Hey there, Pitch Wars hopefuls! You know
us as Dee and Jen and may have seen us hanging around together in cyberspace.
We hang out in real life too, even though we live 450 miles apart. We met in
the slush pile of Pitch Madness when I (Dee) couldn’t resist tracking Jen down
and demanding respectfully requesting that she send me her manuscript to
read. So it’s perhaps meant to be that now we both have books out in the world
and we’re co-mentoring in a Brenda Drake contest, like the one that brought us together. We’ve even
written a book together (okay, okay, there were seven of us, but at least you
know we work well as a team).
Our
official bios:
Dee Romito is an author and former elementary teacher.
Her middle grade debut, THE BFF BUCKET LIST, is now available from Simon &
Schuster/Aladdin, with two more to come in 2017. She blogs about writing at I Write for Apples,
where she and her team share tips to help fellow writers. Dee is also
Co-Advisor of Buffalo-Niagara Children’s Writers and Illustrators. You’re likely
to find her on adventures with her husband and two energetic kids, at the local
ice cream shop, or curled up in a comfy chair with her cats. She loves to
write, travel, and giggle like a teenager with her friends. You can visit her
website at DeeRomito.com.
Twitter and Instagram: @writeforapples
Jen Malone writes humorous "girl power" MG
adventures with Simon & Schuster/Aladdin and Random House/Dreamworks Films,
and fun and flirty YA travel romances with HarperCollins/HarperTeen. Her
middle grade titles include At Your Service,
the You're Invited series (co-written with Gail Nall), The Sleepover, and Follow Your Art. Her young adult titles include Map to the Stars and Wanderlost. She once spent a year
traveling the world solo, met her husband on the highway (literally), and went
into labor with her identical twins while on a rock star's tour bus. These days
she saves the drama for her books. You can learn more about Jen and her books
at www.jenmalonewrites.com. Twitter and Instagram: @jenmalonewrites
Are
we a great match for you?
We'll be mentoring middle grade, so first let's make sure you're in the right place. :)
We'll be mentoring middle grade, so first let's make sure you're in the right place. :)
The number one thing we’re looking for in a submission
is voice. We’d love to get something full of voice with a great hook. Although
that’s not to say quieter books that simply have a great story won’t get our
attention too. Interesting characters are a big-time plus as well.
As far as what really draws us in, we both love
contemporary, anything with pranks, heists, or capers, as well as light
historical, stories with magical elements, sports, and humor. Smart or clever
characters fascinate us, and so do fun or ingenious story lines.
Things that aren’t for us are horror, high fantasy,
sci-fi, anything really dark or angsty, and bullying themes.
So you won’t find it surprising that some of our
favorite TV shows, movies, and books are along these lines.
All-time favorite movies and TV shows . . .
Dee: Grease
(and yes, even Grease 2), Field of Dreams, The Cutting Edge, Harry
Potter, Oceans 11, etc., Friends,
Seinfeld, Lie to Me, White Collar, 24
Jen: Almost
Famous (“it’s all happening!”), The
Parent Trap (the Linsdsey Lohan version with pranks galore), When Harry Met Sally, Bridget Jones Diary
(I think I might be her), Thomas Crown
Affair, The West Wing (have seen every episode 6-plus X’s, and (all-time
fave) Gilmore Girls.
Recent favorite movies and TV . . .
Dee: Crazy
Stupid Love, Lincoln, Pitch Perfect, The
Good Wife, The Grinder (why it was canceled I will never understand!), The Big Bang Theory, White Collar (listed
here AND with favorites because it’s funny, clever, has great character
relationships, and stars Matt Bomer)
Jen: Downton
Abbey, Inside Out, Pitch Perfect, The Bachelor (mostly so I can giggle at
quips on the show’s Twitter hashtag), Roadies,
and Million Dollar Listing (I love
real estate p*rn) (I’m also wondering if Dee is going to let me get away with
using the word p*rn on her website. If so: #LifeGoalUnlocked) (Note from Dee:
Sorry, Jen. he he he)
Favorite books . . .
Dee: I’ve been reading all the Sweet Sixteens books
and loving them! The Last Great Adventure
of the PB&J Society by Janet Sumner Johnson and The Distance to Home by Jenn Bishop are two I loved that might give
you an example of what I’m drawn to.
Favorites besides those? It’s tough for me
to nail down favorite books. Harry Potter,
YES. The Truth about Twinkie Pie by
Kat Yeh, anything by Kasie West or Ally Carter, The Rosie Project by Don Tillman, and the sweet ones I read with my
kids, like I Love You Through and Through.
So that’s picture book through adult. Obviously I like variety. ;)
Jen: What kind of a sick twisted question is this?
Anything by Meg Cabot, Lindsey Leavitt, Jen Lancaster, Christina Lauren, Gail
Nall, Alison Cherry…. I like to LOL. Harry
Potter is in a class all its own.
Some recent five-star reviews went to Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys, The Pages Between Us by Lindsey Leavitt
and Robin Mellom, Sticks and Stones
by Abby Cooper, Up To This Pointe by
Jennifer Longo, Six of Crows by Leigh
Bardugo, and My Seventh Grade Life in
Tights by Brooks Benjamin. There’s also this Dee chick’s stuff I kinda dig…
(Note from Dee: I have a Jen Malone shelf!)
Dee also loves: sports (watching, not playing),
photography, travel, sleeping in, chocolate, ice cream, baking, the beach, Hugh
Jackman, and hanging out with friends and family. I also have a habit of taking
on lots of things for the PTA, our local writing group, the online writing
community, class reunions . . . I could go on, but this is long already. ;)
Jen also loves: long walks on the beach, fireside
chats, and strong, sensitive types with swimmer abs. Hold on, wrong ad! Revised
version: pajamas, excessive tote bags, pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, color-coded
bookshelves, adding stamps to my passport, gelato, my Mini Cooper, my
long-suffering husband who cooks AND grocery shops, and my three kiddos. Please
don’t ask me to put these in order, because my kids would not love knowing they
may or may not come after gelato.
Dee (question for Jen): But do you love Piña Coladas?
Getting caught in the rain?
How
it’ll work:
Well that’s really up to you. We’ll do our best to get
notes to you asap so you have plenty of time to fine tune your manuscript.
There are two of us, so we have some options. We can both read right away, or
one of us can give overall notes and we can save the other for a set of fresh
eyes for line edits later.
Communication is up to you too. We’re fine with email,
Google docs, Skype or Google chats, phone calls, or even the old-fashioned cup
and string if we can get it to work long distance. ;)
Most importantly, THIS IS YOUR BOOK, and you should be
happy with it and proud to put your name on it. Everything we give you is a
suggestion, and while some might be stronger suggestions than others, you decide
what to change. However, you should be entering this contest for feedback, not
just to showcase what you already have to agents, so please be sure you’re
willing to make changes and to have some discussions about what could make it
better.
** Looking for the scavenger hunt letter? Head over to Jen's website (www.jenmalonewrites.com) to get it! Scroll down on main page. **
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I wish I could submit to you two beautiful ladies! BTW I'm in Brenda's email at the moment, but this is The Other Brenda Drake. :) ~Heather
ReplyDeleteHa! Thanks, Heather! :)
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