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Pitch Wars 2017 Team Interviews: Brandon McNulty and his mentor Natasha Raulerson and Elissa Hunter and her mentor Lindsey Frydman

Thursday, 7 September 2017  |  Posted by Brenda Drake

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 on November 1st-7th, we hope you’ll take a moment during your writing breaks and get to know our 2017 Pitch Wars Teams.

And now, we have . . .

Brandon McNulty – Mentee

Website | Twitter

 

Natasha Raulerson – Mentor

Website | Twitter

 

Brandon, why did you choose to submit to Natasha?

Natasha wanted something outside-the-box in terms of story concept, and I thought Bad Parts would be a perfect fit for her. That and the fact that she likes dark, gritty books made her an obvious choice. Also, I loved how she stressed the importance of having a hardworking mentee. As someone who writes for hours every day, I like being challenged and pushed beyond my limits.

Natasha, why did you choose Brandon’s manuscript?

Brandon has an awesome and unique concept made better with an amazing set of writing skills. It drew me in and I hope I can help him grow as an author.

Brandon, summarize your book in 3 words.

Organ-swapping shapeshifter

Natasha, summarize Brandon’s book in 3 words.

Monster Flesh Trader

Brandon, tell us about yourself! What makes you and your MS unique?

Hi, I’m Brandon McNulty, and I write from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. I’m a big Myers-Briggs geek and an even bigger gaming geek. When it comes to writing, I’m a concept guy who loves to build a story from a dark and original idea.

The concept behind Bad Parts is that a creek-dwelling shapeshifter conducts surreal organ trades with the local residents of a small Pennsylvania town. The creature willingly accepts everything from broken bones to cancerous lungs and in return provides its “Traders” with flawless replacements. But these transplants are no freebies: stray too far from town and those perfect parts vanish forever.

Natasha, tell us about yourself. Something we may not already know.

I love classic TV shows.

And next, we have . . .

Elissa Hunter – Mentee

Twitter

 

Lindsey Frydman – Mentor

Website Twitter

 

Elissa, why did you choose to submit to Lindsey?

First off, her GIF game was on point, and as someone who loves sending GIFs as responses, I could tell we were kindred spirits! More importantly, Lindsey specifically mentioned being able to help with two areas that I need the most help with: dialogue and pacing. She also came across as being a lovely and upbeat person in her mentor bio, which is very important during those distressing editing phases.

Lindsey, why did you choose Elissa’s manuscript?

Elissa’s story was just this perfectly adorable YA romance that I couldn’t help but love! The nerdy aspect holds a special place in my heart. And like my other mentee, Elissa is so sweet and seemed like someone I could easily work with!

Elissa, summarize your book in 3 words.

Snarky, geeky love.

Lindsey, summarize Elissa’s book in 3 words.

Adorable, Nerd-tastic, Swoon

Elissa, tell us about yourself! What makes you and your MS unique?

My manuscript is me trying to write what I wanted to read in high school: a geeky girl trying to figure out her way in the world. My main character is an aspiring marine biologist, complete with pet jellyfish, who’s trying to learn to drive a stick shift and get her crush to notice her. She’s snarky but sweet, and goes through a sea change (pun intended!) in the book. It also involves comic cons, hot dudes, David Bowie, indie comics, French horror films, to name a few.

As for me, I’m a geek girl grown up. I’m a proofreader who gets paid to read comics (I pinch myself every day)! I live in Brooklyn with my husband and cat. I’ve been belly dancing since I was 17 and I’m still not very good at it.

Lindsey, tell us about yourself. Something we may not already know.

Funny story: I suffered through Hebrew school as a kid and refused to have a bat mitzvah because I WOULD NOT stand in front of people and talk. (I’ve since gotten over that fear – haha!) I’m still as introverted as they come, but I basically talk to people for a living. Writing, to me, is so many things, but it’s a lot like acting (which I also loved to do in school) and I can be as extroverted as I want with my characters!

Our mentors’ latest releases . . .

THE HEARTBEAT HYPOTHESIS by Lindsey Frydman

Amazon | B&N | Goodreads

Audra Madison simply wanted to walk in the shoes of Emily Cavanaugh, a free-spirited teenager who died too young. After all, Audra wasn’t supposed to be here.

Thanks to Emily, Audra has a second chance at life. She’s doing all the things that seemed impossible just two years ago: Go to college. Date. Stargaze in the Rocky Mountains. Maybe get a tattoo. You know, live.

Jake Cavanaugh, a photographer with mysterious, brooding gray eyes, agrees to help chronicle her newfound experiences. She makes him laugh, one of the only people who can these days. As they delve into each other’s pasts – and secrets – the closer they become.

But she’s guarded and feels like she can’t trust anyone, including herself.
And he’s struggling with the fact that his beloved sister’s heart beats inside her.

Thank you for supporting our Pitch Wars Teams! And remember, there’s a #PitMad Twitter pitch party today from 8 AM – 8 PM EST. Come join the fun!

 

 

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