strong secondary characters, including Lou’s thrice-divorced flirtatious grandmother, help build the strong sense of small-town community. Tyre masterfully weaves historical details into Lou’s discoveries in ways that never feel facile, while deftly and satisfyingly resolving past and present puzzles.”—Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
Selected as a “Books All Young Georgians Should Read” by the Georgia Center for the Book, 2016