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Pitch Wars Team Interview with Lisa Clewner-Newman and mentor, Darlene P. Campos

Thursday, 30 December 2021  |  Posted by Rochelle Karina

Our mentors are mentoring, 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 9, 2021, we hope you’ll take a moment during your writing breaks and get to know our 2021 Pitch Wars Mentor and Mentee Teams.

Next up, we have . . .

Lisa Clewner-Newman – Mentee

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Darlene P. Campos – Mentor

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Darlene, why did you choose Lisa?

It was very hard to pick just one mentee! I had tons of wonderful submissions and the selection process was extremely difficult. Lisa’s manuscript caught my eye because of the humor used in the opening chapter. I’m always drawn to a book that makes me laugh out loud right away and Lisa accomplished this mission with her fantastic characters.

Lisa, why did you choose to submit to Darlene?

When I read Darlene’s Pitch Wars wish list, I felt a bit like my main character was checking things off her list. A story that made her laugh and cry, check. A hilarious side character, check. Contemporary story, check. Then I got to the part where she said she was looking for a story with religious elements, big sparkly turquoise double check. And we’ve both lived in Texas.

Darlene, summarize Lisa’s book in 3 words.

Food, camp, friends

Lisa, summarize your book in 3 words.

Ari’s worlds collide

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

I grew up in a trilingual home. My parents are from Ecuador, so their first language is Spanish. My mom learned English at a young age and my dad learned English as an adult. Then, in the 1980s, my parents lived in Brazil where they learned Portuguese. As a result, I was surrounded by English, Spanish, and Portuguese when I was a kid, which made me love languages. I don’t speak Portuguese, but I can understand it and read it fairly well. In addition to English and Spanish, I speak Hebrew, Yiddish, and German at basic levels.

Lisa, what do you hope to get out of the Pitch Wars experience?

I’m really excited about getting feedback and improving my manuscript as Darlene and I work through the mentoring process. My biggest hope is to end up with a polished manuscript that I love even more and that’s ready for the next step.

Lisa, tell us about yourself. What makes you and your manuscript unique?

Hi, I’m Lisa. I live with my husband, son, daughter, and dog in Nashville. I’m a pediatrician by day. When I’m not at the hospital, I’m either cooking, exploring the outdoors, writing or reading—likely while enjoying a mug of coffee. You know that advice that goes something like write what you want to read and write what you know? I wanted my daughter to be able to read a book about a Jewish character who loved being Jewish. I knew about Jewish summer camp because my son had already been going for years (this summer was my daughter’s first!) and I volunteer as a camp doctor for a week each summer. I put those two things together, then mixed in some surprises, great songs, camp shenanigans, and the power of friendship and came up with POPCORN AND PROMISES.

Thank you for supporting our Pitch Wars Teams! The Agent Showcase is February 9-14, 2022. Make sure to stop by then and check out all our mentees’ entries when it opens. 

 

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