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 5, 2020, we hope you’ll take a moment during your writing breaks and get to know our 2019 Pitch Wars Mentor and Mentee Teams.
Next up, we have . . .
Parker Goodreau – Mentee
Jessica Vitalis – Mentor
Julie Artz – Mentor
Jessica & Julie, why did you choose Parker?
Jessica: We fell in love with the story the moment the query hit our inbox, and after we read the manuscript, we felt like we had a solid vision for how to guide Parker’s revisions.
Julie: This manuscript is totally in our sweet spot. Great world building, a solid emotional heart, and lots of adventure. There was so much squeeing via text when we read the submission and even more once we got the full manuscript!
Parker, why did you choose to submit to Jessica & Julie?
I felt like their wish list was a really good fit! They specifically asked for historical fantasy, and I liked a lot of the books they mentioned. I’m also the kind of person who doesn’t feel good about a manuscript until I’ve done several different levels of revisions, so their strength in both big picture edits and the more nitty-gritty stuff was appealing.
Jessica & Julie, summarize Parker’s book in 3 words.
Jessica: Nonbinary changeling’s self-discovery
Julie: Magic, Friendship, Acceptance
Parker, summarize your book in 3 words.
Magical nonbinary bildungsroman
Jessica & Julie, tell us about yourself. Something we may not already know.
Jessica: I’m currently obsessed with omniscient points of view in middle grade literature.
Julie: I’m a Baby Yoda fanatic and I don’t care who knows it!
Parker, what do you hope to get out of the Pitch Wars experience?
I really want to bring this book to the next level. And just enjoy getting to work with other people! I’ve been writing a long time, and I’ve learned that even though the process is solitary a lot of the time, community and collaboration are hugely important for me. Everything’s moving so fast right now, but I love what everyone says about how long-lasting the bonds forged during Pitch Wars can be; I hope it turns out to be true.
I also want to hone my storytelling and revision skills, not just for this manuscript but for all of my work. I love feeling like my toolbox is expanding. And I enjoy being a critique partner almost as much (and sometimes more) than writing, so I hope I can take what I’m learning from my wonderful mentors and pay it forward to other writers in the future!
Parker, tell us about yourself! What makes you and your manuscript unique?
I’m an artist, a theatre student, and a musical geek with a sadly subpar singing voice. My prized possessions are a flannel with the Slytherin logo on the back, a shirt that says “Let’s get one thing straight: I’m not,” and a black and rainbow beanie baby dragon named Mollymauk. One of the first things I put on the internet was a fancomic of S.E. Hinton’s “The Outsiders” that I drew in 7th grade.
I’ve always had a deep and abiding love of fairytales, and this manuscript was my attempt to write my own. I basically stuck an actual historical conspiracy, all my favorite bits of lore, and the classic Edwardian-era novels I adored as a kid in a blender and hoped for the best. In the past few years, my writing has centered nonbinary (and asexual, and bi, etc.) characters, but this was my first time writing a nonbinary MC for middle grade. I didn’t have the words to explain my experiences until I was seventeen; I think its super important that children see their reality reflected in their stories. I’m so glad we’re starting to see it happen. More queer kidlit, please!
Thank you for supporting our Pitch Wars Teams! The Agent Showcase is February 5 – 10, 2020, and our next Twitter Pitch Party on #PitMad is December 5, 2019! Want to know more about #PitMad? Go here.