Pitch Wars Interview with Patty Lenz Bovie and her mentor, K.C. Held

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 . . . 

Patty Lenz Bovie – Mentee

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K.C. Held – Mentor

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Patty: Why did you choose KC?

I loved reading about K.C.’s passion for mysteries and historical settings and I enjoyed many of the same books she listed on her profile, including The Borrowers and Holes. I was also really curious about K.C.’s MFA in costume design. Who studies costume design? Someone cool. Mostly, I was drawn to her because of her interest in “digging in” on a manuscript and working with me to make my book the best it can be. (Plus, I’m a K.C. and the Sunshine Band fan so I figured maybe K.C. Held and I were destined to be together.)

KC: Why did you choose Patty’s manuscript?

THE SECRET OF SAGAMORE HILL has so many of the elements I love in a story: a mystery entwined in history, hidden secrets, an unusual setting, a smart heroine on a compelling quest, and the promise of things to be discovered! Plus, I have a character in HOLDING COURT who is an Eleanor Roosevelt superfan so I couldn’t resist the Roosevelt connection!

Patty: Summarize your book in three words.

Roosevelts. Mystery. History.

KC: Summarize Patty’s book in three words.

Grave secrets revealed!

Patty: Tell us about yourself. What makes you and your MS unique?

I am a twin, I love show tunes, camping and thunderstorms (though not at the same time) and I have more than a dozen different nicknames ranging from Rat and Pate’ to Patty-Trish, Pbo and Patrilla. I now live outside of Boston with my husband and two daughters (14 and almost 11).

I grew up on Long Island and visited Sagamore Hill many times as a kid. I loved hearing stories about Theodore Roosevelt and his family and was drawn in by the history of the place and its beauty, right on the water with lots of trees and a huge rolling lawn. After reading Peter Collier’s biography The Roosevelts as an adult, I learned things about Alice Roosevelt’s childhood which inspired me to write this story. I have a passion for history and the Roosevelts, and for what happens behind closed doors in people’s homes—not the inappropriate stuff, but the stuff that makes us who we are. I think what’s inside of people is much more interesting than what’s on the outside, and I like to take the time to dig in and listen, and understand what makes someone laugh and cry. I love books that make me do both. I’m hoping this book will become one of them.

KC: Tell us about yourself. Something we might not already know.

I’m a history nerd! Before shifting my focus to costume design I studied historic costume and collection management with the intention of working as a curator in a museum someday. After reading THE SECRET OF SAGAMORE HILL I’m now totally fascinated with Alice Roosevelt! To give you an idea of what she was like, when President Theodore Roosevelt was asked by a dignitary if he could better control his daughter he responded, “I can be President of the United States, or I can control Alice. I cannot possibly do both.”

Check out K.C. Held’s latest release . . .

Holding Court

Sixteen-year-old Jules Verity knows exactly what’s in store at her new job at castle-turned-dinner-theater Tudor Times. Some extra cash, wearing a fancy-pants dress, and plenty of time to secretly drool over the ever-so-tasty—and completely unavailable—Grayson Chandler. Except that it’s not quite what she imagined.

For one, the costume Jules has to wear is awful. Then there’s the dead body she finds that just kind of…well, disappears. Oh, and there’s the small issue of Jules and her episodes of what her best friend calls “Psychic Tourette’s Syndrome”—spontaneous and uncontrollable outbursts of seemingly absurd prophecies.

The only bright side? This whole dead body thing seems to have gotten Grayson’s attention. Except that the more Jules investigates, the more she discovers that Grayson’s interest might not be as courtly as she thought. In fact, it’s starting to look suspicious…

Entangled Publishing | Amazon | Powells | BAM | B&N | IndieBound

Thank you for supporting our Pitch Wars Teams! And don’t forget to stop by the Agent Showcase starting November 3rd to see how our teams do in the final round.