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 . . .
Anne Persons – Mentee
Kerbie Addis – Mentor
Kerbie, why did you choose Anne?
I had several manuscript submissions I was excited about, Anne, of course, being among those. Her book touched my little goth heart, with its beautiful descriptions and heart-wrenching scenes. When I finished her book (in one night, might I add) I knew I had to pick her. It wasn’t just that I loved her book–I did like others–but when I finished, I had a clear idea of what needed to be changed to fix her book. I could see it in my head as an unfinished puzzle, all the pieces were there, we just had to brainstorm how to fit them together.
Anne, why did you choose to submit to Kerbie?
I’ve followed Kerbie for a couple years now, and her knowledge is…formidable. What I’ve read of her writing is brilliant, and I have a lot of respect and admiration for her. When I saw she was a mentor this year, that was it. Instantaneous decision. Her wish list confirmed it for me. I knew I’d be in capable hands, and had faith she would understand the most vulnerable parts of my book. Plus, Junji Ito and Rin Chupeco? YES. Slammed that submit button. Thank you for picking me, Kerbie!
Kerbie, summarize Anne’s book in 3 words.
Dark, Lyrical, Raw
Anne, summarize your book in 3 words.
Love, death, madness.
Kerbie, tell us about yourself. Something we may not already know.
I’m a huge fan of dorky dad jokes.
Anne, what do you hope to get out of the Pitch Wars experience?
If nothing else, becoming better attuned to where I need to grow as both writer and human being. Pitch Wars has pulled me out of my shell a bit. It’s good to connect with people in the writing community again. Everyone I’ve met so far in Pitch Wars has been kind, friendly, and encouraging. That alone has been greatly motivating.
Anne, tell us about yourself! What makes you and your manuscript unique?
This story is about a haunting.
If you’ve ever lived through something that tore a hole in you, something that ripped your heart and your life into pieces, you know what it means to be haunted.
Living with trauma means living with ghosts. You’re haunted, and you stay haunted until you find a way to let go.
I wrote this story because I didn’t know how to let go, and I had to find a way.
Trauma is in everything I write. When I was a teenager, it was difficult to find young adult books with traumatized protagonists. What I did find often wasn’t in my age group, or in the right medium, so I ended up writing stories for myself. I kept writing, because there were so few stories where girls like me made it out alive, or sane, or whole. It was a way of giving myself hope.
I’m still doing that.
I write the stories I wish I could give to the scared girl I was back then.
Thank you for supporting our Pitch Wars Teams! The Agent Showcase is February 6 – 11, 2019. We hope you’ll join us to support our teams on the Twitter hashtag #PitchWars.