Pitch Wars 2019 Wishlist

About Me

I am an Adult Mentor for Pitch Wars 2019. This is my first year as a mentor, but I have provided feedback and critiques in other settings.

My debut novel,  The Conductors, is set to arrive in July 2020. It’s an historical fantasy set in 1870s Philadelphia following a pair of former underground railroad conductors solving murder and mayhem with magic.

Why Me?

Think of me less of a mentor and more of a guide that will  show you the path to unlock the story you set out to write.  I will point places of concerns,  prompt to expand in certain places,  and overall get you to think deeper about your book. 

While I particular tastes in story, I’m not a book snob and I have read widely not just in fantasy and science fiction, but in other genres as well. 

I’ll communicate mostly through email but I promise to respond promptly whenever you have questions or concerns.

For all categories…

I’m looking for Adult stories and I will also consider any that fall into New Adult territory.

 I would love to see a story with one (or a combination) of the following :

• Established & committed romantic relationships (no break ups! no cheating!) 
• Friendships as the core relationship story (doesn’t ended romantically but with a stronger friendship!)
• Strong family (or found family) dynamics. 

What I’m Looking For…

Overall I’m primarily interested in fantasy stories.  It’s the genre I’m most familiar with and can best guide towards.   I am most interested in the following categories:

Historical Fantasy, Steampunk (or any of the “punks”), and Alternative History

I am particularly keen on history that highlights people whose accomplishments seldom make mainstream history.   I’d love to see STEM topics, particularly astrology, botany, zoology, physics, either on its own or with a fantastical twist it.  I would especially enjoying seeing  obscure bits of history that isn’t mainstream,  or even niche.

 I definitely want to see the fantastical element woven into the DNA of the story. 

 Epic or High Fantasy 

Give me your witches, your scholars of ancient history, your knights, and your humble tailors.  Show me your dragons, griffins, or talking carnivorous plants.   Tell me about larger than life characters,  quests to save the world,  and juicy political drama..

I’m also interested in…

  Paranormal, Contemporary (aka Urban), or Lighthearted Fantasy 

 I’m looking for something fun, that doesn’t take itself too seriously.    Give me your quiet stories with stakes that aren’t about the world ending but saving the local bodega from getting set afire by dragons.   Superhero novels also fall into this area.

Space Opera, “Soft” Science Fiction, and Science Fiction with a touch of romance

I want to explore the universe with a motley crew, see alien planets, and maybe not necessarily get involved in a galactic war.   I don’t mind romance thrown into the mix, but it shouldn’t be overwhelming.

Retellings

Give me your best spin on a well-known classic from myth and fairy tales, to Shakespeare, to Jane Austen and more.  Doesn’t matter how you do it, all I care about is celebrating the best parts and breathing new life into familiar tales!

Also interested, but not my top priority…

General Mystery or Cozy Mystery

Contemporary Romance

My top interests are seeing diverse characters taking on the tropes of the genre.   I’d love to see something about food (eating or cooking), STEM topics (computers to botany to genetics and more), theater  and other performing arts,  and  various Geek topics ( DnD,  video games, comic books, etc). 

A few things that don’t excite me:

• Time Travel
• Portal Fantasy
• Faeries / Unseelie Court
• Stories told between alternative time periods (character A in present time and character B in the past time that referenced by character A)

Questions? Email me at: nicole.g.pitchwars@gmail.com

Happy writing!

