We have an abundance of wonderful Pitch Wars mentees this year, and I volunteered to host interviews for a few mentees who didn’t get on Brenda Drake’s site before the glorious agent round began. Enjoy learning about these awesome teams!
This post includes…
Mentee Lana Pattinson
Mentor Marty Mayberry
Lana, why did you choose your mentor?
There were such great mentors to choose from this year! But I knew I had to submit to Marty right away. She’d mentored the year before, so she already knew the time involvement needed. She seemed like she’d be a firm but low-key mentor, which is what I needed. And finally, when she professed her love for kilts, I was IN.
And Marty has been super easy to work with. She’s a machine, such a fast worker it makes my head spin. She has amped the romance to a capital R in my manuscript, and for that I’m thankful. And mostly, I’m thankful that she believed in this manuscript and encouraged me to get my revisions done.
Marty, why did you choose Lana as your mentee?
I received many wonderful subs during the PitchWars submission round. Honestly, I would’ve been happy to work with any of the authors who trusted me with their words. But, ultimately, it comes down to subjectivity. Just like everyone doesn’t love pumpkin spice coffee (me included), every book isn’t for every person. I narrowed down based on premise and books I couldn’t stop thinking about.
I initially picked Amelia Creed’s entry (newly retitled Love, Lies, and the Other Team Dies) but I STILL wanted to work with Lana. I approached her outside PitchWars, asking if she was open to working on her manuscript with no intention of getting her into the Agent Round.
Then, a week ago, Brenda scooped up some “unofficial” mentees!
Why Lana? Because her VOICE shouted to me. It’s funny, clever, and all around incredible. I couldn’t stop thinking about her MS, Mom, I Married A Highlander. What’s not to love about a cute Highlander who time travels from 1765 into a young woman’s modern-day life? Throw in swords and a mysterious group of bad guys chasing them with evil on their minds, and you get the general idea. Oh, and steamy kisses. J
I can’t wait for the world to read this book.
Lana, summarize your book in three words.
Stargazing, time-traveling MacHottie
Marty, summarize your mentee’s book in three words.
Hot Highlander in a kilt. (sorry, 5 words)
Lana, tell us about yourself. What makes you and your MS unique?
Writing is my second career. I spent [redacted] years in marketing before staying at home with my daughter. I caught the writing bug and have been honing my craft ever since.
I’ve also found a way to marry the two. I teach Pinterest for Authors and Branding for Authors for various online orgs like RWA Chapters, Margie Lawson’s Writing Academy, and Savvy Authors.
MOM, I MARRIED A HIGHLANDER is a reversed, YA take on OUTLANDER, with a voice similar to Libba Bray’s BEAUTY QUEENS. I wondered, what would happen if a Highlander from the past jumped into the future? And if made people laugh, all the better. 70,000 words later, I hope I was able to give the story it’s due.
Marty, tell us about yourself. Something we might not already know.
I write most of my books on paper, while walking. Three miles can translate into 2,000 rough words that I flesh out on my computer.
And there is that pumpkin spice coffee . . .
[…] Super thanks to Marty Mayberry and Brenda Drake for this fab opportunity. To kick things off, here’s my Pitchwars interview with Marty, hosted by the fab Tracy C Gold! […]