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 . . .
Kerry Reardon – Mentee
Susan Bishop Crispell – Mentor
Susan, why did you choose Kerry?
I remembered Kerry from her Pitch Wars submission a few years ago. I loved that book and based on the query and sample pages I knew I’d love this one too. It’s so full of heart and humor and is focused on female friendships–both how they can devastate you and build you back up. While I was reading, I kept having all these little ideas for how I could help enhance the story Kerry already had on the page, and i knew she’d be able to handle anything I threw at her.
Kerry, why did you choose to submit to Susan?
I love Susan’s books, The Secret Ingredient of Wishes and Dreaming in Chocolate. I ate SO many baked goods while reading her novels and fell in love with her storytelling. When I read her Pitch Wars wishlist, it included a lot of elements I strive to include in my work, like layered friendships, family drama, and strong women. I knew I had to submit my manuscript to her.
Susan, summarize Kerry’s book in 3 words.
Huggable. Humorous. Heartfelt.
Kerry, summarize your book in 3 words.
Friendship, sisterhood, humor
Susan, tell us about yourself. Something we may not already know.
Following on the female friendship themes of Kerry’s book, I am a member of the Tall Poppy Writers. We’re a group of female authors who focus on lifting writers up, supporting each other, and shining light on really damn good books. We have a Facebook group, Bloom, where we interact with readers and host giveaways and author chats and bond over our shared love of books. Tall Poppy Writers is an amazing group to be a part of and is a lifeline in my writing world.
Kerry, what do you hope to get out of the Pitch Wars experience?
I want to whip my manuscript into the best shape possible. I hope to strengthen my revision skills and carry what I learn from Pitch Wars into future manuscripts so I can keep growing as a writer long after the contest is over. I love the supportive community of Pitch Wars and hope to form connections with other writers.
Kerry, tell us about yourself! What makes you and your manuscript unique?
I’m lucky enough to have the best sister and some of the most wonderful friends on the planet, so I wanted to write a book that honors sisterhood and female friendship. The friendships women share are incredibly complex and powerful, and I wanted to explore that in my work. I also wanted to examine what happens when one of those friendships ends, and how deeply that can affect the women involved. I think the concept of starting over in life—whether it’s after the end of a friendship, a breakup, or a career change—is a universal one, and I wanted to explore that with heart and humor. I was a Pitch Wars mentee in 2017, and I feel so lucky to participate again.
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.
