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 1st-7th, we hope you’ll take a moment during your writing breaks and get to know our 2017 Pitch Wars Teams.
And now, we have . . .
Alison Brown – Mentee
Sarah Nicolas – Mentor
Alison, why did you choose to submit to Sarah?
I almost didn’t. Sarah is such an experienced mentor, with such an amazing list of previous mentees, that I thought there was no way she’d pick me. But her wish list matched my book (and she had Pride & Prejudice and Taylor Swift gifs) so I took a chance. I’m so glad I did!
Sarah, why did you choose to work with Alison?
It’s a female teenage Indiana Jones with a pilot main character and mini dragons! Honestly. How could I not choose it?
Alison, summarize your book in 3 words.
Adventure. Dragons. Morals.
Sarah, summarize your Alison’s book in 3 words.
Indiana Jones + dragons
Alison, tell us about yourself! What makes you and your MS unique?
I’m an identical twin, history graduate, and unofficial mentee from Pitch Wars ’16. I threw all the great feedback I’d received from mentors and agents into this book, and wrote and edited furiously to be ready for submission this year. I was still writing minutes before the deadline!
I wanted to blend the adventure of Indiana Jones with traditional YA fantasy, and feature a morally grey protagonist in the form of a girl pilot and smuggler. She’s thrown into a world that’s a mix of the glitz of the Jazz Age and the darkness of WWI – a world that isn’t hers – where she grapples with balancing her desires and doing the right thing.
Sarah, tell us about yourself. Something we may not already know.
I’m a recovering mechanical engineer, event planner, and author. I’m an extrovert and a proud Slytherin. I only developed a fondness for pink after working as a construction manager (pink things didn’t get accidentally picked up).
And next, we have . . .
Allison Dillon – Mentee
Nikki Roberti – Mentor
Allison, why did you choose to submit to Nikki?
Nikki was the host of the Pitch Wars Live shows, and she mentioned she was looking for Science Fiction. She wanted something with a little humor, lots of dialogue and action, a kick butt heroine… In a mentee, she wanted someone who loved their book and was willing to work. I thought we’d make a great team!
Nikki, why did you want to work with Allison?
Allison’s sci-fi fantasy STRIKE TWICE really was just perfect timing for me. I needed a fun, exciting read that could take me out of some real world stuff for a moment. Her book is a page turner, saturated with adventure. I was so impressed with how jam packed with excitement, wit, and heart it was. And I immediately knew what it needed to really shine. There were so many great books submitted to me this year and it was so hard to choose, but not only was Allison’s amazing–I had a clear vision on how to help, and that’s what made the difference.
Allison, summarize your book in 3 words.
Thunderstorms, thieves, starships.
Nikki, summarize Allison‘s book in 3 words.
“Electrifyingly Fantastic Page-Turner” …. or “Future Best Seller”
Allison, tell us about yourself! What makes you and your MS unique?
I’m in my last semester of undergraduate school for a BA in Biology. My background in living organisms helped me create a brand new world in STRIKE TWICE. I used my knowledge to ground its creatures, like the thunderbirds, in a little science.
I love the outdoors, where I spend time rock climbing, hiking, and camping. I’ve been caught out in lots of summer thunderstorms, which inspired certain aspects of my manuscript. STRIKE TWICE blends elements of Fantasy and Science Fiction. It has a big setting with real, relatable characters. It features fantastical creatures and energy-manipulation alongside machines and starships. And to add an extra layer of unexpected, STRIKE TWICE takes the ‘chosen one’ trope and spins it on its head.
Nikki, tell us about yourself. Something we may not already know.
Something you don’t know about me? Hmm….I was once on a local word game show in college where I totally won by a landslide. But the girl I competed against was in a sorority so she brought like 100 friends who refused to clap for me and I only brought 3 so they ended up having to put a really hokey clap/laugh track on my side of the show which was awkward. But hey! I won a free gift card to Blimpies and some cash lol.
Check out our mentors’ latest releases . . .
KEEPING HER SECRET by Sarah Nicolas
The last person Riya Johnson expected to run into at her new summer camp is Courtney Chastain—her childhood best friend and the girl who broke her heart after a secret, mind-blowing, life-altering kiss. She definitely didn’t expect to be sharing a bunk bed with her for four long weeks.
Courtney has what every girl wants—she’s beautiful, rich, and the object of every boy’s desire at Camp Pine Ridge. Too bad none of them make her feel an iota of what Riya’s kiss did all those years ago. But Courtney needs to uphold appearances at all costs—even if it means instigating an all-out prank war with Riya as her main target.
Neither girl can stop thinking about the other…but that doesn’t mean they can give up past hurts and take a chance on a future together.