Sunday, August 9, 2015

My #PitchWars Mentee Bio



Hello!


I am super excited for #PitchWars!



I write NA and YA novels, mainly contemporary but dabble in a little urban fantasy as well!



I grew up in a small farming community in Washington state.  I know how to drive a combine, haul hay, ride horses and wear a cowboy hat.



I now live in one of the hottest places in the US: Arizona, and long to return to my rural roots.

Along with my husband, my 3 kids are the loves of my life.

This is my dog.  Her name is Reba.  She's a labradoodle.  She may think she's one of my children and follows me wherever I go.

Why I want to be part of #PitchWars:

The obvious answer is because I want to publish my novel.  The more in depth answer is because as much as I have edited and had friends and family review my novel, I feel it has room to grow.  I'm eager to improve my own skills as a writer as well, and through #PitchWars I know I can do this.

As I mentioned above, I write NA and YA novels.  I have one completed YA urban fantasy novel that I am re-writing and I have one completed NA contemporary romance which I will be submitting for #PitchWars.

Here is my query letter for CHASING FOREVER:

In twenty-year-old Jemma Bowers’ life, rules are not meant to be broken, even if she’s the one who created them. Friendships have boundaries, relationships mean trouble, and don’t even get her started on sex. Haunted by the death of her mother and her father’s abandonment, Jemma finds herself hungry for something meaningful and permanent but is afraid of what may happen if she chases after it.

When Jordan Capshaw the rock star of her dreams ends up in her care (okay, so maybe she kind of kidnapped him) she feels she’s bitten off more than she can chew when it comes to his addictions. Emotions run high as Jemma soon finds herself caught between the troubled rock star and her growing affections for Vic Harper, the swoon-worthy firefighter from her past.

Jemma's world tips upside down when Gran, the one person she could always count on, passes away leaving her alone yet again. In order to save herself from further heartbreak she may have to risk it all by breaking the rules she created three years ago in order to protect her heart.

CHASING FOREVER is a new adult contemporary romance novel complete at 71,000 words.  It is told from two points of view: the girl who tries too hard to keep her distance in order to save herself from heartbreak and the rock star determined to prove his father wrong and find himself along the way.

You can read a brief excerpt HERE.

What I bring to the table for #PitchWars:

I am a hard worker.  I know that criticism will help me and my novel grow.  I'm looking for a friend and a partner when working on my novel and hope the friendship lasts longer than #PitchWars.  I love learning new things, and love helping others and would love the opportunity to one day give back and be a #PitchWars mentor.

Friday, August 7, 2015

Current play list


I listen to music while I write, I have too.  A lot of what inspires me is the feeling I get from the music itself or perhaps even the lyrics.  If there is a television on in the background it's like a succubus taking the creativity from my soul and I can't hardly get any words on the screen.  And for someone who writes, you can imagine how distractions like that can be detrimental.

With my current WIP (work in progress), I've been accumulating songs that give me all the feels for Lee and Cassie's story.  The list is not yet complete, but I felt like sharing what is currently inspiring me.  Each linked song is a YouTube video, not all of them are official, unfortunately.


Little Do You Know” – Alex & Sierra
White Blank Page” – Mumford & Sons
Glory Box” – Portishead
Saturn” – Sleeping At Last
The Rocky Road to Dublin” – The High Kings
Holding Out For a Hero” – Ella Mae Bowen
Give Me Love” – Alex & Sierra
Awake My Soul” – Mumford & Sons
Come With Me Now” – The Kongos
Just Breathe” – Pearl Jam
Sad Song” – We The Kings

Enjoy these songs/videos - I hope you like them as much as I do.

~PS - I'm sure I'll be adding a few more as time goes by.

Monday, August 3, 2015

#PitchWars mentors announced today

Brenda Drake says:
What is Pitch Wars? Is it another contest? Oh, no, it’s so much better. Pitch Wars is a contest where published/agented authors, editors, or industry interns choose one writer each, read their entire manuscript, and offer suggestions to shine it up for agents. The mentors also critique the writer’s pitch to get it ready for the agent round. Writers send applications (query and first chapter of manuscript) to the four mentors that best fit their work. The mentors then read all their applications and choose the writer they want to mentor for the next two months. Then we hold an agent round with over a dozen agents making requests.

2015 Pitch Wars submission window will open August 17. We’ll announce the mentors’ picks on September 2, and the agent round is November 3-4.
There are 100 mentors to choose from in varying genres and age categories, and I found 21 ready to mentor NA novels.  Which made narrowing my choices to only 5 ridiculously tough. All of them are so amazing and talented and generous offering their time to help writers like me. Now let's just cross our fingers that one of the mentors I have picked chooses me!

And because #PitchWars is all about the GIFs, I have some to throw in the mix.

#PitchWars mentors are announced!

So many to choose from...


I can't decide!!!


I've made my choices...


Oh man, I hope they like me.  Like really like me.


I can't handle the stress!!!


I'm going to pull my hair out!


Okay - breathe...just breathe.