Rae and I would like to thank all the mentors, mentees, alternates, and agents for making this Pitch Wars such an awesome experience. In our opinion, all the writers are winners. The writers not only got some valuable coaching, but also a chance to meet other writers striving for the same goals … getting published. This community amazes us every day and we love seeing everyone supporting each other. If you didn’t get any requests, Read more…
Burn Me By Shelley Watters An Adult Contemporary Romance Releasing April 29, 2014 Published by Swoon Romance After her twin brother dies in a house fire, firefighter Katrina Hale is determined to prove she’s stronger than the flames. But while her focus on her career leaves little room in her life for romance and her current relationship fizzles, she soon discovers fighting fires is nothing compared to the scorching desire she feels in Read more…
Welcome agents (and those just reading for fun) to Pitch Wars! It’s been a crazy few months of selecting mentees and working hard to get their manuscripts in top shape for the agent round. Congratulations to the 52 mentees for surviving this rigorous boot-camp for writers. And a huge thank you to all the mentors who generously gave their time to help out their team of writers. To learn more about our mentors go here. Read more…
MENTOR: Marieke Nijkamp MENTEE: Brooks Benjamin TITLE: MY SEVENTH GRADE LIFE IN TIGHTS CATEGORY / GENRE: MG / Contemporary WORD COUNT: 54,000 PITCH: Dance studios are for sell-outs. At least that’s what Dillon’s dance crew keeps saying. But when a chance to compete at the biggest dance academy in the state falls in his lap, he has to decide what’s more important: sticking to his crew’s rules or freestyling his way into solo greatness. Read more…
MENTOR: Shannon Duffy MENTEE: Jeff Chen TITLE: PROFESSOR PLUTONIUM CATEGORY/GENRE: MG Humorous Adventure WORD COUNT: 46,000 PITCH: Calvin and Hobbes meets The Da Vinci Code. Tony Pluto quests to become super-spy Professor Plutonium, but blocking his mission are a sixth-grade kingpin, a Princess Bride giantess, and a little brother who also wants to become Professor Plutonium (or maybe a dog). When Tony discovers an encrypted contest, a secret agent’s life can finally be his—if Read more…
MENTOR: Veronica Bartles MENTEE: Naomi Milliner TITLE: SUPER JAKE, NOT-SO-SUPER FREDDY, AND ME, THE KING OF CHAOS CATEGORY/GENRE: MG Contemporary WORD COUNT: 44,000 PITCH: Ethan relies on top hats and magic wands to get through endless ER visits with his special needs brother. But when Jake’s latest trip to the ICU threatens to cancel Ethan’s biggest performance, he must decide whether he wants to be a master magician or “Jake’s big brother.” EXCERPT: Read more…
Mentor: Brent Taylor Mentee: Rachel Moser-Hardy Title: A LANGUAGE DARK AND LOVELY Category/Genre: MG Fantasy Word Count: 88,000 Pitch: Some books have a peculiar habit of causing trouble. When Lily finds a book only she can read, she must use it to stop her villainous father’s rise to power. However, a blackbird steals the book. Excerpt: The forest untouched by daylight had many names. To some, it was the “Nightlands.” To others, it was Read more…
MENTOR: Joy McCullough-Carranza MENTEE: Laura Shovan TITLE: THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY CATEGORY/GENRE: MG Contemporary Verse Novel WORD COUNT: 19,000 PITCH: Miss Hill’s class is determined to rescue Emerson Elementary from demolition, but popular Ashlie Hawk has a secret: Her father’s behind the plans to raze their school. For this class of student poets, it’s a revolutionary year in fifth grade. EXCERPT: Notebook By Edgar Lee Jones Yo, Notebook. I am your Read more…
MENTOR: Jen Swann Downey MENTEE: Glenn McCarty TITLE: LANG SAWYER AND THE DEN OF NOSTROMO CATEGORY/GENRE: Upper MG Fantasy WORD COUNT: 72,000 PITCH: Lang Sawyer’s quest for glory as a teenage monster hunter becomes a struggle for survival after he makes a monstrous discovery – characters from storybooks are disappearing, causing havoc in the worlds they’ve left behind. Now Lang must match wits with Alistair Frankenstein, a ruthless scientist whose hunger for new research specimens threatens to destroy Read more…
MENTOR: Gail Nall MENTEE: Abby Cooper TITLE: STICKS AND STONES CATEGORY/GENRE: MG Contemporary WORD COUNT: 47,000 PITCH: Thirteen-year-old Elyse has a disease where the names people call her stick to her body like temporary tattoos, and not the cool kind. If she’s chosen as the leader for the big class trip, popularity and positive words will be hers. If not, she’ll be doomed to feel like a loser forever—and look like one, too. EXCERPT: Holy Read more…