Pitch Wars Co-Mentor

I am Kathryn Purdie, the author of BURNING GLASS, and I’m thrilled to be a Pitch Wars mentor for the first time AND to be co-mentoring with my friends and amazingly talented authors, Janet B. Taylor (author of INTO THE DIM) and Shannon Parker (author of THE GIRL WHO FELL). (Click on their names to view their co-mentor bios.)

That’s correct–we are a team of THREE debut authors with a shared release date (March 1, 2016) for our forthcoming individual novels, and now joining together for Pitch Wars to bring you a trifecta of awesome mentorship from our combined expertise! We are #TeamMarch1st and we are looking for Young Adult submissions only.

Genres I’m particularly interested in:
-Fantasy
-Science Fiction

I would especially love to see books with ANY of the following:
-High concept premises
-Romances that are pivotal to the plot
-Strong and complicated relationships
-Historic time periods
-A tinge of humor to balance the drama of the high stakes
-Settings in palaces, castles, other worlds that feel realistic
-High society intrigue
-Complex characters
-Plot lines that have a good mystery so I stay engaged by sleuthing as a reader
-Beautiful writing (voice, command of words, and an elegant touch)

I am NOT the best mentor for:
-Contemporary, unless the stakes are very high (life or death) and/or I get to discover an exciting new setting (far different from my own), a new culture, or a new way of life.

Why you should pick me:

First of all, this is a three-for-one deal, remember? But if we’re just talking about me, I’m experienced in giving detailed and useful feedback. I’ve been part of a critique group for the last five years, and I’ve been a critique group instructor at a large writing conference. I have an excellent eye for fixing problems regarding where to begin your story, pacing, character motivations, chapter endings, plot structure, and tight and compelling prose. I know how to give feedback that builds you up rather than tears you down–but make no mistake, I will also require you to work hard. Janet, Shannon, and I will help you turn your manuscript into gold–and it will be FUN for all of us!

I’ve also been where you’ve been and understand your desire to be published. Years ago, I started this journey and knew nothing about the craft of writing. The only tool in my toolbox was my love for the story I wanted to tell. I’ve busted my butt ever since then as I’ve attended multiple writing conferences, studied writing craft books, entered contests (though none as cool as Pitch Wars), and hoped and despaired and regrouped and kept dreaming and persevering. I get your hunger to be published and your fierce desire to hone your skills so you become a dazzling wielder of words and storytelling.

I started writing in pursuit of publication after donating a kidney to my brother a few years ago. The transplant recovery was long and difficult for me, and I fell into a deep depression. Writing stories lifted me out of that and helped me come back to myself. Writing is healing (if we let it be), and the stories we want to write are already written inside us. Writing should be a beautiful release of everything we think and feel. I love to dig in deep and help people (including myself) find that reason for writing a story and let that purpose come out on the pages. And then it’s time to polish, polish, polish and make a story gleam on a line level, as well.

In my non-writing life, I am a mom of three great kids and a wife of a high school drama teacher. I have a background in classical acting (I even got to study in England), and I love to sing, play guitar, and compose songs for my characters.

You can learn more about me by checking out the rest of my website and through Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr. If you’d like to learn more about my debut novel, BURNING GLASS, the first in a YA trilogy, click here, and be sure to add it to Goodreads!