Pitch Wars Team Interview with Katy Lapierre and mentors, Hoda Agharazi and Lyssa Mia Smith
Our mentors are mentoring, our mentees are revising, and we hope you’re making progress on your own manuscript! While we’re all working toward the Agent Showcase starting on February 9, 2021, we hope you’ll take a moment during your writing breaks and get to know our 2021 Pitch Wars Mentor and Mentee Teams.
Next up, we have . . .
Katy Lapierre – Mentee
Hoda Agharazi – Mentor
Lyssa Mia Smith – Mentor
Hoda and Lyssa, why did you choose Katy?
Lyssa: Katy’s query struck me as super high concept: a novice witch who foresees her bff’s death, can’t stop it (and maybe even causes it), then turns to dark magic to resurrect her? It gave me ALL the chills. Then Katy’s first chapter absolutely blew me away. Her voice is fantastic & perfect for YA. Her summery Cape Cod setting was so rich and immersive, I felt myself carried away. But what sealed the deal for me was that she made me cry. SEVERAL times. I couldn’t get this book out of my mind, and I was so excited when Hoda felt the same!
Hoda: Katy’s story had me hooked from the beginning. I absolutely love friendship stories, and INK BECOMES HER is, at its heart, a story about friendship. Throw in loss, magic. romance, and a spiraling protagonist – what’s not to love?!
Katy, why did you choose to submit to Hoda and Lyssa?
Hoda and Lyssa checked off a lot of boxes on my mentor spreadsheet, including looking for contemporary fantasy, strong platonic friendships, and family relationships. We also shared an interest in many of the same books, and when I read that they’d “love a good witchy story this fall” my pulse sped up a few beats.
On a more personal level, I submitted previous manuscripts to Hoda in past rounds of Pitch Wars, thinking we’d work well together—and, uh, I guess I’m stubborn. Lyssa and I have been mutuals for a while now and I enjoyed following her through her own Pitch Wars journey. After scrolling their blog hop sites, I was drawn to the excitement and energy they both would undoubtedly bring. From the very beginning, I thought we would be a great fit!
Hoda and Lyssa, summarize Katy’s book in 3 words.
Lyssa: Tragic, broken-hearted witch
Hoda: Friendship. Grief. Magic.
Katy, summarize your book in 3 words.
Friendship, loss, ink magic (yeah, I’m pretending that’s one word)
Hoda and Lyssa, tell us about yourself. Something we may not already know.
Lyssa: I reached my current height of 5’10” when I was twelve years old, which made middle school SO very fun and not at all awkward.
Hoda: Last year for this question, I said I was starting to learn the piano. That was a lie. But this year I mean it!! I will learn the piano (hopefully – check in next year).
Katy, what do you hope to get out of...