Pitch Wars 2019 Adult Mentors’ Wish Lists

1. Paris Wynters
2. Kathleen Barber (Accepts NA)
3. Ian Barnes
4. Mary Ann Marlowe (Accepts NA)
5. Elizabeth Little
6. Hayley Stone and Erin A. Tidwell
7. Gwynne Jackson (Accepts NA)
8. Maxym M. Martineau (Accepts NA)
9. Katie Golding (Accepts NA)
10. Ava Reid and Rachel Morris (Accepts NA)
11. Carolyne Topdjian
12. Natalka Burian
13. Tim Akers
14. Alex Segura
15. Michelle Hauck and Carrie Callaghan (Accepts NA)
16. Laura Brown (Accepts NA)
17. Mia P. Manansala and Kellye Garrett (Accepts NA)
18. Kerbie Addis and Ren Hutchings (Accepts NA)
19. Susan Bishop Crispell (Accepts NA)
20. Kelly Siskind and Heather Van Fleet (Accepts NA)
21. Janet Walden-West and Anne Raven (Accepts NA)
22. Kate Lansing (Accepts NA)
23. Kristen Lepionka and Ernie Chiara
24. Alexa Martin and Suzanne Park (Accepts NA)
25. Gia de Cadenet (Accepts NA)
26. Rob Hart
27. Layne Fargo and Halley Sutton
28. Michael Chorost (Accepts NA)
29. Sarah Remy (Accepts NA)
30. Nicole Glover (Accepts NA)
31. Farah Heron (Accepts NA)
32. Samantha Rajaram
33. Keena Roberts (Accepts NA)
34. Rebecca Enzor (Accepts NA)
35. Matthew Quinn Martin (Accepts NA)
36. Denny S. Bryce (Accepts NA)
37. Meryl Wilsner and Rosie Danan (Accepts NA)
38. P.J. Vernon and Kelly J. Ford (Accepts NA)
39. Gladys Quinn (Accepts NA)
40. Diana A. Hicks (Accepts NA)
41. Damyanti Biswas
42. Stephen Morgan (Accepts NA)

Pitch Wars 2019 Young Adult Mentors’ Wish Lists

1. Aiden Thomas (Accepts NA)
2. Kelsey Rodkey and Rachel Lynn Solomon
3. Nancy Werlin
4. Olivia Hinebaugh
5. Abigail Johnson
6. Rebecca Schaeffer
7. Rebecca Coffindaffer (Accepts NA)
8. Laurie Dennison
9. Sam Taylor
10. ST Sterlings (Accepts NA)
11. Brenda Drake and Kyle T. Cowan (Accepts NA)
12. Carrie Allen and Sabrina Lotfi
13. J. Elle
14. Andrea Contos (Accepts NA)
15. Raquel Vasquez Gilliland and Sandra Proudman (Accepts NA)
16. Ayana Gray (Accepts NA)
17. Susan Lee and Auriane Desombre
18. Julia Ember (Accepts NA)
19. SA Patel
20. Kat Dunn (Accepts NA)
21. Sonia Hartl and Annette Christie
22. Jesse Q. Sutanto
23. Ray Stoeve
24. Aty S. Behsam and Kylie Schachte
25. Cole Nagamatsu
26. Rachel Griffin
27. Adalyn Grace
28. Adrienne Tooley and Kelly Quindlen (Accepts NA)
29. Ciannon Smart and Deborah Falaye
30. Kristin Lambert, Sasha Peyton Smith
31. Kimberly Gabriel and Dawn Ius
32. Lyndsay Ely
33. Jamie Howard
34. Jenna Lincoln (Accepts NA)
35. Jen Marie Hawkins and Anna Birch (Accepts NA)
36. Judy I. Lin
37. Leila Siddiqui
38. Zach Hines (Accepts NA)
39. Hoda Agharazi
40. Michaela Greer (Accepts NA)
41. Liz Lawson and Jeff Bishop (Accepts NA)
42. Lindsey Frydman (Accepts NA)
43. Chelsea Hensley (Accepts NA)
44. Isabel Ibañez

Pitch Wars 2019 Middle Grade Mentors’ Wish Lists

1. K.C. Held
2. Kit Rosewater and Ash Van Otterloo
3. Amanda Panitch
4. Graci Kim and Karah Sutton
5. Sarah Suk and Julie Abe
6. Erin Entrada Kelly
7. Rebecca Petruck
8. Adrianna Cuevas and Sarah Kapit
9. Kim Long and Jennifer L. Brown
10. TJ Ohler
11. Eric Bell
12. Lacee Little and Bronwyn Clark
13. Jessica Bayliss
14. Shakirah Bourne
15. Sean Easley
16. Nicole Melleby and A.J. Sass
17. Julie Artz and Jessica Vitalis
18. Maria Frazer and Meera Trehan
19. Rajani LaRocca and Remy Lai
20. Nicole Panteleakos