Nope, I’m not here to discuss a classic Sci Fi Story. Nope. Not that.

I’m here to be all… What the hell, it’s already June!?

 

 

The Time Machine in this sense is what I’ve been up to since my last post, apparently in March. MARCH.

So, what exactly have I been up to? Fantastic question, the short answer? EVERYTHING. The long answer is (in no particular order):

• Trying to sort out our backyard still so we can put our fence up (bloody council).
• Completing my citizenship test for Australia (pledge taking place 4th of July).
• Handmade all the invitations for our pending wedding (September isn’t far away now).
• Sourced our rings, or attempted to (waiting on a reply…).
• Read quite a few books (Throne of Glass, The Final Empire, Sabriel just to name a few).
• Submitted to three writing competitions (haven’t won yet…).
• Attended a “Pitch Perfect” workshop on how to pitch my novel (which became more of a publisher Q&A).
• Became a member of two writers’ centres and one writing society (now to take advantage of all their services).
• Attended my first writers’ festival (met two writers and asked them all my pressing questions, got a book signed too).
• Made a few new fantasy writer friends (If you’re reading this, hello friends!)
• I am apparently mentoring three writers (blind leading the blind much, but I’ll coach them through to “The End”).
• Been to one leadership training event for work, and two product training sessions. (I hate parking in big cities).
• And last but not least, managed to rewrite the intro to my story, as well as the synopsis and two rough pitches. (*gasp*)

SO! Really not too much. Might as well go and write another one, right? Okay, no. So in less than four weeks I will be at the Kids & YA Festival where there is the potential to actually pitch to a panel of publishers. I’m only slightly freaking out because everything appears to be lining up.

What’s that?

Don’t believe me?

PROOF! (Put on your tinfoil hats kids, it’s going to be a bumpy one…)

 

 

I became a member of the ASA last year, and they posted the event for Pitch Perfect early this year. As it appeared to sell out every year, I leapt at the chance (stay with me here). Then, a few weeks before I attend that event, the Kids and YA Festival comes up and releases the program for it, guess what? PITCHING. Holy crap, I think to myself. It must be fate! (Nope, still not there, but what are the odds?) THEN, to get a discount to that, I decide to join a writers’ centre near me like I was going to anyway. So bam, got both the membership and then my ticket. Fast forward a week AFTER the Pitch Perfect session, a small welcome pack arrives. What’s this? A magazine with the Director of the Kids & YA Festival in it, offering up her top tips for… what do you think it could be… oh man… PITCHING. AGAIN. With heaps of advice from not just her, but also advice from the lovely lady at HarperCollins, which is oddly enough where I’d love to end up!

So, all in all, I’m dreaming about my novel now. Thinking about it 24/7. My pitch is literally on my phone, should just make it my lock screen. ANYWAY…

I’d love for anyone’s feedback in regards to my pitch. I’ve adjusted it slightly as I will only have one minute to get the whole thing out, providing they choose my one hundred word pitch from the piles I’m sure they’ll get on the day. I’ve taken into account the winning pitch from last year’s festival and how she pitched her book, so hopefully I’ve got this… my pulse is racing just thinking about it.

THE PITCH – JEFFERSON & THE MAGICIAN’S CURSE

Born because an immortal magician travelled back in time, Jefferson is forever an outcast struggling to find his place in the world. Jefferson & The Magician’s Curse follows the boy as he is recruited into a secret society by Gabriel, the immortal magician, who is desperately trying to stop the end of the world at his own hands. While the forbidden arts begin to rise and war seems likely, Gabriel spitefully decides to infiltrate the enemy ranks after being bested by his young apprentice. As Gabriel succumbs to his alter ego and the magician’s curse, Jefferson hopes he’s powerful enough to stop him, without tapping into the power around him he doesn’t fully understand…

Jefferson & The Magician’s Curse is a 98 thousand word YA novel for readers 13 and up. With a strong fantasy element, the novel is reminiscent of the unique magic from Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn Trilogy, and invokes the strong characters from Sarah J Maas’s Throne of Glass series. Like these books, Jefferson & The Magician’s Curse offers up an intriguing world filled with rich lore, diverse characters and the possibility for a series of novels.

Let me know what you think as it’s 1 AM and I should be sleeping!