#PitchWars Peeps to Check Out

As promised in my last post about how I feel about not getting picked in Pitch Wars, here are six Pitch Wars people I want to highlight because THEY ARE AWESOME. And they willingly told me their secret super powers, so that tells you a lot about their character.

 
1. Brenda Drake
Secret super power: Able to multitask in a single bound.
Blog/website: http://www.brenda-drake.com/
Book: Library Jumpers
Release Date: 2015
Twitter: @brendadrake
Library Jumpers blurb:

"The gateways between the great libraries of the world don’t require a library card, but they do harbor dangers.

Sixteen-year-old Gia Kearns would rather spar with boys than kiss them. That is, until Arik, a leather-clad hottie in the Boston Athenaeum, busts her staring at him while she’s with her friends researching for their summer essays.When he suddenly disappears, Gia swipes the book he abandoned and unwittingly speaks the key that sucks her and her friends into a gateway book linking the world’s libraries, where hidden behind bookcases lies a magical world and a rising evil that will alter both the Mystik and human realms, returning them to a time when frightening creatures openly roamed the earth and fed on humans.

Jumping into some of the world’s most beautiful libraries would be a dream come true for Gia, if she weren’t struggling to fit into her new life as a Sentinel—magical knights charged with protecting humans from the creatures traveling across the gateway books—or busy resisting forbidden love. But as the threat from an exiled wizard seeking revenge rises, Gia must choose between her heart and her head, between Arik’s world and her own, before they’re both destroyed."

2. Sharon Johnston
Secret super power: Internal energy source allows her to operate off very little sleep.
Blog/website: http://downunderwonderings.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @S_M_Johnston
Book: Sleeper
Release Date: TBA
Sleeper blurb:  

"A new heart should mean new life, not a living nightmare.

Mishca Richardson’s life is at an all-time high after her heart transplant.  With new boyfriend, Ryder, the two of them have the perfect summer romance. Even the nightmares that have been plaguing her sleep since her operation can’t dull the high she’s on.

Things start to unravel as Mishca develops superhuman abilities. She does her best to hide them so as not to end up a science experiment in a lab. But she can’t ignore the instant attraction she experiences when she meets her university professor, Colin Reed.

Torn between the blossoming love and the obsession, Mishca must decide if she wants Ryder or Colin. But the organization responsible for her changes and her connection to Colin, is moving to secure Mishca so that she can be the weapon she was always intended her to be. If Mishca can’t resist her programming she’ll have a lot more to worry about than romance."

Sharon also has short stories in: Basics of Life
Buy it here!


3. Stephanie Scott
Secret super power: Stephanie did not give me a super power, so I will take an educated guess and say her powers is that she goes above and beyond the call of duty.
EDIT: I have heard back about the power, and the verdict is: Planning prowess!
Blog/website: http://www.stephaniescott.net/
Twitter: @StephScottYA
Book: 2014 RWA Maggie award finalist for manuscript ALTERATIONS



4. Rachel Lynn Solomon
Secret super power: Obsessively detail oriented.
Blog/website: http://rlynnsolomon.blogspot.com/
Book:Twitch
Follow the above link to read a little about Twitch!
Twitter: @rlynn_solomon


5. Trisha Leaver
Secret super power: Predicts the future.
Blog/website: http://www.trishaleaver.com/
Book: The Secrets We Keep
Release Date: April 28, 2015
Pre-order here!
Twitter: @tleaver
The Secrets We Keep blurb:

"A girl takes over her twin sister's identity in this emotionally charged page-turner about the complicated bond between sisters."

Ella and Maddy Lawton are identical twins. Ella has spent her high school years living in popular Maddy's shadows, but she has never been envious of Maddy. In fact, she's chosen the quiet, safe confines of her sketchbook over the constant battle for attention that has defined Maddy's world.

When—after a heated argument—Maddy and Ella get into a tragic accident that leaves her sister dead, Ella wakes up in the hospital surrounded by loved ones who believe she is Maddy. Feeling responsible for Maddy's death and everyone's grief, Ella makes a split-second decision to pretend to be Maddy. Soon, Ella realizes that Maddy's life was full of secrets. Caught in a web of lies, Ella is faced with two options—confess her deception or live her sister's life."

Books co-authored with Lindsay N. Currie (below):
Hardwired
Release date: 2015
Creed
Release date: November 8, 2014
Pre-order here!

