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 . . .
Robyn Field – Mentee
Julie Abe – Mentor
Sarah Suk – Mentor
Julie and Sarah, why did you choose Robyn?
Julie: Robyn’s voice pulled me in immediately. Her prose sings beautifully, and TOGETHER is such an unforgettably warm, cozy read.
Sarah: I loved Robyn’s lyrical style of writing and poetic voice. TOGETHER HOLDS THE SKY made my heart ache and feel over-the-brim full all at once, and I knew it was a story I wanted to read again and again.
Robyn, why did you choose to submit to Julie and Sarah?
While I read their blog introductions, I felt like I was listening to old friends having a conversation – and I wanted to be in on it! Julie and Sarah were personable, kind, and professional, and they were looking for the type of middle grade manuscript I’d written: a story with lots of heart and a pinch of magic. (Also, their team is named after a cozy, hot beverage, so naturally I thought that was pretty awesome. Anyone who names a team after food is a winner in my book.)
Julie and Sarah, summarize Robyn’s book in 3 words.
Julie: Magical, lyrical, heart-warming.
Sarah: Hopeful, whimsical, vulnerable.
Robyn, summarize your book in 3 words.
Friendship. Secrets. Hope.
Julie and Sarah, tell us about yourself. Something we may not already know.
Julie: I like to bake bread in the shape of animals and characters! A recent creation is Luna, the cat from Sailor Moon.
Sarah: I took darkroom photography in high school and I’ve loved taking film photos ever since. I like the look of them and how you never know how the photo will turn out until it’s developed.
Robyn, what do you hope to get out of the Pitch Wars experience?
We’re halfway through Pitch Wars at this point, and I can wholeheartedly tell you what I’ve already gleaned: the best writing experience EVER! Julie and Sarah immediately identified with the heartbeat of my story and gave very thoughtful feedback, which has added more than a few pinches of magic to my words. Plus, I love the writing community this experience has given me – I’ve even joined an MG book club, which is basically my definition of ideal.
Robyn, tell us about yourself! What makes you and your manuscript unique?
My MG contemporary fantasy, TOGETHER HOLDS THE SKY, was written from a raw, vulnerable place in my heart while I recovered from a traumatic labor and subsequent ICU stay. When my baby, husband, and I had survived and were safely at home, I looked back and wondered, “How on earth did we get through that?” To process my emotions while reaching for hope, I did what all wordsmiths do: I wrote my heart into a book.
In TOGETHER HOLDS THE SKY, 12-year-old Peony enters a talent show in hopes of winning the cash prize to save her home. Keeping her crisis a secret from her two best friends, Peony makes a wish and suddenly finds herself befriended by a librarian with a magical yet mysterious book. But when time runs out and her home life and secrets unravel, Peony must uncover the meaning of the librarian’s book or risk losing not only her home, but also the friendships she loves most.
Check out Julie and Sarah’s latest releases.
EVA EVERGREEN, by Julie Abe
MADE IN KOREA, by Sarah Suk
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.
