Hello, prospective Pitch Wars mentees!
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I’m Katie (she/her) and I'm so excited to be mentoring again in Pitch Wars 2019!
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If you’re not familiar with Pitch Wars, that’s okay! Pitch Wars is a mentoring program where published/agented authors, editors, or industry interns choose one writer each to spend three months revising their manuscript. It ends in February with an Agent Showcase, where agents can read a pitch/first page and can request to read more. You can learn more about the contest at pitchwars.org.
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Below, I’ll cover my own writing/editing history, what makes up my dream manuscript as an Adult Mentor for 2019, and maybe drop a Jeff Goldblum gif or two. (Oh yeah, I’m that kinda mentor).
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[Gif of Jeff Goldblum saying, "Good?"]
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Some of this also may reference topics that are NSFW, so take care from here forward.
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First, as an Adult Mentor, let’s clarify what genres I’m taking.
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GENRES:
Romance
Women’s Fiction
New Adult (though I may recommend you age up or down into Adult or YA)
*In Romance, the central plot should revolve around the two Main Characters and their love story,
and should conclude in a Happily-Ever-After / Happy-For-Now.
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*For Women's Fiction, I'm looking for stories that center a female character's journey, with a possible romantic storyline on the side. All plot lines should conclude in a HEA/HFN.
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SUBGENRES:
Contemporary
Romantic Comedy
Western / Cowboy
Sports (incl. eSports) romance
Fantasy (with a strong romance plot)
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[Gif of Jeff Goldblum as a cowboy from the cult classic
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension]
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I am NOT a good fit for:
SFF or space opera
Epic fantasy
Historical
Literary fiction
Erotica (steamy romance okay!)
Inspirational
On the page sexual assault
Child abuse
No HEA/HFN
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What’s my manuscript catnip?
This is the stuff I skim for on back covers and blurbs to determine how hard I’m slamming the “ADD TO TBR” button. These are also the things most likely to show up in my own manuscripts, because what you love, you usually write!
Please keep in mind, this list is not exhaustive. There is a really good chance that even if there are things in your MS that you love, but aren’t on this list, I will love them, too.
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[Gif of Jeff Goldblum saying, "You have to fill in your own redactions..."]
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Tropes!
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Friends to lovers
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Enemies to lovers
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Second-chance Romance
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Forced Proximity – Bonus Points for Road trips!
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“Oh no, there’s only one bed/shower/bathtub/horse stall”
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“Oh no, you’re upset, may I cook you something yummy to cheer you up?”
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“Oh no, you’re injured! I guess I gotta nurse you back to health. Naked.”
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Marriage of Convenience
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Fake Relationship
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Pro Coming Home to Small Town
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Ticking Clock
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Grand Gesture Gone So Wrong It’s Right
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Slow Burn (I will yell but I like it I swear)
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Grump One Falls for Soft One – Bonus Points for Anti-heroines!
Insta-buys!
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Adrenaline sports/racing (fast cars and motorcycles welcome!)
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If your MC wears a helmet, I WANT THEM! (especially if they’re not a dude)
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Outdoor sports / Extreme Sports / eSports
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Gender-swapped storylines (Female MC in male-dominated field/sport!!!)
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LGBTQIA+
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Plus-Sized and Curvy love interests / Body positive characters
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Cowboys (especially if they cook as well as they ride)
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Heroines with short hair and/or undercuts
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Man buns
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Tattooooooooss
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SISTERS
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BROMANCE
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Dog characters
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Horse characters
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GOATS
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Did someone say cheese? Or tacos? I love cheese. And tacos.
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There’s no such thing as too many obscure 80s movie references (also: Have you seen Turbo Kid yet???? It’s great. High-speed post-apocalyptic bicycle chase + friendship robot.)
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BTW if your heroine/mc is “unlikeable,” I would really really like to meet them, high-five them, and then protect them with my full arsenal of grapefruit spoons.
Other things I look for!
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A cast/world representative of the diverse one we live in
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#ownvoices (though please don’t feel you need to mention this in your query if this isn’t something you are comfortable sharing)
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Feminist stories, lots of female agency
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I want to swoon for the romance
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Heat is welcome!!! But not required. I write open door, for reference, but that’s me.
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CONSENT IS SEXY!!!!
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Deep friendships of all kinds (the Bechdel test is something to check out, if you're unfamiliar with it)
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Realistic conflicts, layered stakes, and flawed characters
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I tend to fall for genre-bending books with a commercially-fast plot, but beautiful sentence-level writing and deep, nuanced character growth.
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I love narrators that are strong in voice, down to earth, and FUNNY! I love to laugh. Think John Green, Kelly Siskind, Alexa Martin, Tessa Dare…
Seriously, I like so many things. If you think I might enjoy what you've got, sub to me!
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♥
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Hi, I’m Katie!
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I'm a recovering cheerleader from a small town outside of Austin, Texas; mom to a future philanthropist, wife to a superman, and continually swept up in my next love story. I can't seem to make sense of anything without music in the background, and my playlists range from 80s love songs, 90s grunge, 00s punk, to new age European underground in less time than it takes me to burn dinner.
Basically, I was born in the 80s, raised in the 90s, and my millenial-self married a Gen-Xer. We celebrate Sean Astin’s birthday by watching Goonies, and our song is Pat Benatar’s “We Belong.” I am a Trekkie, can quote nearly any Nora Ephron Rom-Com word for word, and my own series is basically a gender-swapped Days of Thunder. With cowboys. And a couple references to Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Star Trek: The Next Generation because I Make It So.
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I’m agented by Kelly Peterson of Rees Literary Agency, and the first book in my Adult Romance WRECKLESS Series is coming July 2020 from Sourcebooks Casablanca. I signed with Kelly through #PitMad in Fall 2017 (thank you Brenda Drake!!!) and I’m so honored to be part of #TheFellowship. Before that, I successfully participated in contests like PitchSlam, PitchMas, PitchWars, Sun vs. Snow, WritePit, Write Club, WriteSlam, QueryKombat, as well as others - so yeah, I've totally been there.
I can't wait to see what Kelly and I accomplish together next!
On the editing side of things, I studied English and Education at Texas State University. As a Freelance Editor, I've worked with other authors in all stages of the publishing process, many of whom have gone on to final in contests, sign with their dream agents, and publish their books. (Goldnox Editing Services is temporarily closed, but either way: please do not ask to book my editing services before the sub window if you’re planning to sub to me in Pitch Wars).
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[Gif of Jeff Goldblum in front of books]
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If you’re curious about some of my favorite books, check out my bio on the Pitch Wars website.
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Mentoring Style
My mentoring style is best described as ALL CAPS ALL THE TIME.
I have a tendency to get really, really excited about books, and writing, and book theory, and plot arcs, and pacing beats, and punctuation and semi-colons and em dashes and . . . *fans self*.
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[Gif of Jeff Goldblum purring]
I’m also the creator of the #PositivityPass, so when I say I’m invested in making sure my mentee knows all the things they’re doing RIGHT as much as the parts they can work on, I really do mean it. (Cheerleader, remember?)
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Will I dig into your MS and do my best to help strengthen every conflict, tighten each pacing lag, correct every punctuation mark, and plug each and every plot hole? Absolutely. But I will also make sure you’re coming through the process with your confidence high, and most importantly: excited to take on your next project with all the new tricks and tools you’ve picked up through Pitch Wars.
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[Gif of Jeff Goldblum saying, "It will change the world as we know it"]
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I can’t wait to meet all of your characters, and thank you so much for trusting me with your words!
Happy writing!
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[Gif of Jeff Goldblum saying, "Good luck"]
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