BLACK HEART, RED RUBY
YA Gothic Romance
74,000
Query:
Seventeen-year-old Ava Nolan grew up in the shadow of her father's obsession with macabre artifacts. An elixir brewed from witches’ blood. A cabinet of mummified cats. And Arabella's Curse, the missing prize in his collection: a ruby with the power to resurrect the dead. With a father who resents her existence, a dead-end job, and her expulsion from school to live down, Ava sets out to recover the ruby and reclaim her self-respect. Lucky for Ava, local legend says the ruby is buried in a crumbling mansion by the sea, not far from her new home.
But life as an amateur relic hunter is not without its share of emergency room visits. Or cutthroat competitors. And nearly plummeting to her death doesn’t terrify Ava half as much as her uncle, a gentleman graverobber with a vendetta against her father and sinister plans for the ruby.
Entangled in a web of family treachery, Ava finds solace with a lonely boy who fills her nights with stolen kisses and her head with ruby lore. But there's something strange about Ben Wolcott. He's a bit too cunning, a bit too preoccupied with keeping Ava out of his basement, and much too interested in Arabella's Curse.
First 150 Words:
The boy I caught lurking outside my bedroom window deserved a good beating, but my brother never knew when to quit. Cam’s head, as our dad used to tell my brother’s probation officer, was filled with missiles instead of brains—and it only took a tiny spark to launch WWIII. As his sister and keeper, only I knew how to work the controls.
Diving into the fray, I rammed Cam from the side and broke his stranglehold on the stranger. The creeper collapsed to the ground, choking and wheezing in the weeds. He was a scrawny guy about my age, seventeen, maybe nineteen at the most. Propped against the side of the barn, he looked as pathetic as a tattered scarecrow. Somehow he’d seemed scarier standing in my backyard, a dark prince cloaked in fog and shadow.
His name, we learned after Cam put him in a headlock, was Ben Wolcott.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Agent Pitch Finalist #14 - Times None
Times None
YA Fantasy
86,000
Query:
Amanda Leonard doesn't know who her mother was. She wishes she did.
Amanda does know when the world is going to end. She wishes she didn't.
There's a clock inside her head, and it's counting down to the apocalypse. But the burden of that knowledge is hers alone--she has never told anyone, not even her only family, the four "uncles" that raised her after her mom died. After all, who would ever want to know what she does? She has spent most her life trying to ignore it, but time is finally running out. The doomsday clock will strike midnight shortly after her upcoming eighteenth birthday, and she still has no idea why.
Desperate for answers, Amanda digs through the remnants of her family's history, unearthing dark truths about her past, her uncles, her mother, and even herself. She is not just a bystander to the approaching apocalypse, but its harbinger. For the first time in her life, she has power-- but that power comes with a price. She will be forced to give something up: her life, her family, or her world. If she doesn't . . . she will lose everything.
First 150 words:
The other clock ticked, and everything around her changed.
Amanda looked out the bus window and saw the end of the world.
The flat, snowy fields of central Minnesota had vanished, replaced by a desolate wasteland, pocked and cratered like a burn wound. No sun was visible behind the low-hanging smog of ash and smoke, but a lurid red glow was smeared across the sky, a bloody trail of sick-making light.
Come on. You can deal with this. You know it's not real--just a vision.
She dug the chewed nubs of her nails into her palms and squeezed, her fingers trembling under the strain. Just a vision. The spikes of pain grew from pinpricks to a throbbing ache as seconds became minutes. Finally, the last echoes of the other clock's single tick died away, and the all-too-familiar images faded, shimmering like a heat haze.
YA Fantasy
86,000
Query:
Amanda Leonard doesn't know who her mother was. She wishes she did.
Amanda does know when the world is going to end. She wishes she didn't.
There's a clock inside her head, and it's counting down to the apocalypse. But the burden of that knowledge is hers alone--she has never told anyone, not even her only family, the four "uncles" that raised her after her mom died. After all, who would ever want to know what she does? She has spent most her life trying to ignore it, but time is finally running out. The doomsday clock will strike midnight shortly after her upcoming eighteenth birthday, and she still has no idea why.
