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 . . .
Tauri Cox – Mentee
Falon Ballard – Mentor
Brooke Abrams – Mentor
Falon & Brooke, why did you choose Tauri?
Tauri’s manuscript stood out to us from the beginning. We loved her fresh concept and her characters and her gorgeous setting. And we immediately had a similar vision for where we wanted the story to go, which is important as a mentor team!
Tauri, why did you choose to submit to Falon & Brooke?
I spent days combing through wishlists and Twitter profiles, making my nerdy spreadsheet and narrowing down romance mentors. But from the very beginning, there was a lot about Brooke and Falon’s wishlist that really spoke to me. The wish for flawed characters and stories of self discovery and reinvention immediately jumped out at me because if you look past the sexy con artist and gallivanting through France, that’s what my book is at its core. I had a gut feeling that Brooke and Falon would be able to see that and make it even stronger. Plus,the Roy Kent GIF and #TeamForearmsAndAbs really sealed the deal.
Falon & Brooke, summarize Tauri’s book in 3 words.
Flirty French felonies!
Tauri, summarize your book in 3 words.
Be sexy, do crimes. (Technically that’s four but hopefully I get away with it.)
Falon & Brooke, tell us about yourself. Something we may not already know.
I was named after a character from the original Dynasty and no one knew how to pronounce my name until Jimmy Fallon became popular. (Falon)
My pen name is an homage to one of my favorite drag queens, Brooke Lynn Hytes. (Brooke)
Tauri, what do you hope to get out of the Pitch Wars experience?
When Brooke and Falon first asked me this question, it took me a second to really hone in on the answer. But honestly, publishing is a hard industry. I’ve gotten so close with other projects and other opportunities, but I wasn’t quite getting where I wanted to be. Like there was something holding me back or just not clicking. I think through Brooke and Falon’s help, I’ll be able to level up my writing and this mentorship could be what unlocks my potential.
And I know everyone says the community but it really is true. I’ve already created friendships that I know will last far beyond the showcase, and having others cheer you on makes all the difference.
Tauri, tell us about yourself. What makes you and your manuscript unique?
In addition to the Catch Me If You Can inspiration – I saw the real Frank Abagnale speak a few years ago and have been fascinated ever since – I also leaned heavily on my travels through France when writing this book. I went to Paris a few years ago (by myself which was nerve-wracking) and fell in love with the city. I then met up with my dad and we did a ten-day excursion through the South of France. Almost all the locations in the novel are places I’ve actually been.
Check out Falon’s upcoming release, LEASE ON LOVE …
Beach Read meets The Flatshare in this warmly funny and delightfully sharp debut rom-com about a down-on-her-luck young woman who turns an innocent mix-up between a dating app and a roommate app into a new chance at love.She wasn’t looking for love until it landed on her doorstep.
After getting passed over for an overdue—and much-needed—promotion, Sadie Green is in desperate need of three things: a stiff drink, a new place to live, and a one-night stand. When one drink turns into one too many, Sadie mixes up a long-ignored dating app for a roommate-finding app and finds herself on the doorstep of Jack Thomas’s gorgeous Brooklyn brownstone. Too bad she’s more attracted to his impressive real estate than she is to the man himself.
Jack, still grieving the unexpected death of his parents, has learned to find comfort in video games and movie marathons instead of friends. So while he doesn’t know just what to make of the vivaciously verbose Sadie, he’s willing to offer her his spare bedroom while she gets back on her feet. And with the rent unbeatably low, Sadie can finally pursue her floristry side hustle full-time. The two are polar opposites, but as Sadie’s presence begins to turn the brownstone into a home, they both start to realize they may have just made the deal of a lifetime.
Coming February 2022 from Penguin Random House
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.