Our mentors are mentoring, 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 9, 2021, we hope you’ll take a moment during your writing breaks and get to know our 2021 Pitch Wars Mentor and Mentee Teams.
Next up, we have . . .
Micah Killjoy – Mentee
Carly Heath – Mentor
Carly, why did you choose Micah?
I was FASCINATED. First, the title—PANIC ATTACKS FOR GOD—made me majorly eyeball emoji. The query letter said something about Jehovah’s Witnesses and I was INTRIGUED. The first chapter immediately captivated me. This felt like someone’s actual lived experience and I wanted to know more. PANIC ATTACKS FOR GOD really takes you inside the mind of someone who’s grown up indoctrinated by their religion and does a great job of showing their questioning and ultimately breaking free of it. As specific as it is, the themes around questioning your identity are universal and I think it will speak to a lot of people.
Micah, why did you choose to submit to Carly?
Good vibes from Ted Lasso! I loved Carly’s Big Mentor Energy and knew our values would align well as mentor and mentee.
Carly, summarize Micah’s book in 3 words.
Compelling, Authentic, Fascinating
Micah, summarize your book in 3 words.
(A) Questionable Religious Experience
Carly, tell us about yourself. Something we may not already know.
I’m really into stuff like cults, religious indoctrination, and the psychology of those who have been pulled into those belief systems and who ultimately find the strength to break free of them. This summer I’ve been binging a lot of cult documentaries and podcasts, especially the Leah Remini Scientology documentary on Netflix, so I think Panic Attacks for God really hit me at the right time.
Micah, what do you hope to get out of the Pitch Wars experience?
Learning the ins and outs of the pitching world and meeting extremely cool people with a passion for YA!
Micah, tell us about yourself. What makes you and your manuscript unique?
I’m an internet-obsessed meatbag who’s hitchhiked, farmed, and environmental education-ed my way around the continent known as Turtle Island for the last decade. I also have almost no fire signs in my zodiac, which means this manuscript is extremely polite while still aggressively digging into all the issues I experienced within the high-control religion that I was raised in. My hope is this novel can send the message to the baby queers in weird religious situations that they’re actually already perfect, they need no forgiveness from on high for just being who they are.
Check out Carly’s latest release, THE RECKLESS KIND …
It’s 1904 on an island just west of Norway, and Asta Hedstrom doesn’t want to marry her odious betrothed, Nils. But her mother believes she should be grateful for the possibility of any domestic future, given her single-sided deafness, unconventional appearance, and even stranger notions. Asta would rather spend her life performing in the village theater with her fellow outcasts: her best friend Gunnar Fuglestad and his secret boyfriend, wealthy Erlend Fournier.
But the situation takes a dire turn when Nils lashes out in jealousy—gravely injuring Gunnar. Shunning marriage for good, Asta moves with Gunnar and Erlend to their secluded cabin above town. With few ties left to their families, they have one shot at gaining enough kroner to secure their way of life: win the village’s annual horse race.
Despite Gunnar’s increasing misgivings, Asta and Erlend intend to prove this unheard-of arrangement will succeed. Asta trains as a blacksmith; Erlend cares for recovering Gunnar. But as race day approaches, the villagers’ hateful ignorance only grows stronger. With this year’s competition proving dangerous for the trio, Asta and Erlend soon find they face another equally deadly peril: the possibility of losing Gunnar, and their found family, forever.
Thank you for supporting our Pitch Wars Teams! The Agent Showcase is February 9-14, 2022. Make sure to stop by then and check out all our mentees’ entries when it opens.