Desperate for answers, Amanda digs through the remnants of her family's history, unearthing dark truths about her past, her uncles, her mother, and even herself. She is not just a bystander to the approaching apocalypse, but its harbinger. For the first time in her life, she has power-- but that power comes with a price. She will be forced to give something up: her life, her family, or her world. If she doesn't . . . she will lose everything.
First 150 words:
The other clock ticked, and everything around her changed.
Amanda looked out the bus window and saw the end of the world.
The flat, snowy fields of central Minnesota had vanished, replaced by a desolate wasteland, pocked and cratered like a burn wound. No sun was visible behind the low-hanging smog of ash and smoke, but a lurid red glow was smeared across the sky, a bloody trail of sick-making light.
Come on. You can deal with this. You know it's not real--just a vision.
She dug the chewed nubs of her nails into her palms and squeezed, her fingers trembling under the strain. Just a vision. The spikes of pain grew from pinpricks to a throbbing ache as seconds became minutes. Finally, the last echoes of the other clock's single tick died away, and the all-too-familiar images faded, shimmering like a heat haze.
Agent Pitch Finalist #15 - You Are Mine
YOU ARE MINE
YA Fantasy
95,000
Query:
In Chardonia, women are only a source of magic for their owners. Males wield all power. When seventeen-year-old Serena’s blood is found potent with magic, a husband is chosen for her. He is domineering and abusive, like every other warlock she’s ever known. Yet her hatred of him does nothing to stop their impending wedding.
But when Zade, a warlock from another country, kills her betrothed in a tournament, by law she becomes his possession. She expects Zade to be like other warlocks, yet he never beats or hexes her. Without the fear of constant punishments she surrenders to her inner desire to be more and more outspoken. Instead of disciplining her, Zade encourages her to make her own choices. As Serena’s realization that she’s just as important as any warlock grows, so does her love for Zade.
Except society’s laws haven’t changed, even if Zade isn’t going to punish her for breaking them. Her rebellion is drawing unwanted attention and could force her to become part of the slave-like class, people worth less than the shadows they cast. Worse, her arrogance could mark Zade as a warlock who can’t control his property and cost him his life. Now Serena must decide if she can trade her self-worth for freedom she's gained and the life of the man she loves.
First 150 Words:
My blood will entice warlocks to ask for my hand in marriage, so of course Father wants it spilled. The sooner he can have the magic within it measured, the sooner he can be rid of me. Despite knowing this my whole life, I'm still unprepared for the demand. I'm not ready to enter the marriage pool. However many warlocks desire my hand, he won't think them enough to make up for my being the eldest of fourteen girls instead of being a boy.
Is there any way to say that without a fist flying my way? Or a hex? Father hasn't blasted me with one of those in a few days. I hazard a glance at him.
The predawn rays aren't enough to brighten his face as he sits at his desk next to me, just enough to cast a faint glow. I'm not worth using an electric lamp for, nor a candle.
YA Fantasy
95,000
Query:
In Chardonia, women are only a source of magic for their owners. Males wield all power. When seventeen-year-old Serena’s blood is found potent with magic, a husband is chosen for her. He is domineering and abusive, like every other warlock she’s ever known. Yet her hatred of him does nothing to stop their impending wedding.
But when Zade, a warlock from another country, kills her betrothed in a tournament, by law she becomes his possession. She expects Zade to be like other warlocks, yet he never beats or hexes her. Without the fear of constant punishments she surrenders to her inner desire to be more and more outspoken. Instead of disciplining her, Zade encourages her to make her own choices. As Serena’s realization that she’s just as important as any warlock grows, so does her love for Zade.
Except society’s laws haven’t changed, even if Zade isn’t going to punish her for breaking them. Her rebellion is drawing unwanted attention and could force her to become part of the slave-like class, people worth less than the shadows they cast. Worse, her arrogance could mark Zade as a warlock who can’t control his property and cost him his life. Now Serena must decide if she can trade her self-worth for freedom she's gained and the life of the man she loves.
First 150 Words:
My blood will entice warlocks to ask for my hand in marriage, so of course Father wants it spilled. The sooner he can have the magic within it measured, the sooner he can be rid of me. Despite knowing this my whole life, I'm still unprepared for the demand. I'm not ready to enter the marriage pool. However many warlocks desire my hand, he won't think them enough to make up for my being the eldest of fourteen girls instead of being a boy.
