Pitch Wars 2018 #BOOSTMYBIO

My WIP: LAUREN GOLDRAY AND THE CRYSTAL TIMESCOPE

Middle Grade Fantasy

This is my entry for #BoostMyBio for Pitch Wars 2018. Thank you to Auggie for hosting this great time to visit and meet other aspiring authors and get more involved in the fun of Pitch Wars, and everyone who makes this such a super event.

About my WIP:

When I was in gemology school (at the Gemological Institute of America – GIA) we studied the history of gems. I kept being intrigued that there were still unsolved mysteries about certain centuries of techniques and gems with special powers or stories, like the Hope Diamond (story here) and many more. I read an article about a hoard where a real Viking necklace had been discovered with some intriguing scientific properties – and a true mystery – and have answered it using Swedish mythology about gnomes, or tomtar, and my knowledge of what goes on inside of gems in the microscope.

I studied C.S. Lewis for one wonderful summer living abroad in London and exploring everywhere he worked, lived, attended church, and came up with the ideas for his fantasy stories. So when this idea struck, and wouldn’t let me go, I sought out classes, mentors, and more to get it right.

The story:

When a crystal necklace is excavated from a Viking hoard in Sweden, 12-year-old Lauren Goldray and her gemologist mom collide with forces from another realm hoping to unlock and control its magical capabilities. Her new hearing aids pick up voices from a strange land telling her to grab the necklace and escape before an evil Overlord gains access. When her mother is kidnapped in Sweden, Lauren teams up with super-smart Marshall Im to decode runes and track down a tomte, or gnome-spy, and his tree filled with the wisdom to free them from the inky plans and dark voices wanting to eliminate Lauren and sell emotions for commercial gain.

Why I’d be a good mentee:

I’ve seen how wonderful PitchWars has been for close friends who’ve loved the community support and have had amazing doors open both to finding the perfect CPs and also eventually their path to publication. But really, it’s the community I crave as much as the publishing opportunities. I’ve never seen anything like it and would be an avid contributor as my CPs who’ve been involved can attest. I take criticism well and am ready to polish and rework if needed to make this special story shine.

About me:

Elizabeth Van Tassel writes compelling middle-grade fantasy. She brings her knowledge of gemology to the page and infuses her love of folklore into modern adventures filled with mystery. A wildfire survivor, Elizabeth shares her story of resilience and tools for rebuilding at public speaking events and on her blog. She resides in the Bay Area and can be found wandering the gardens of Filoli House, haunting her favorite coffee shops, and engaging with other writers. Her work background and upcoming events are featured HERE and she has some great blogs for KidLitCraft.com (coming out next week!) and reviews middle grade novels for MMGM (Marvelous Middle Grade Mondays) twice monthly as well. She is an active member of SCBWI, ACFW and Realm Makers for fantasy authors.

My bio is HERE if you’d like more info and to read about our wildfire survival story, look HERE. Some of my favorite MG reads include:

Keeper of the Lost Cities, Tessla’s Attic, The Grimm Legacy, Nick of Time, The Time Pirate, The Glass Sentence and The Mapmaker’s Trilogy, The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates Series, The Vengekeep Prophecies, Max Tilt Fire the Depths, Percy Jackson, Tumble and Blue, The Seven Wonders Series, Tuesdays In The Attic (and series), A Tale of Two Castles (series), and Savvy.

And I’d love to connect with more writers on Twitter, link HERE!