Pitch Wars 2015 Mentor Post!

HELLO WRITERS. LET ME LOVE YOU

 

-aka-

 

A NOT AT ALL CREEPY TITLE THAT JUST SAYS "YO, I'M A PITCH WARS MENTOR" IN A N EXCITING,  YET TASTEFUL MANNER

 

Hey there, Pitch Wars people!

 

 

I am so, so excited to be able to mentor again for Pitch Wars! I mentored last year, and got to meet some really rockin' people, and read some incredible stories. Pitch Wars is pretty near and dear to my heart, as contests go, because it wound up getting me a contract for my debut novel, NEVER NEVER, which comes out in *gulp* less than two months! I'm stoked to get to be a part of it again. ^_^

 

SO. Without further ado, let me try to convince you, stranger, why you want ME as your mentor.

 

SECTION 1: Hello, yes, let us discuss me.

 

Ok party people. A little about me.

 

 

((I am not Iron Man. But like, if I was, I wouldn't tell you, unless your were my Pitch Wars mentee, in which case probably I would. So, you know, do with that what you will. *slow, meaningful wink*))

 

The Bio: I live in Colorado (good to have a Colorado connection in case of zombie apocalypse. Zombies can't hack it out here) with my two boys and high-school-sweetheart-turned-husband. I am represented by Josh Adams of Adams Literary, and my debut YA, NEVER NEVER, releases from Spencer Hill Press on September 22nd of this year. My next YA, HOW TO MAKE OUT, releases from Sky Pony press in Fall 2016.

 

I will give you in-depth critique, honesty, (but not brutal honesty; if you have to be brutal to be honest, I think you need to get it together. I'll tell you exactly what I think needs to be done, but also I'll gush over everything I love) and ideas on the big and little things in your book. My specialty is character and relationships, but I'll help you work out things like atmosphere and plot too, if that's what you need!

 

I've found some success entering contests in the past, so I'll bring that experience to the table. PLUS, if you sub to me, you will get feedback. I will be responding to anyone who subs me during the contest--some feedback might be a line, and some might be more in-depth, but you'll get it.

 

Cool?

 

Awesome.

 

ON TO MORE EXCITING THINGS!

 

Section 2: WISHLIST!!!

 

I'm mentoring YA this year, and I'll be looking for 2 thangs: fantasy and contemporary.

 

THINGS I WANT:

 

 

There are some things I love overall, no matter the genre. I LOVE:

 

GREAT relationships.

 

DIVERSITY.

 

PASSIONATE characters.

 

In Fantasy:

 

They say you never forget your first love. Mine was FANTASY. And man, am I in super love with fantasy right now. I'm looking for fantasy of the epic sort. Character-driven stuff is my preference. Wit, magic, epic adventure, I wants it all. (The only things that are not gonna be for me here are Urban Fantasy and fantasy that is really, secretly in its heart, Paranormal. I have super loved books in both these genres, but they're just not my area of expertise.) My tastes in fantasy run a tad darker, but I don't necessarily mean that I need a swamp of blood and bodies or anything to love it (though that's just fine with me). I just really want danger.

 

Things I Love in Fantasy (with Examples of Faves):

 

***Villains*** Oh man, I can't even TELL you how much I love villains. Antiheroes? Bread and buttah. And straight up, 100% villains--either as the protagonist or the antagonist I love to hate (OR ESPECIALLY A DARK AND SEXY VILLAIN I LOVE TO SHIP, even though  know it's doomed)...give this to me and I am YOURS.

 

Villains I Love: The Darkling (Shadow and Bone), The Jackal (Red Rising), Irial (Wicked Lovely), Loki (Avengers/Thor)

 

***Romance*** I don't necessarily NEED romance, but I'll tell you, I'd really, really, really like it. It doesn't need to be the A plot or anything, but if you can make me swoon, I AM HERE FOR THAT.

