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 . . .
Megan Davidhizar – Mentee
Jamie McHenry – Mentor
Jamie, why did you choose Megan?
Megan’s story hooked me from the beginning and when I finished what she had submitted, I had to read more! The mystery was that good. Her great sense of story, superb writing skill, and positive attitude helped her stand out among a lot of fantastic submissions.
Megan, why did you choose to submit to Jamie?
Jamie seemed especially interested in mystery/thrillers, and I liked that he highlighted his honesty; I work well with that. The defining reason I subbed to him, though, is because his blog mentioned taking an unreliable narrator class. This MS has my first unreliable narrator, and I knew I could benefit from his expertise.
Jamie, summarize Megan’s book in 3 words.
Mystery Times Two
Megan, summarize your book in 3 words.
Twisty Sister Mystery
Jamie, tell us about yourself. Something we may not already know.
I played sports all through high school and was never seriously injured, but during my first semester of Drama, I broke a bone in one finger clean through in two places. And we caught it on video. Despite surgery to fix it, my hand is still deformed which makes typing a little tricky sometimes.
Megan, what do you hope to get out of the Pitch Wars experience?
I hope Pitch Wars will provide the missing pieces to my writing puzzle. I have studied all kinds of resources on my own, but the back-and-forth conversation with another writer is invaluable. Jamie has already helped me see different pieces of writing advice in a new way.
Megan, tell us about yourself. What makes you and your manuscript unique?
I live in the YA universe. I read YA, I write YA, and I teach YA in my high school English classrooms. I love working with teens. They have so much hope and despair, laughter and tears, passion and fear.
I was inspired to write MIRRORS DON’T LIE after devouring all of Tiffany Jackson’s books and teaching “The Yellow Wallpaper” to my students. I love unreliable narrators, but I also love the girls who compare themselves with others and struggle to see their value. This book is for them.
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.
Great interview! Thank you for making a difference every day in your student’s lives, and fostering a love of reading!