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 . . .
Tina Chan – Mentee
Chelsea Hensley – Mentor
Chelsea, why did you choose Tina?
Tina’s submission was one of the first to land in my inbox, and as soon as I read the submission materials, I knew I wanted to read more. I’d been really hopeful for some strong sci-fi, and I never imagined (or would have even thought to ask for) a sci-fi, genderbent, Moby-Dick reimagining, but it turned out to be a great fit! I was immediately obsessed, but trying to play it cool because I hadn’t read the full, and I didn’t want to get too attached yet (but I was very attached). And once I got it, I was all in right away. Besides a thrilling premise, Tina wrote a really wonderful main character AND a really great f/f romance. But what really sealed the deal were her answers to some of the questions I’d asked about her thoughts on her manuscript. I knew from her Twiter she wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty in editing, but once I knew her thoughts about her manuscript aligned with my own, I was confident I could help her realize her vision for it. Also, Tina has an adorable Instagram, and I was incredibly charmed.
Tina, why did you choose to submit to Chelsea?
Right off the bat, I got a pretty strong vibe for Chelsea’s personality (which encompasses everything from thoughtful to enthusiastic to easy going…aka AWESOMENESS…oh and did I mention she has a dog? She has a cute dog named Chloe!!) when I hopped on over to her website and began reading her PW introduction; the fact that she works a lot with YA novels on a regular basis was a huge bonus as well. Next, I moved onto her PW wish list, and noticed ISHARA met many of the criteria on there (scifi? check. space opera? check. girls girls girls? check. found families? check. ruthless FMC? check). On other words, everything Chelsea enjoyed reading also aligned with my own tastes, which made me suspect we would get along quite well 🙂 Finally, Chelsea’s mentoring style really caught my eye and sounded like exactly what I needed to take my story to the next level.
Chelsea, summarize Tina’s book in 3 words.
WHALES IN SPACE!
Tina, summarize your book in 3 words.
Space Moby Dick
Chelsea, tell us about yourself. Something we may not already know.
I am a planner fiend. I have four planners: a catch-all planner, a fitness planner, a budget planner, and a writing planner. And lots and lots of stickers for those planners. And I’m really grateful to Pitch Wars and Tina for giving me lots of things to write down in them!
Tina, what do you hope to get out of the Pitch Wars experience?
Make new friends! (Which I’ve already done–and even been reunited with past CPs!) And of course, polish and improve my MS.
Tina, tell us about yourself! What makes you and your manuscript unique?
Ah geez I always get awkward when talking about myself, so let’s just say I am a Slytherclaw who happens to have an unhealthy obsession for dogs, space, manatees, and coffee–and leave it at that. As for my MS, I think it’s unique because it’s spin on what could be considered an “American classic” (Moby Dick) that also deals with issues that are relevant present-day, if not on a subtler level. Plus the story features autonomous bionic whales. And it’s set in space. And the the FMC (Ishara) has a mechanical arm most excellent for face-punching. *grins and shrugs*
Thank you for supporting our Pitch Wars Teams! The Agent Showcase is February 6 – 11, 2019. If you’re an agent and would like to participate, you must register here: https://pitchwars.org/info-for-agents/. We hope you’ll join us to support our teams on the Twitter hashtag #PitchWars.