 

Ships I Will Ship Until The Day I Die: The Darkling/Alina (Shadow and Bone), Jon Snow/Ygritte (Game of Thrones), Alistair/ME (Dragon Age: Origins), Sharzhad/Khalid (Wrath and the Dawn)

 

***World-Building*** Ok so, world-building is not my greatest strength. I'm super easy on it for this reason. But an awesome world, especially with a COOOOL plot, will really make me sit up straighter.

 

Favorite Fantasy Worlds: The Wrath and the Dawn (Renee Ahdieh), Fire (Kristin Cashore), The Grisha Series (Leigh Bardugo)

 

I love atmosphere, and complicated relationships (See: The Raven Boys or Red Rising), and impossible situations, and unwinnable decisions, and tested loyality, and magic, and mystery, and love, and...*sigh* Fantasy Forever.

 

In Contemporary:

In contemporary *sigh of adoration for contemporary*, my tastes run the gamut. I love very light and funny all the way to dark and gritty. For me, the key here is that while the number one thing is your character, I really am looking, this year, for plot-driven stuff. Heavy on plot and/or higher concept is gonna be a massive plus for me! Genre-wise, give me rom-coms, thrillers, psychological horror, survival stories, geek fic...I love all of it.

 

--On the Lighter Side--

 

*Funny, awkward, cringe-worthy, embarrassing stories. YES, PLEASE.

*Romance! Not a MUST in all YA subs, but if your book is light/funny, I, like, 99% need romance.

*Fave stuff like this: Anna and the French Kiss, Easy A, Mean Girls, Simon vs. the Homosapiens' Agenda

 

--Middle of the Road--

 

*Gray, between dark and light, with HEART.

*Characters I fall in head-over-heels love with

*Fave stuff like this: Eleanor and Park, The Breakfast Club, Friday Night Lights

 

--The DARK Side--

 

*Very dark comedies, a la Fargo, Burn After Reading, Grosse Pointe Blank, Heathers, The Big Lebowski. 

*Dark and twisted antiheroes or flat-out villains. Oh my gosh. I LOVE VILLAINS. Send me ALL the villains. Like Breaking Bad.

*Psychological Thrillers, like Dangerous Girls.

*Less abuse/bullying/sad dark, more crazy WHAT JUST HAPPENED freaky dark.

*ATMOSPHERE: Something in a cool setting, like Lousiana in True Detective, or Alaska or something. LOVE.

 

I love contemp that makes me laugh, contemp that makes me EXPERIENCE, that freaks me out, that gets under my skin. I love geeks, and gamers, and killers, and the arts, and...I love it all. (And a little note: your book is very likely not going to be too gritty for me. As long as it's realistic, I DO NOT MIND language, sex, violence, whatever. But absolutely don't need it to love a book. Whatever is right for your story, basically, it's not gonna bother me.)

 

So I guess that's it!  Any questions at all, please let me know! Find me on Twitter and @ me @briannashrum and I'd love to answer your questions or just hang out and chat. :)

 

Let me be your:

 

 

(Yes. You inferred that correctly. Should we pair up as mentor/mentee, not only will we be polishing your book, but we will also be manufacturing and dealing large quantities of methamphetamine. Plan accordingly.)

 

HAPPY PITCH WARS!

 

 



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Domino Project Cover Reveal and GIVEAWAY!

Hi guys!! Today I am SO excited to get to reveal the cover for my awesome friend, KT Hanna's, book, Chameleon (The Domino Project #1) and it sounds incredible!!

*turns reins over to KT*

Chameleon (The Domino Project #1) is a YA futuristic science fiction story. It's set in the wasteland of earth after a meteor shower devastates landmasses, makes seas rise, introduces the psionic gene into the human race, damages the atmosphere, and gives the gift of an alien parasite to the world.

The goodreads blurb is as follows:

After Sai's newly awoken psionic power accidentally destroys her apartment complex, she’s thrown into an intensive training program. The only grades are pass or die.

