Wading into the frenzy – #PitchWars 2017

 

This year I’ve decided to wade into the frenzy of Pitch Wars, that delicious insanity of hundreds of writers trying to get noticed. I’ve played wall flower before, but this year I am going to dance.

As a part of #PitchWars (more on that later) there is a fantastic blog hop called #PimpMyBio. It is a nice ‘getting to know you’ precursor to the whole event, so as suggested this is my #PimpMyBio post.

 

A little bit about me

Hi. I’m Ralph.

(that was easy)

Oh, you want more?

Me and the family – fuzzy, but real

A little more about me.

I’m Ralph. I’m an architect and writer living in NJ with my wife, two crazy kids and one nasty cat. I’ve been practicing as an architect for over 20 years and have built a fair range of buildings (schools, office buildings, restaurants, etc). Most of my professional work is focused on commercial architecture with a specific interest in sustainable design and adaptive reuse. Much of my free time is spent with my kids drawing robots and monsters or building Legos or hiking in NJ.

I’ve been writing seriously for about five years, essentially since my daughter was born. She was my earliest inspiration. When she was very small I wasn’t around as much as I needed to be. I used stories to work my way out of some bad places, and since then I’ve kept writing as a personal solace.

a typical morning – probably around 6-ish

I tend to bounce between short stories and novels. I enjoy pushing form and stretching myself as a writer. Most of my work is adult science fiction. I generally write stories set in the near future with a Solarpunk or Ecopunk bent. I like to explore the places where the rage of nature meets the strength of technology and usually drop my characters right into the fray.

2017 has been a good year for me. For the first time I’ve sold a few short stories and I finished my second novel, The Last Iceberg. I have to credit the rigor of #5amwritersclub for my production this year. Making writing a priority, and giving it the first shift of the day, has made much of the difference for me.

a Friday morning (you know what I’m saying #5amwritersclub)

 

Let me tell you a little more about my novel, The Last Iceberg.

Maggie ‘Falling Leaf’ Foley is running away from one terrible mistake in an otherwise perfect flying record. As a Coast Guard SAR pilot, one mistake might mean losing a soul at sea, but when that lost soul is both her rescue swimmer and fiancé, Maggie loses a part of herself too.

Her best friend, Ricki Munoz didn’t start taking pictures to save the whales, but he did come to the Sea of Alaska to document environmental destruction, and shame the corporations who treat Mother Earth like an ATM. He’s convinced Maggie to join him on the Narwhal’s Tusk, an eco-protest ship, as the ship’s only chopper pilot. Maggie figures as long as they’re flying around snapping photos of this year’s ice harvest, and she’s not plucking sailors from the sea, she can put the past behind her and pull herself back together.

Walter and Jaxson Breugmann need a score. They’ve come up with a crazy plan to harvest ice in an abandoned national park, and fly it to a thirsty American southwest. With water more valuable than gold, they risk everything to cut a massive iceberg. Their plan works too well and the brothers Breugmann accidentally blow up an entire glacier. Maggie and Ricki arrive in time to witness the environmental carnage. Incensed over the destruction, Ricki jumps from the helicopter to the Breugmann’s score. Untethered and unable to communicate, Maggie isn’t sure if her closest friend just made the stupidest mistake of his life, or if Ricki really has a plan to hijack the world’s first flying iceberg. Either way Maggie must choose to swallow her grief and chase her best friend across the Pacific, or risk one more terrible mistake.

THE LAST ICEBERG is an Eco Thriller, complete at 73,000 words. Told through the eyes of Maggie and Walter, this debut novel follows their adventurous trip from Alaska to Nevada. Set in a not so distant future, this story projects beyond the high stakes eco-protest movement documented in Whale Wars. It contains comparable situational stakes to The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi, and is written in a clipped style similar to Chuck Wendig’s Invasive.

inspiration box straight from my niece + writing log

So why do Pitch Wars?

Personally, I am hoping to network with this group of amazing writers. I’ve had so much fun meeting people at writers conferences and online, and I know that this is a fantastic, supportive community to be a part of. My first goal is to make some new friends.

In addition I am looking to level up in my writing. Each step in this process takes hard work, but it’s easier to get to the next level with a mentor and some compatriots. I know my book, and my writing in general will benefit from the rigor of this process.

 

If you are a part of the Pitch Wars community or not, I hope you’ll reach out and connect. You can usually find me on twitter @RW_Igloo As a thank you I’ve also posted a free story of mine here.

Best,

Ralph

and one nasty cat

 

BTW – Thanks to everyone who came over here via the Blog Hop, especially if you dropped in from Gaye Sander’s page (No. 78)

If you’d like to keep going, click here to check out John W Siskar’s page (No. 80)