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 5, 2020, we hope you’ll take a moment during your writing breaks and get to know our 2019 Pitch Wars Mentor and Mentee Teams.
Next up, we have . . .
Piper Vossy – Mentee
Susan Bishop Crispell – Mentor
Susan, why did you choose Piper?
Piper’s rom-com hooked me immediately. The voice is spectacular and the characters are so delightful that I couldn’t put it down once I started reading. It has a lot of humor and so much heart, plus this absolutely perfect romantic gesture that gave me all the feels. And Piper’s enthusiasm for revisions is infectious. She seems more than ready to dig in and do whatever it takes to make her book stronger.
Piper, why did you choose to submit to Susan?
Susan participated in the Pitch Wars query critiques, and I absolutely loved her feedback. Her suggestions were written in such a clear manner I understood the issues and how to resolve them (and it wasn’t even my query letter!). From this sample critique, I could tell that Susan had expert knowledge because she was able to teach as well as edit. After reading her novel The Secret Ingredient of Wishes, I knew she could fill my manuscript with the magic it was missing. Plus, Susan has a reputation for being one of the loveliest authors in the business! Totally, true!
Susan, summarize Piper’s book in 3 words.
Delightful. Swoony. Fun.
Piper, summarize your book in 3 words.
Fun. Quirky. Sassy.
Susan, tell us about yourself. Something we may not already know.
Here’s something you probably don’t know. I wake up with a song in my head almost every single day. It’s usually a different song and sometimes it’s one that I only know a few lyrics for, so those one or two lines are on repeat. Music is such a huge part of my life: I have it playing in the background all day long most days, and have tailored playlists for every novel I write, and go to as many concerts each year as I can. (I already have two booked for early 2020 in Scotland and The Netherlands since I’m currently living in Scotland!) And it’s what fuels my creativity, and apparently my dreams.
Piper, what do you hope to get out of the Pitch Wars experience?
Writing is a solitary task. As writers we spend hours in front of a screen, befriending the characters on the page. Pitch Wars is an opportunity to meet other writers in a safe and supportive community. I hope to find some passionate peeps to share the wild journey to publication.
Piper, tell us about yourself! What makes you and your manuscript unique?
Last year, I was diagnosed with OCD and found writing to be a cathartic release. Many people suffer with anxiety, and I think it’s important to color characters with relatable struggles, even if in a humorous way. I hope my characters show readers that our weaknesses do not define us as people and in some situations our greatest challenges can actually be a source of strength. If it were not for my obsessive tendencies and tunnel vision, I wouldn’t have finished this manuscript.
Check out Susan’s latest release, DREAMING IN CHOCOLATE.
With an endless supply of magical gifts and recipes from the hot chocolate café Penelope Dalton runs alongside her mother, she is able to give her daughter almost everything she wants. The one sticking point is Ella’s latest request: get a dad. And not just any dad. Ella has her sights set on Noah Gregory, her biological father who’s back in town for a few months – and as charming as ever.
Noah broke Penelope’s heart years ago, but now part of her wonders if she made the right decision to keep the truth of their daughter from him. The other, more practical part, is determined to protect Ella from the same heartbreak. Now Penelope must give in to her fate or face a future of regrets.
Dreaming in Chocolate by Susan Bishop Crispell is a heartwarming story of love, hot chocolate, and one little girl’s wish for her mother.
Thank you for supporting our Pitch Wars Teams! The Agent Showcase is February 5 – 10, 2020, and our next Twitter Pitch Party on #PitMad is December 5, 2019! Want to know more about #PitMad? Go here.