Surviving means proving her continued existence isn't a mistake--a task her new mentor, Bastian, takes personally. Her abilities place her in the GNW Enforcer division, which partners her with Domino 12, who is eerily human for an alien-parasite and psionic hybrid. When her assassination duties are revealed, Sai understands the real reason for her training.

On a mission to dispatch a dangerous Exiled scientist, she uncovers truths she never thought possible. Sai is unsure who to trust as her next mission might be her last, and a double agent seems to be manipulating both sides.

Without further ado - here is the cover, by the amazingly talented S.P. McConnell.

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It's finally here

Isn't it GORGEOUS!?!?!

Sit back and bask in this for a moment.

It's available for preorder for a special price of $2.99

About the Author

KT Hanna has a love for words so extreme, a single word can spark entire worlds.

Born in Australia, she met her husband in a computer game, moved to the U.S.A. and went into culture shock. Bonus? Not as many creatures specifically out to kill you.

When she's not writing, she freelance edits for Chimera Editing, interns for a NYC Agency, and chases her daughter, husband, corgi, and cat. No, she doesn't sleep. She is entirely powered by the number 2, caffeine, and beef jerky.

Note: Still searching for her Tardis

Celebration!

To celebrate, we're giving away 2 x $10 Amazon e-gift cards (open to anyone who can receive and use an Amazon e-card) Just click on as many options as you like and enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

COVER REVEAL for The Year of Lightning...And a giveaway!!!

Hey guysssss!

I know. You're all thinking, 'Wow, that Bri sure does blog consistently. Yes, "consistent." That's the word. Well, I DO come out of my inconsistent blogging cave when it's to have the opportunity to reveal the awesome cover for my friend, Ryan Dalton's book! (And it's pretttttyyyyyy.)

I'm not going to keep you waiting. Let's let Ryan do the talking. *sits back with popcorn*
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Hey, book fans! Don’t you hate it when you move to a new town and discover it’s being destroyed by freak lightning storms? Let me tell you, that makes for a tough year.

You’ll find that, and much more, in my debut YA novel THE YEAR OF LIGHTNING. I am completely in love with this cover and so excited to share it with you. After you drink in its awesomeness, keep scrolling down for a brief synopsis, plus a giveaway contest that you can participate in right here in the comments.

So, without further ado, here it is! Enjoy :)

The house has no doors. It’s been abandoned for decades. Yet one night, Malcolm sees a face in the window. Fifteen-year-old twins, Malcolm and Valentine Gilbert, never imagined an old house across the street could be so much trouble. A secret machine inside has woken up, and its power is growing.

Meanwhile, lightning storms are breaking out all over town. They’re getting worse every week and seem to enjoy striking kids who just want to pass science class and mind their own business. Lightning, however, is rarely cooperative—and when Malcolm and Valentine discover a connection between the house and the storms, their situation goes from mysterious to crazy stupid dangerous. As they hunt a powerful enemy, they’ll realize that lightning is only the beginning. Their town’s very existence hangs in the balance, and the only clues are written in the sky.

One huge way you can support authors is by pre-ordering their books. So if THE YEAR OF LIGHTNING sounds like fun to you, here is a link to the Amazon pre-order page.

http://www.amazon.com/Year-Lightning-Time-Shift-Trilogy/dp/1631630504/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1430694555&sr=1-1&keywords=the+year+of+lightning

Now, onto the giveaway contest!

How would you fight a lightning storm? In one paragraph, tell us exactly how you’d do it, and don’t hold back! Get as crazy/silly/stupid/super-tough as you want. The sky is literally the limit. We’ll pick a winner from each participating blog, and I will send each winner a package containing an awesome secret clue to the central mystery in THE YEAR OF LIGHTNING.

Thanks so much for stopping by to see the cover!

Ryan Dalton

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Isn't that cover gorgeous? *SERIOUS grabby hands* Thanks for stopping by, guys!