In addition to a fantasy-filled #BookRave, featuring DAUGHTER OF THE BURNING CITY by Amanda Foody, and OBSIDIAN AND STARS by Julie Eshbaugh, I'll be posting a Q&A with author and YouTube sensation, Kim Chance, as well as interviews with William C. Morris award winner, Stephanie Kuehn, and sci-fi and fantasy author, Mary Fan! Be sure to check out my upcoming posts this August for giveaway information, writing tips, and more! To learn more about specific titles, click on the li

​​ Brighton Walsh is a writer of romance and New Adult, and is multi-published with Berkley, St. Martin’s Press, and Carina Press. Her work has earned her many starred reviews, and in 2015, Caged in Winter was named one of the top 10 best romances of 2015 and one of the 101 best romances of the past decade! Be sure to check out all of Brighton's books on Goodreads and visit her author website at ww.brightonwalsh.com. Hi, Brighton, and congrats on your fourth time mentoring in

​​ Susan Gray Foster is mentoring for the second year in a row. In addition to writing YA, Susan is a teacher, a songwriter, and she also offers book coaching and editing services through Author Accelerator. You can find out more about her on her author website at susangrayfoster.wordpress.com. Hi, Susan! This is your second time mentoring Pitch Wars. Publishing is subjective, but what (in your opinion) do the stand-out entries have in common? Both the query and the opening c

​​ Today I have author Amanda Foody on the blog! Her debut novel, Daughter of the Burning City, was released yesterday and it's been racking up praise from such notable authors as Tamora Pierce and Roshani Chokshi. Described as "a darkly irresistible new fantasy set in the infamous Gomorrah Festival, a traveling carnival of debauchery that caters to the strangest of dreams and desires", The Daughter of the Burning City definitely sounds like an unforgettable read! And now, he

​​ Kerbie Addis is co-mentoring for the second year in a row alongside Mónica Bustamante Wagner (this will be Mónica's SIXTH time mentoring!). Mónica is a YA/NA writer living in Chile, and Kerbie is an intern at a NYC literary agency. Kerbie also has a bachelor’s in English and a minor in Latin and is studying in the master’s program at Texas Woman’s University to become a librarian. And now for the Q&A! Hi, Kerbie, and welcome! This is your second time mentoring alongside Mó

​​ Cindy Baldwin is co-mentoring this year along with Amanda Rawson Hill. They're both writers of Middle Grade, and they're super eager to find the next mentee to add to their tribe. Be sure to check out this great post written by Cory Leonardo (one of their past mentees!) on why you should sub to Cindy and Amanda: Why You Should Submit to #TeamMascaraTracks: A Recommendation from Cory Leonardo. And now for the Q&A! Hi, Cindy! This is your second time mentoring alongside Aman

​​ Michael Mammy is co-mentoring for the second year in a row alongside Dan Koboldt. Michael is a teacher and former soldier. He writes Science Fiction, and sometimes fantasy, usually revolving around military characters. His blog at michaelmammy.com is both funny and insightful. A must read for any writer! In addition to being the author of The Rogue Retrieval, and The Island Deception, Dan Koboldt is the founder of #SFFpit, and he's a research scientist working in the field

​​ J.R. Yates is a second-time mentor, co-mentoring alongside Kelly Siskind. She is a member of the Alexandra Writers’ Centre, and RWA, and in addition to writing, she works as a pediatric speech language pathologist. Kelly Siskind is a 2015 Golden Heart® Finalist, and her books include: CHASING CRAZY, MY PERFECT MISTAKE, A FINE MESS, HOOKED ON TROUBLE. You can check them all out on Goodreads here. And now for the Q&A! Hi, J.R.! This is your second time mentoring Pitch Wars.

​​ Kelli Newby is co-mentoring for the first time alongside Mary Ann Marlowe. In addition to writing, Kelli is an English Professor, teaching composition, dramatic lit, fantasy lit, and fantasy writing. This year marks Mary Ann Marlowe's third time mentoring Pitch Wars (she was also a mentee in 2014!). Her debut novel, SOME KIND OF MAGIC released to great reviews earlier this year, and her second book, A CRAZY KIND OF LOVE, will be out in December. And now for the Q&A! Hi, Ke

​​ In addition to being a Pitch Wars mentor for 2017, Julia Nobel is a 2016 mentee who writes primarily middle grade mystery. Her debut, The Order of Black Hollow Lane, was picked up by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky and is set for release in spring of 2019. She also offers craft-based webinars through her website at julianobel.com. Hi, Julia, and welcome! As a writer of Middle Grade mysteries, do you have any tips for cultivating an authentic MG voice? That’s such a great question