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 . . .
Tracie Martin – Mentee
Destiny Cole – Mentor
Tracie: Why did you choose Destiny?
As a writer with a sweet tooth for lyrical language and character-driven work, I knew I needed a mentor to help me make sure the plotting and pacing of my novel kept people turning the pages. I originally submitted to Destiny and Lynnette, and I got lucky beyond all words when Destiny won a wild card slot and chose to mentor me on her own. I couldn’t be more thrilled, because Destiny is warm, gracious, kind, and — most importantly — a crackerjack at dark material and thriller plots.
Destiny: Why did you choose Tracie’s manuscript?
I loved the concept, the narrative style, and the moral complexities this book has! It was one of the first MSSs that Lynnette and I requested and I never stopped thinking about it. When I was lucky enough to be randomly selected to mentor a second manuscript, there was NO question that BEGGARS was my wildcard pick and I’m so excited to work with Tracie!
Tracie: Summarize your book in three words.
Dark. Strange. Lyrical.
Destiny: Summarize Tracie’s book in three words.
Obsession. Cultish. Regret.
Tracie: Tell us about yourself. What makes you and your manuscript unique?
I write dark things, like dark-dark. The kind of dark where you need a glass of red wine nearby, with some good chocolate as a chaser. People who know me well and then read my work are often shocked, because in real life I’m a cheerful, dorky speculative geek with old-fashioned hobbies!
I first began writing my manuscript when someone in my family experienced a profound shift in personality. It was terrifying, because we build our lives around the people in them, and it showed me how fragile those foundations can be. Your only choice in that kind of situation is your own reaction: you can try to help, or you can wait and hope they come back to you.
Destiny: Tell us about yourself.
I am equally obsessed with both celebrity gossip and economics. I can tell you which celebrity is dating who and in the next breath explain why quantitative easing never works the way governments want it to.