Pitch Wars (not a soccer blog!)

Hello, again!! I'm sorry I didn't blog, two weeks ago. I was busy polishing up Susannah's Gifts and I was in a lousy mood. So, here's the big announcement I promised, last month:

I am entering Susannah's Gifts into a contest called Pitch Wars. The contest is hosted by Brenda Drake, a best-selling young adult author. All the details can be found at http://www.brenda-drake.com/pitch-wars .

The deal is: I will submit a query letter and the first chapter to mentors who are seeking young adult contemporary novels, specifically, inspirational/Christian novels. Depending on whether the mentors like it or not, they can request a synopsis, additional chapters, or the entire novel. They will be reviewing other submission packages, as well. If I am selected by a mentor, then s/he will work with me for two months in getting the novel, the query, the synopsis, and the sales pitch ready for the literary agent round in November. If not, then I can utilize their feedback in getting the novel ready on my own, and moving forward from there.

The odds of being accepted into the mentorship round are very slim. (I think they received over 1,800 entries over all genres and age groups, last year. Only 180 people were accepted into the mentorship program.) But, you know what? I have nothing to lose and everything to gain, even if it's invaluable feedback and a pat on the back. Right now, Pitch Wars has helped me learn how to use Twitter, and has connected me with fellow writers from all around the globe. So, already, that's a win!

A hearty thank you to everyone who has helped me get to this point, most especially my wife, Valeri, for putting up with my crazy dream of becoming a published author. Also, special thanks to Ms. Drake and her staff for making Pitch Wars possible!! I will keep everyone "posted" over the next several weeks. Thank you!!

Eric