Hello #PitchWars colleagues and possible mentors! No admittance except on Party Business. And there ain’t no party like #Pitch Party.
Let’s get down to business (and defeat the huns).
I write fantasy and sci-fi, and anything with adventure on it. My characters aren’t always on the right side of the morale, but that’s what makes them fun to write. This is my first time entering #PitchWars – and my first time entering a writing contest. I’m submitting my Russian-inspirired fantasy novel, FIREBIRD – a story about a girl out for revenge. It’s a retelling of “Ivan and the Firebird” and “The Death of Koschei the Deathless” with a dark twist. There are high stakes, blood, fighting scenes and dark motives – but there is also romance, family relationships and finding yourself.
I’m a Literature major and I love to read – anything that I can put my hands on, be it fantasy or contemporary or Dostoievski. There’s something good to be found in every book, and you never lose any time by reading. I’m a big fan of languages as well – fluently I speak three, and I’m studying two more.
I decided to write my own books after I went to the movies several times and never got to see a single one which had a Latina as a protagonist. As a Latina myself, I wanted to write books about underrepresented characters kicking ass and taking names – and hopefully, get more diverse books out there. Female main characters FTW.
I love to collect recipes I’ll never cook, watch bad action movies featuring Tom Cruise, gush about Disney, movies and books and generally any subject. I’m an avid fan of social media – hi tumblr! Hi pinterest! – and love to talk about different things.
As a mentee, I promise to work hard every day on making my manuscript the best it can be – I love receiving feedback and working to make myself better. Fixing things and finding plot holes are my one true love (weird for a writer, right?). I want my MS in its best possible form, and I know the mentors work hard on helping us out. We’ll work great if we are running towards the same objective – the long road to publishing.
Favorite movies?
Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter. Avengers and the like. Jurassic Park, Star Wars, Indiana Jones & Back to the Future. Comedies with girls like Pitch Perfect have my heart. Frozen is quite possibly an obsession.
Favorite Books?
Throne of Glass, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, the Grisha trilogy, The Winner’s Curse, Lunar Chronicles, Heist Society,The Wrath and the Dawn, The Night Circus, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Graceling. I love contemporary like Morgan Matson, John Green, Rainbow Rowell and E. Lockhart. I’ll pick up anything with a cool premise and lots of action. I have loads of books on my goodreads shelves and try to recommend books over there in an active account.
Favorite authors?
Isaac Asimov, Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. I’ll literally grab anything by JK Rowling and Sarah J Maas. Michael Crichton is a big inspiration, and as far as fantasy goes, George R.R. Martin is also top of the list. Gillian Flynn is a goddess and should be worshipped.
TV Shows?
Doctor Who, Gossip Girl, Agents of Shield. Agent Carter was awesome and I want to marry her. Community is my TV Show Soulmate. Hannibal, How to Get Away with Murder, Legend of the Seeker, Merlin, Orphan Black and the 100. Heroes holds forever a special place in my heart.
Music?
I’m eclectic – one minute I’ll be listening to AC/DC and my playlist will jump to Nicki Minaj. Imagine Dragons, Bastille, McFly, The Maine and Paramore are my favorite bands. I love Marina Diamandis, Beyoncé (obviously), Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga and Britney Spears. I’ll listen to any classic rock, and I love soundtracks – my favorite composers include John Williams, Hans Zimmer and Alexandre Desplat. And as epic writing music goes, let’s get down with Two Steps From Hell. Taylor Swift is my jam.
Thanks for reading up to here – good luck to all my fellow contestants. Hope to see y’all out there!