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 3rd-9th, we hope you’ll take a moment during your writing breaks and get to know our 2016 Pitch Wars Teams.
And now, we have . . .
Hope Grietzer – Mentee
Rebecca Wells – Mentor
Hope: Why did you choose Rebecca?
I put a star next to Rebecca’s name during the Live Chat with the Mentors session. I liked her right away; she came across as thoughtful and articulate, contemporary middle grade was high on her wish list, and her mentoring approach seemed like a perfect fit for me. Star number two came after reading her blog. We share a love of many of the same books – especially those that tug at your heart. The clincher was her solid qualifications, and I have to say, like her I have absolutely no GIF game, so a little bonding point there!
Rebecca: Why did you choose Hope & THE CAROUSEL KEEPER?
Hope’s entry immediately caught my attention because of its beautiful language and unusual setting. I had a few finalists but THE CAROUSEL KEEPER just stuck in my head! I finally chose it both because of its many strengths and because I felt like I was a good mentor fit for it; I had a good idea of how to help Hope make it truly shine.
Hope: Summarize your book in three words.
Fear. Friendship. Courage.
Rebecca: Summarize your mentee’s book in three words.
Loss. Courage. Hope.
Hope:Tell us about yourself. What makes you and your MS unique?
My twin passions are writing and playing the fiddle. I jumped ship from my fifteen-year job as a software analyst to teach fiddle full time; I love it and have never looked back! Despite being shy at times, I adore performing on stage and chatting with the audience, and have been inducted into the New York State Fiddlers’ Hall of Fame. My novel is a mystery that takes place in a unique location: the setting was inspired by an island amusement park off the coast of Connecticut where my husband spent his summers growing up, and by a spectacular carousel that was donated to the small town I grew up in by a benevolent shoe industry magnate in the early 1920’s.
Rebecca: Tell us about yourself. Something we might not already know.
Besides being a bookseller and writer, I used to be (kind of still am, actually) a fiercely competitive soccer player. I got my nose broken by an opponent in a game ten years ago. It broke straight down so we didn’t know it until the black eyes came around the next day! (This has nothing to do with writing. But it’s something you probably don’t already know.)
Thank you for supporting our Pitch Wars Teams! And don’t forget to stop by the Agent Showcase starting November 3rd to see how our teams do in the final round.
