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 starting on February 6, 2019, we hope you’ll take a moment during your writing breaks and get to know our 2018 Pitch Wars Teams.
Next up, we have . . .
Dan Rowinski – Mentee
Rebecca Enzor – Mentor
Rebecca, why did you choose Dan?
Dan’s book was the perfect mix of hard science and mythology – super weird and it needed a lot of work, but after talking to him I knew he could do it in the time frame and the book would end up so unique and amazing. There was one scene in particular where a muse was dancing around a scientist’s imagination that was just PERFECT, and I knew if the whole book could do that, it would be a winner. Plus Dan has a fluffy, adorable cat named Zeus – I won’t lie, pet photos don’t hurt your chances 😉
Dan, why did you choose to submit to Rebecca?
Rebecca was my first choice. On the Blog Hop she said, “If your book is a combo of analytical/nuclear chemistry AND mythology/magic? I WANT THAT.” My reaction was, “you’re the one!” My story isn’t analytical chemistry, but it is definitely a mix of hard science fiction with mythical elements in that the Greek Muses are attempting to inspire a conscious artificial intelligence. It’s … a weird premise, but I had a feeling that Rebecca would totally get it.
Rebecca, summarize Dan’s book in 3 words.
Muse inspired AI
Dan, summarize your book in 3 words.
Creativity cannot be automated.
Rebecca, tell us about yourself. Something we may not already know.
As a nuclear chemist and fantasy author, the combination of science and magic is my sweet spot. Apollo, the god of healing (science) and poetry (muses), is my patron god, and my debut novel follows this pattern by mixing science and fantasy with mermaids at a SeaWorld-like marine park. I’m a Libra, so I’m equal parts analytical and creative, and am drawn to that same balance in media.
Make sure to check out Rebecca’s upcoming release, SPEAK THE OCEAN, here’s something about the book …
THE LITTLE MERMAID meets BLACKFISH, in which a trainer at the world’s first mermaid theme park has to risk his life and turn his back on the people he cares about, to let the world know that the park’s ill-treated mermaids are just as human as we are.
Spring 2019!
Add it on Goodreads
Dan, what do you hope to get out of the Pitch Wars experience?
I am trying to be careful of the notion a lot of prospective and current mentees may have in that Pitch Wars is akin to “making it.” I have multiple goals with Pitch Wars and the first is to work with a critique partner who is dedicated to helping me make my manuscript the best it can possibly be. When we are done, I want my mentor to be proud of what we have achieved and hopefully have made a friend in the process.
From a professional level, I look to Pitch Wars as an opportunity to separate myself from the masses of hopeful people in the query trenches. It’s a terrific opportunity to gain some visibility in the publishing world and I want to look back on my Pitch Wars experience in several years and say, “that was the moment that spurred me along the way.” I want to make the Pitch Wars community proud and serve as inspiration to the next group of hopefuls to come along.
Dan, tell us about yourself! What makes you and your manuscript unique?
I have been a tech journalist for a decade and my original idea with the manuscript was to show, in a realistic fashion, how the technology of today will become the artificial general intelligence of tomorrow. In many ways, innovation is as much art as painting beautiful pictures or writing stunning verse. There is creativity in building something new. And where does creativity come from? Well, the Muses, of course.
I also wanted to show the tension behind the inherent conflict of humanity’s relationship with technology through the course of history. Every innovation—from controlled fire to the wheel to steam power to computers has—in some way, changed human behavior. We are soon to enter the age of automation and the way we go about our lives will be fundamentally altered, for good and bad. As a journalist who specialized in the study of how current innovation changes human industry, I believed I was well suited to write that story.
Thank you for supporting our Pitch Wars Teams! The Agent Showcase is February 6 – 11, 2019, and our next #PitMad is December 6, 2018!