1. What is your name/pen name? Eli Celata 2. What do you write? Genre? I write fantasy and science fiction for adults and young adults. 3. Tell us about yourself? When I’m not writing, I’m a PhD student studying the skeletal biomechanics and decomposition. Bio-based interests aside, I’m a huge dog lover and enjoy running with hopes of eventually doing a marathon. 4. What prompted you to pitch your book in #Pit2Pub? I’ve had a Twitter account for a few years thanks to my sister, but I’ve only ever used it for pitch contests. When I heard about #Pit2Pub, I had already been through the dance from favorites to partials to fulls. #Pit2Pub had a good reputation, so I submitted. 5. Tell about your #Pit2Pub experience. As I said, I’d already been through the ropes in other pitch contests. I hadn’t really expected anything different, and there were a good number of favorites in the first hour. I sent out my queries and partials. With three full requests, I started getting hopeful. The tweet that got me a contract was: "Jon didn't expect his Yoda to be a demon hunting clerk with light up toys for weapons. Unfortunately, Jordan is his only hope." 6. Which publisher did you sign with? I ended up signing with Clean Reads. Stephanie’s patience, integrity, and knowledge displayed throughout negotiations really won me over. 7. Tell us about your upcoming book. HIGH SUMMONS is a young adult urban set in Rochester, NY. Jon Blythe was sick of waiting for his Yoda. After years of hiding his magic, he's ready to retire from his mortal life, drop out of college, and jump into the world of demon hunters. He just didn't really expect a bleach blond bookstore clerk with light up toys for weapons. Unfortunately, Jordan is Jon's only hope. When rogue magic users come to Rochester with a malicious plan, the odd couple strikes out to save the day. Jordan might not be what Jon expected, but between demons and Econ homework, the demons win every time. Wild nights drag Jon further from normal into the world where his father vanished. Maybe he's becoming an addict. Maybe magic just comes with a price. Either way, normal's gone. 8. When is your book scheduled to be released? HIGH SUMMONS is set to be released July 7th, 2016. 9. What is at the top of your bucket list? Travel - I lived in England (Bournemouth, UK) during my MSc Forensic Osteology, but Iceland is my #1. I love Icelandic sagas. Njal’s Saga is still my favorite non-series book. If I could do a tour of Iceland, my little literary heart would swell. 10. Parting words for other authors? Don’t give up. There are plenty of success stories out there where people pretend it’s all or nothing. Publishing doesn’t work like that. You’ll get partials, fulls, and even contracts that you decide aren’t in your favor. Find a publisher and agent you can trust, and trust yourself to recognize a bad deal when you see one.
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