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 . . .
Tosha Sumner – Mentee
RuthAnne Snow – Mentor
Tosha: Why did you choose RuthAnne?
I chose RuthAnne for so many reasons. First and foremost because she rocks. But there are several other reasons, like how her wishlist mentioned she’d love a sports book. She also listed one of my comps as a book she enjoyed. Then in her mentor bio, she mentioned some strengths that were items I needed help with. Oh and her website/blog URL “andthenshewaslikeblahblahblah
RuthAnne: Why did I choose Tosha?
Tosha’s manuscript stood out to me for so many reasons. Her writing just flows, it was so easy to get caught up in the story. I adore her main character–a fantastic, focused teen. I loved the sports theme, and how authentic it felt. But the main thing was, as great as it already was, I could think of a million different little ways I could help, which is how I knew it was the one for me.
Tosha: Summarize your book in three words.
Only three? That’s so hard, but here goes: Scandal. Betrayal. Love.
RuthAnne: Ooh, Tosha’s were good.
Badass teen athletes.
Tosha: Tell us about yourself. What makes you and your MS unique?
I’m a pretty typical writer in that there’s either coffee or tea and some sort of chocolate on my desk at all times. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, and my husband and I actually had an evening brunch for our wedding reception. My favorite city is Paris, followed by Asheville, NC – which has been called “The Paris of the South.” I ran track in college and was an Olympic hopeful many, many years ago. I was lucky enough to run professionally for a couple years and got paid to travel the world, racing in track meets. I am passionate about girls and young women having the opportunity to participate in sports, so all of my stories feature strong, athletic heroines. I think what makes this manuscript unique is getting a glimpse into the life of an elite teenage athlete and some of the additional pressures they face outside of the usual high school “stuff.” This story was so fun to write because it features two of my favorite sports – track and cycling.
RuthAnne: Tell us about yourself. Something we may not know.
I feel like I’ve been such an open book on Twitter and Instagram that there’s not much left to share … I was a band geek in high school when the 2002 Olympics were in Salt Lake City, and my drumline got to entertain people in line for different events. So I may not have been an athlete like Tosha, but I feel like I’m athlete-adjacent 😉