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 . . .
Rachel L. Hamm – Mentee
Laura Brown – Mentor
Tif Marcelo – Mentor
Laura and Tif, why did you choose Rachel?
We fell in love with Rachel’s Bachelor type reality show set up, her book lends beautifully to society’s obsession with these contests. Her voice is spot on and the story made us laugh and swoon, and we loved the way she delves into what happens after the credits stop rolling. We couldn’t keep ourselves from turning the pages.
Rachel, why did you choose to submit to Laura and Tif?
I look at all the adult mentors and made a list of those looking for any form of romance, after that it was sorta a gut decision. I liked the idea of having a mentor team, because two heads are always better than one, so 3 of the 4 mentors I submitted to were teams. For the mentors who chose me, specifically, I pitched to them because one was a social worker, and I have a character who was a social worker, and because they specifically said they were interested in diverse stories but were willing to help authors who weren’t doing OwnVoices. My cast of characters is very diverse, but I’m a basic white girl 🙂
Laura and Tif, summarize Rachel’s book in 3 words.
Reality Love Show
Rachel, summarize your book in 3 words.
Reality TV RomCom
Laura and Tif, tell us about yourself. Something we may not already know.
Laura can cross two sets of fingers on both her hands, something she taught herself while bored during the fourth grade. That means when she says she’s crossing her fingers for someone, she’s got four sets instead of two!
Tif practices yoga and/or meditation daily. At times, she take even just five minutes to stretch and ground herself.
Rachel, what do you hope to get out of the Pitch Wars experience?
I have never been good at editing and revising, and I’m hoping this process can show me that those are not scary things.
Rachel, tell us about yourself! What makes you and your manuscript unique?
I don’t know that I AM unique, at least not moreso than in the “everyone is unique” kind of way. I’m in my mid-thirties, single, childless or childfree depending on the day, love my dog more than any human person, and have been a lover of romcoms since I was old enough to understand that that’s what most Disney films are.
My MS is about a woman who goes on a Bachelor-style reality dating show as the producer plant. She’s supposed to create drama, but she’s not supposed to win the heart of the lead and she’d definitely not supposed to fall for him. But, fictional characters are always pretty good at doing exactly what they’re not supposed to do.
Check out Laura’s recent release, FRIENDS (WITH BENEFITS) ZONE …
FRIEND (WITH BENEFITS) ZONE, a new adult contemporary romance
I’m ridiculously attracted to my best friend.
Today is a bad day. The worst actually. After dealing with the constant manhandling that comes with being a cocktail waitress at a dive bar and surviving a date from hell, I see an eviction notice slapped on the door of my sketchy basement apartment. Great.
When my best friend Devon shows up at my door and uses his stubborn charm (emphasis on stubborn) to get me to move in with him, I give in. We’ve had about a million sleepovers since we met in the kindergarten Deaf program, but this time it’s different because I can’t stop thinking about his hard body covering mine, every single night.
I know Devon would do anything for me, but I’m afraid what I want to happen will ruin our friendship forever. And the more time we spend together in close quarters, the harder it’ll be to resist the spark of attraction I’ve always felt. But maybe it’s possible to have the best of both worlds: keep the one relationship I can’t live without and indulge in an attraction I can’t deny.
I guess the only thing we can do is try…
Check out Tif’s upcoming release, THE KEY TO HAPPILY EVER AFTER …
A charming romantic comedy about three sisters who are struggling to keep the family wedding planning business afloat—all the while trying to write their own happily-ever-afters in the process.
All’s fair in love and business.
The de la Rosa family and their wedding planning business have been creating happily ever afters in the Washington, DC area for years, making even the most difficult bride’s day a fairytale. But when their parents announce their retirement, the sisters—Marisol, Janelyn, and Pearl—are determined to take over the business themselves.
But the sisters quickly discover that the wedding business isn’t all rings and roses. There are brides whose moods can change at the drop of a hat; grooms who want to control every part of the process; and couples who argue until their big day. As emotions run high, the de la Rosa sisters quickly realize one thing: even when disaster strikes—whether it’s a wardrobe malfunction or a snowmageddon in the middle of a spring wedding—they’ll always have each other.
Perfect for fans of the witty and engaging novels of Amy E. Reichert and Susan Mallery, The Key to Happily Ever After is a fresh romantic comedy that celebrates the crucial and profound power of sisterhood.
Thank you for supporting our Pitch Wars Teams! The Agent Showcase is February 6 – 11, 2019, and our next #PitMad is December 6, 2018!