Four Questions with PitchWars SF/F Mentors

As you know, I’ve volunteered as a #PitchWars mentor this year. Some of the Adult SF/F mentors got together and decided to answer some fun questions. There are other mentors accepting adult SF/F, so please don’t take this as a comprehensive list. But here’s hoping that our answers to these questions will help you narrow it down.

Here are the participating mentors, with links to their #PitchWars wish lists:

• Michelle Hauck
• Dan Koboldt
• Holly Faur
• Michelle Hazen
• Nazarea Andrews
• Carrie Callaghan
• E.B. Wheeler
• J.C. Nelson
• Hayley Stone
• Michael Mammay

Question 1: You’re going to be stranded for a year. You only have time to grab one SFF book. What is it?

Michelle Hauck: The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson because of its length. At least it would take a while to finish.

Dan Koboldt: One word. Dune.

Holly Faur: Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell (okay, it bridges a few genres)

Michelle Hazen: Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Nazarea Andrews: Red Rising. OOOH. Or Kushiel’s Dart. Damn, that’s a hard question…

Carrie Callaghan: It’s hard to go wrong with the classic LORD OF THE RINGS. I think I’d work on memorizing and declaiming it, both of which I am very bad at.

E.B. Wheeler: Lord of the Rings (counting it as one book 😀 )

J.C. Nelson: Neuromancer. Fantastic characterization. Layers of motivations working against and with each other, killer setting and plot

Hayley Stone: Seveneves or Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. Both are long books that I’ve been meaning to read, but haven’t gotten around to yet.

Michael Mammay: The Name of the Wind

Question 2: It’s movie night. Three blockbusters are opening up. Do you go see a big budget superhero film, a big budget Sci Fi, or a well reviewed indy movie?

Michelle Hauck: Most likely the superhero film.

Dan Koboldt: Big budget sci-fi

Holly Faur: AHHH! The Sci Fi. Then the superhero

Nazarea Andrews: Toss up between sci-fi or the indy. Probably the Scifi, but on a rare blue moon, indy.

Carrie Callaghan: Indy! All the better if it’s got some quirky protagonists. (Safety Not Guaranteed, anyone??)

E.B. Wheeler: Superheroes, as long as it’s Marvel. Otherwise, the Sci-fi.

J.C. Nelson: Bring on Ant Man. Despite all the inconsistencies, it’s the movie that captures the ‘fun’ part of this completely.

Hayley Stone: Depends on the cast, but probably the big budget Sci-fi. Especially if it’s Star Wars.

Michael Mammay: The sci-fi

Question 3: Name your favorite male fantasy character of all time. 

Michelle Hauck: Harry Dresden, I guess. There are so many, but I feel like we get to know Harry inside and out.

Dan Koboldt: Locke Lamora

Holly Faur: Aragorn. Or Richard Rahl.

Michelle Hazen: Kvothe from Name of the Wind

Nazarea Andrews: This is like picking a favorite child. Only ONE?? Ok. Imriel (Kushiel’s Scion) because he’s this delightful mix of haughty and human, royal and peasant, broken and whole, dark trying so damn hard to be good.

Carrie Callaghan: Severian, from Gene Wolfe’s The Shadow of the Torturer (and Book of the New Sun series)

J.C. Nelson: Sam, from Lord of the Rings.

Hayley Stone: Boromir

Michael Mammay: Kvothe

Question 4: Name your favorite female fantasy character of all time. 

Michelle Hauck: Eowyn from Lord of the Rings, the movie version.

Dan Koboldt: Hermione Granger

Holly Faur: Elphaba from Wicked or Kahlan Amnell from the Sword of Truth series (not the tv version!!)

Michelle Hazen: Katsa from Graceling (Kristin Cashore)

Nazarea Andrews: Janelle SaDiablo (The Black Jewels Trilogy) for much the same reason as Imri. She’s a complex character who overcomes a hellish life to rise to power and still retains her humanity. I kinda aodre the flashes of darkness we see in her, how dark she CAN go, but she pulls herself back from more ofthen than not.

Carrie Callaghan: Beatrice, from Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Buried Giant. How often is the lead female an old lady with a heart of steel?

J.C. Nelson: Granny Weatherwax, from Discworld

Hayley Stone: Sansa Stark

Michael Mammay: Paksennarion

 

That’s it for today! Be sure to visit Michelle Hauck’s blog for more adult SF/F mentor Q&A tomorrow.

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