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 . . .
Andrea Kjaer – Mentee
Heather Cashman – Mentor
Andrea: Why did you choose L.L. McKinney?
I pitched to LL McKinney because I loved her bio and her voice. I knew I wasn’t a great fit for what she was looking for, but I couldn’t pass up a chance (however small) to have her as a mentor. I am equally excited and very thankful Heather Cashman was able to take me on!
Why I chose Andrea and Brightest Shade of Flame?
I was sad to hear that Elle McKinney wouldn’t be able to mentor this year, but when I read Andrea’s query and manuscript, I was excited to fill in for her. I love the way Andrea weaves various mythologies and legends into her novel. Her world building is gorgeous. And her manuscript was formatted correctly with decent grammar. Gotta love that. What really tipped the scales for me was the Pitch Wars bio she posted on her blog. Fun. Interesting. Dedicated. Smart. Amazing.
Andrea: Summarize your book in three words.
ViQUEEN not Viking.
My summary of Andrea’s book in three words.
Feminist forging destiny.
Andrea: Tell us about yourself. What makes you and your MS unique?
I’m a Utah native tramping around the red clay soils of Georgia. A recipe for my perfect day goes something like this: 2 playful children, 1 amazing husband, a heaping scoop of peachy dessert with some melty vanilla ice cream, and a few hours to write.
My great-grandfather was a blacksmith from Denmark and the stories about the magic of his smithy inspired me to write this novel. I’ve spent some time with a hammer and anvil, but my preferred method of smiting is Goju Ryu karate.
Something about myself I doubt you know.
I have a habit of taking spontaneous trips and to date have gone on road-trips with my kids through 38 states. When my kids were about 6, 8, and 10 years old, we headed to the zoo in our town. They had closed because of the heat, and we ended up at the San Diego Zoo (400 miles away).