2014-- My Pitch Wars Bio and Wish List

Hey guys! I'm a first time mentor and SOOOO excited to be here! I've been contest obsessed for years now, so I know what it's like to be on the other side of the table. In fact, I've been a part of Pitch Wars for the last two years as an alternate. First, with my YA fantasy and last year with my MG. My YA contemporary (which missed Pitch Wars but was in Pitch Madness a while back) is now contracted with Entangled Teen, due out summer 2015. I'm also a contributor for the group blog Middle Grade Minded.

So, that's pretty much all that's interesting about me… How about we move onto the fun part?

What do I want to see in my Pitch Wars inbox?

 I get into a lot of specifics here so remember that you don't have to have many (or really any) of the things I list for me to love your story. This is mostly so you can get to know me, my tastes and most importantly: what gets me excited.

I know what it’s like to be on the other side of this and wonder how in the world will I pick only 3-4 mentors to send to?!? Hopefully, by the end of this you'll have a pretty good idea of if your story is the kind I'd love to see!

So first: I'm looking for MG. Mostly fantasy or sci-fi but I wouldn't mind an emotional, unique contemporary.

Most importantly, if you have a unique story for kids, the kind I've never seen before, regardless of genre— I WANT IT, PLEASE!


For those of you still debating here's a bit more info. For the fantasy side, based in the real world is probably best for me but if I can quickly relate to a world and characters then take me wherever you want (but a cool place in our world like Asia, Africa, Antarctica-- wherever! is a YES PLEASE)

Mostly what I'm drawn to is unique. Something that will surprise me. I get super excited for things I haven't seen before. If you've got a unique story to tell I want to see it PRETTY PLEASE!! I like big concept stories but even a truly unique aspect like character or setting or a cool twist could give me that excited feeling and that's what I'm looking for.

BUT I don't mean crazy weird. If it makes me cock my head to side and say "huh?" It’s not the kind of unique I like. I’m looking for something that gets my mind reeling over all the “what ifs”. I love intelligent stories and characters (like Sage from The False Prince. Or even something like Home Alone or Tom Sawyer (I like girl stories too, don't worry))

Of course, voice is the most important aspect because that's the hardest thing to nail in MG and the most important way to connect with your readers. Work on your MG voice (reading is one of the best ways to do that, especially since no one can tell you how to nail voice)

I'm also going to lean more towards upper MG. If your voice is super young I'm probably not the best for it (but if it's really super unique I'd love if you gave me a shot at it!)

That’s basically the gist, but for a little more fun there are a few things that I’m a sucker for (hint, if you have these things in your story I should be on your potential mentor list (I’ll bribe if necessary) BUT if you don’t have them, don’t feel discouraged. Instead give me something new to obsess over)

 Random things I love:

·       Creepy creatures like Trolls and Goblins.

·       Pirates

·       Basically villains of all kinds. Have a cool protagonist villain? YES PLEASE!!!

·       Treasure stories like The Goonies (actually, anything like the Goonies because DUH)

·       I LOVE a little bit of creepy in my books. Think Doll Bones or The Graveyard Book. Something with a hint of darkness but without going into full on horror story.

And... that’s all I’ve got. I’m totally open to questions if you have them. The best place for that is twitter, @Trombolii but you can comment here too if you can't fit your question into 140 characters (not having a twitter is unacceptable. Get one NOW if you don't already.)  and I’ll get back to you! 

Let the games begin!!