Is there any way to say that without a fist flying my way? Or a hex? Father hasn't blasted me with one of those in a few days. I hazard a glance at him.
The predawn rays aren't enough to brighten his face as he sits at his desk next to me, just enough to cast a faint glow. I'm not worth using an electric lamp for, nor a candle.
Agent Pitch Finalist #16 - Break Free
BREAK FREE
YA FANTASY
94,000
Query:
Seventeen-year-old courier Kiel Reaux has one goal: pay off the debt chaining him to the Baron of Old Town and earn his freedom before those chains become a noose. One last job, the Baron says, one last package to fetch for him and their contract will be quits. But when the job goes balls up and Kiel finds himself captured by slavers, the package goes undelivered and the Baron believes him a scheming thief. And no thief has ever survived the Baron’s rage.
Enslaved, Kiel is sold to Izzy, a young priestess naïve enough to trust him. On a mission to prevent the start of a war in a neighboring country, Izzy needs to travel through the Wild, a jungle of untamed magic where trees can kill and flowers can resurrect the dead. What’s more, she’s decided Kiel will be her guide and promises him freedom, only if he helps her.
Assassins trail Izzy’s every step, which is almost enough to make Kiel forget about the Baron, even if the Baron hasn’t forgotten about him. But while Kiel keeps everything under control, he fails to guard himself against the most dangerous power yet: Izzy herself. Her beauty and kind nature chain Kiel so tightly he starts to forget about his freedom. Now Kiel has a choice: escape Izzy to save face with the Baron, or trust in Izzy and her promise. Because unless Kiel can find a way to protect them both, he won’t have to worry about his liberty. He can’t enjoy freedom if he’s dead.
First 150 Words:
I lost the package.
It should’ve been my final job for the Baron. The last delivery, and then I’d be done with him forever. But a stop to take a leak resulted in a missing package, and here I found myself, empty-handed, back at the Baron’s ready to beg forgiveness. To ask for a final chance to pay off my debt – a final chance to be free.
I hesitated in front of the wrought-iron gates and scratched the stubble on my jaw. The Baron’s white manor gleamed in the sun. It almost looked pretty. It always looked rich.
My stomach twisted and dropped into my groin. What was that feeling called? Dread? Yeah… definitely dread.
The setting sun turned the dust from the road red, stretching our two shadows before us. The kid, Jal, stepped beside me and stared at me out of the corner of his eye. He brushed his brown hair off his tanned forehead. “Why’d we stop?”
YA FANTASY
94,000
Query:
Seventeen-year-old courier Kiel Reaux has one goal: pay off the debt chaining him to the Baron of Old Town and earn his freedom before those chains become a noose. One last job, the Baron says, one last package to fetch for him and their contract will be quits. But when the job goes balls up and Kiel finds himself captured by slavers, the package goes undelivered and the Baron believes him a scheming thief. And no thief has ever survived the Baron’s rage.
Enslaved, Kiel is sold to Izzy, a young priestess naïve enough to trust him. On a mission to prevent the start of a war in a neighboring country, Izzy needs to travel through the Wild, a jungle of untamed magic where trees can kill and flowers can resurrect the dead. What’s more, she’s decided Kiel will be her guide and promises him freedom, only if he helps her.
Assassins trail Izzy’s every step, which is almost enough to make Kiel forget about the Baron, even if the Baron hasn’t forgotten about him. But while Kiel keeps everything under control, he fails to guard himself against the most dangerous power yet: Izzy herself. Her beauty and kind nature chain Kiel so tightly he starts to forget about his freedom. Now Kiel has a choice: escape Izzy to save face with the Baron, or trust in Izzy and her promise. Because unless Kiel can find a way to protect them both, he won’t have to worry about his liberty. He can’t enjoy freedom if he’s dead.
First 150 Words:
I lost the package.
It should’ve been my final job for the Baron. The last delivery, and then I’d be done with him forever. But a stop to take a leak resulted in a missing package, and here I found myself, empty-handed, back at the Baron’s ready to beg forgiveness. To ask for a final chance to pay off my debt – a final chance to be free.
I hesitated in front of the wrought-iron gates and scratched the stubble on my jaw. The Baron’s white manor gleamed in the sun. It almost looked pretty. It always looked rich.
My stomach twisted and dropped into my groin. What was that feeling called? Dread? