Hey, everyone! It's time to Pimp. My. Bio. I have a feeling I may be too white and nerdy to use that phrase.

If you want to be white and nerdy cool like me, you can pimp your bio too! The host post is here: http://www.lanapattinson.com/pitch-wars-2017-pimpmybio-contestant-blog-hop/

Step 1: Write up a blog post about yourself. And link back to the main blog hop page. ^

Step 2: Upload the link address from your blog post to the cool little Linky Widget thingamabob that does the job, and bibbidi bobbidi boo, you'll turn into Cinderella!
Wait, wrong fairytale.

Your blog will get added to the blog hop, which may not be as exciting as riding in a giant pumpkin, but on the plus side, it probably smells better. Your name and genre goes in the "your title" field.

Step 3: Read other hopefuls' blogs, be nice, make friends, have fun! One of the best things that can come out of participating in this kind of contest is the new friends and writing buddies you'll find. Publishing is a tough business. We've got to stick together.

The blog hop is currently open! So hop on over and join in the fun.

So, you might be asking, what is this Pitch Wars thing all about? Good question! It's a competition meant for polished manuscripts. You submit your manuscript to 4 mentors who are open to the age category and genre that your story fits. If your MS is chosen, your mentor will help you revise and polish up your story until it's all shiny and ready for the agent showcase in November. All the details of how to enter are available here, on our lovely fairy godmother Brenda Drake's blog: http://www.brenda-drake.com/2017/06/pitch-wars-2017-details/

The thing about Pitch Wars is, you'll get out of it what you want. If you put yourself out there, it's really easy to find new writing friends to help support you in your journey. Mentors post great resources on how to revise your own writing. You'll learn how to improve yourself as a writer, and you'll find a community like nothing else you've seen before. It's pretty amazing. Plus, there are raptor GIFs, if you're into that sort of thing.

Now if you're a fellow hopeful mentee, or a potential mentor, you're probably asking, who is this strange person telling me things I already know? Another great question! (Sorry, that's the Sunday School teacher side of me coming out. I love questions.)

Ahem. So, you may have noticed that I am, indeed, white and nerdy. I love all things Star Wars. Rey had better be awesome in the next movie, or I may never forgive Disney.

I love a fierce heroine. Dragons are pretty much always a bonus; I'm proud I've convinced all 3 of my girls of this already. Oldest made me a dragon-filled birthday card this year. So, I'm a mom of 3 girls who are also trending perilously to the nerdy side. Thankfully they've also inherited some coordination and athleticism from their dad, so they might just survive their teenage years with a few less emotional traumas than I did. I have Aspergers, but I didn't know that until last year, so that made growing up extra interesting.

I love fantasy and sci-fi in particular. Historical fiction and historical fantasy are next on my list. Serious, funny, sweet, heartbreaking, long and winding, or short, I don't really care - if it's got an interesting world-building setup and good characters, give it to me now.

Pretty please?

This is my second year entering Pitch Wars. Last year, my manuscript TOTALLY wasn't ready. I cringe, looking back at it now. But I'm still glad I entered, because I learned so much from listening to the mentors and poring over their blog posts. I made connections with mentors who were kind and kept in touch, and helped me keep moving when I got stuck. I devoted myself to revising that manuscript, and it's 1000% better now.

Not entering it this year, though, because I'm still not happy with where it is. Someday, it will get there.

So instead, I'm entering an Adult fantasy this year; a fairytale retelling. It's very loosely based on the Grimm version of Sleeping Beauty, but it's centered on Maleficent's POV instead. And no, it's nothing like the Disney version. Think more this:

and less this:

along with a healthy dash of revenge gone wrong, plot twists that will hopefully make you scream in a good way, and a mother-daughter relationship so messed up that only a miracle could save it.

That's me and my story, in a nutshell. I tweet @bethanyrambles on Twitter, mostly about writing, a little about my kids and everyday life, and a little about politics. Hopefully you enjoyed this year's edition of Piiiiimp...Myyyyyy...Bioooooo...(slow fade into darkness.)