6. Lindsay N. Currie
Secret super power: Invisibility cloak.
Blog/website: http://lindsaycurrie.com/
Twitter: @lindsayncurrie
Books co-written with Trisha Leaver (above):
Hardwired
Release date: 2015
Creed
Release date: November 8, 2014
Pre-order here!
Find more on her website!

Creed blurb:

"Three went in. Three came out. None even a shadow of who they once were.

When their car breaks down, Dee, her boyfriend Luke, and his brother Mike walk through a winter storm to take refuge in a nearby town called Purity Springs. When they arrive, the emergency sirens are blaring and the small farming town seems abandoned. With no other shelter, they spend the night in an empty house.

But they soon discover that not everything in Purity Springs is as it seems. When the town's inhabitants suddenly appear the next morning, Dee, Luke, and Mike find themselves at the mercy of the charismatic leader, Elijah Hawkins, who plans to make Dee his new wife. Elijah's son, Joseph, offers to help them escape . . . but the price of his help may be more than Dee and her friends can bear."

____

So basically, this is how I feel about all these books:

And...

Thanks for checking out the fabulous talent!

#PitchWars Aftermath

For those of you who are completely out of the loop, here's the skinny on Pitch Wars: It was a contest on Twitter where signed writers gave their time and skills to help unsigned writers. These honorable, beautiful people are called Mentors. The unsigned writers, like myself, submitted a query letter and the first chapter of of manuscripts to up to four out of seventy five Mentors. In this round, the Mentors picked one Mentee and one Alternate. I read the average Mentor got eighty submissions, so this contest was huge.

I'm going to make a separate post about Brenda Drake (who started all this) and the Mentors to whom I subbed, so you can check out their blogs and pre-order their books! These ladies are mad talented. And of course generous to the bone because they didn't have to participate in this contest, but they did. So, look out for that.

Now, for my personal results! I was not picked. Yes, sad face.

Except my face isn't actually sad because:

1. This is one contest, and there were a huge amount of submissions with tons of talent. I know I'm not the best writer out there. But I am the best writer I ever have been, so I can be happy with where I am now as opposed to where I have been. I'm giddy for all the writers chosen. They are talented and have worked hard to get that coveted spot. I wish them all the best in the agent round!

 

2. For the past couple weeks, I've been a part of a truly inspiring writing community. Never have I seen so many writers encourage and connect with each other. I saw courage. I saw vulnerability. I saw talent.

Because of that, I am more open to the idea of finding a writers group or critique partners either where I live or online. To be honest, this scares me a little because I don't trust people with my book. What if it gets stolen!? To be even more honest, I'm afraid if I join a writer's group or get a critique partner, they'll be one of those I'm-so-smart types who like to talk down and feel superior. Pitch Wars Peeps have proved to be a humble, fun bunch, though! That gives me hope. Yay, friends, and community and stuff.

3. A rejection does not mean I have failed. It means I have succeeded in finishing a project, and that I have the guts to put it out there. Being rejected means I'm trying. I won't get anywhere otherwise.

4. The Mentors are giving feedback to everyone who subbed, and I got my first feedback this morning from my favorite Mentor. I cannot tell you how important this was to me. This Mentor helped me with my query letter in such a huge way. She also gave me feedback on the writing in my MS that will help me grow tremendously.

Two things I need to work on: grounding my readers in the setting (I knew I wasn't very skilled at this), and "showing" instead of "telling". That one surprised me because I thought I'd been making a conscious effort to show not tell. See how hard it is to recognize our own flaws? That's why her feedback was so important. Now I can take that and delve into learning and revising in that aspect.

Another feedback wasn't as specific because she simply said she didn't connect with the voice. She was encouraging, though! I'm still waiting on feedback from the others.

5. This is the big news I've been waiting to tell. Drum roll, please.

One of the Mentors, Sharon Johnston, tweeted about needing a blog assistant, so I jumped at the chance because the more experience I can get, the better. We talked over email about the position, and then she said she wanted to offer me something else she thought I would like better. That is...a spot on the blog, YAtopia, as a contributor! As in, I am now one of the writers. To be real with you, I feel unqualified. These other writers have so much going for them, that they can and should absolutely write about books, writing, and publishing! Me? I'm just over here writing a few blogs and trying to get an agent for my book. But I won't argue! I feel so dang blessed with this opportunity.

 I'm brimming with thankfulness over it all.


Now, I'm going to bust out all my fun writing supplies and get back to it! Never surrender!