A lot of the dialogue around the announcement that Pitch Wars is coming to an end has been along the lines of “don’t worry, cold querying works!” And I *agree* with that 100% (It’s how I found my first agent). But Pitch Wars has always been about more than the Agent Showcase. Yes, cold-querying works, but a lot of writers worry about how they’ll find mentorship, critique partners, writing friends…how they’ll continue to hone their craft and learn. That community aspect was the true heart of Pitch Wars.
First, let me say that community lives on. It’s not going to go away just because the mentorship program has reached its end.
But also, I’ve got something sort of exciting that I was already planning, but am going to announce early because of all of this…
For a while now, I’ve been thinking about all the things I want writers to do BEFORE they reach out to work with a book coach and editor. And finding a critique group is at the top of that list. So I’d like to introduce CP Meet Cute (also on Twitter and Instagram under #cpmeetcute).
CP Meet Cute is a tribute to the romance novels that have been my lifeblood during this panini, but it’s also a program that I’m going to facilitate to help you find a critique partner.
So writers at any level who are looking for a critique partner can sign up here and I’ll be in touch with more details: https://pages.julieartz.com/meet-cute. If you missed out on the March go-round of CP Meet Cute, go ahead and sign up and I’ll be in touch when it’s time for the next round, coming later this spring.
CP Meet Cute kicks off with a webinar on March 7 about how to find, build, and maintain successful CP relationships. Then, each participant will fill out a brief survey that I’ll use to introduce you to a handful of possible matches.
CPs are the Special Sauce Webinar | Monday, March 7, 2022
Join me and several of my critique partners Monday, March 7, at 1pm Pacific for a conversation and Q&A about finding, building relationships with, and maintaining strong critique partner relationships.
Sign up to attend for free at: https://pages.julieartz.com/meet-cute!
I’ve been so fortunate to have amazing critique partners in my writing life—this webinar will help you find the same success. Here’s a little bit about my guests:
Jessica Vitalis is a Columbia MBA-wielding writer with a mission for writing entertaining and thought-provoking middle grade literature. An active volunteer in the kidlit community, she also founded Magic in the Middle, a series of free monthly recorded book talks, to help educators introduce young readers to new stories. She was recently named a 2021 Canada Council of the Arts Grant Recipient. An American expat, she now lives in Canada with her husband and two precocious daughters. She loves traveling, sailing and scuba diving, but when she’s at home, she can usually be found reading a book or changing the batteries in her heated socks. The Wolf’s Curse is her debut novel; the companion,The Rabbit’s Gift, comes out October 25th.
Lily LaMotte graduated from Hamline’s MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults. When she isn’t writing, she’s cooking up new recipes, exploring new crafts, and supporting her library system as a KCLS Foundation board member. Her debut middle grade graphic novel Measuring Up is an ALA Top Ten Graphic Novel and a Cybils Award winner. Unhappy Camper and Lily’s debut picture book Chloe’s Lunar New Year are forthcoming in early 2023. Visit her at www.lilylamotte.com.
Gabrielle K. Byrne lives in the tangled wilds of the Pacific Northwest, where she writes fantasy for teens. Gabby has a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental studies (marine biology) from The Evergreen State College, and a Master of Arts degree in literature from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. A jack of many trades, Gabby also studied opera in Philadelphia, and medieval studies in New York, but writing stories is the common thread that ties all her interests together. Gabby loves rain, marine biology, Thai food, and naming pets (even ones she doesn’t own). When she’s not writing, she can be found fishing spineless beasties out of the Salish Sea with her husband and two daughters. Her debut, Rise of the Dragon Moon (Macmillan/Imprint, 2019), was a Junior Library Guild Selection. Kirkus called her second book, The Edge of Strange Hollow (Macmillan/Imprint, 2021), “spookily thrilling with superlative worldbuilding.”
Gita Trelease is the author of All That Glitters (UK: Enchantée), an NPR Best Book of the Year, its sequel Everything That Burns (UK: Liberté), and a contributor to the fairy tale-inspired anthology At Midnight, coming November 2022. Born in Sweden to Indian and Swedish parents, Gita now divides her time between a village in Massachusetts and the wild coast of Maine. Before she became a novelist, she taught classes on monsters and fairy tales, many of which have crept into her stories.
