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Pitch Wars Team Interviews with Melissa Chai and Her Mentor, Judy I. Lin

Wednesday, 22 January 2020  |  Posted by Annette Christie

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 . . .

Melissa Chai – Mentee

Website | Twitter

Judy I. Lin – Mentor

Website | Twitter

Judy, why did you choose Melissa?

I chose Melissa because of how her opening pages drew me into the world she created. I love the voice of her heroine, Amira, and the journey she goes through to find herself. I found myself staying up late in order to finish her book to its gripping conclusion. I knew I would be able to read it again and again because of how much I adored Amira’s dry humor and the eerie places her magic takes her to. There were some truly spooky moments in Melissa’s story and I can’t wait to see how her revisions will take it to the next level!

Melissa, why did you choose to submit to Judy?

I submitted to Judy because I knew from her interest in horror and fantasy that she would be a great fit for my manuscript, which is a bit darker than most fantasy. Many of the books she listed on her wishlist also had elements that I wanted my own story to emulate, so I thought that she’d be a good match to help me elevate the story to a new level (which she has!).

Judy, summarize Melissa’s book in 3 words.

memories, death, longing

Melissa, summarize your book in 3 words.

death, magic, demons

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

I was born in Taiwan and moved to Canada when I was 8 years old. I grew up drinking Taiwanese tea but recently reconnected with my interest in the growing and preparation of tea because of the research I’ve been involved in for my YA fantasy story. HEART OF SEVERED LEAVES will be published in 2022 and I’m having so much fun incorporating all the details I’ve found in my research and learning about how deeply tea is intertwined in Chinese and Taiwanese culture. I even got to visit a tea farm back in Taiwan and hope to visit more in the future.

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

I’ve learned a lot about looking at my manuscript with a critical eye and to cut storylines/characters that weren’t working with my story. I hope to continue to refine my storytelling abilities and craft as I continue to polish this story and the next.

Melissa, tell us about yourself! What makes you and your manuscript unique?

I’ve always been interested in the paranormal, and my family even used to live in a house that was formerly a funeral home which was rumored to be haunted. As a lifelong fantasy junky I tried to take my interests in horror, the (un)dead, and fantasy to mash them into what is (I hope) a unique story about a girl who comes into her own by discovering powers of necromancy.

Add Judy’s upcoming release, HEART OF SEVERED LEAVES, on Goodreads!

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 March 5, 2020! Want to know more about #PitMad? Go here

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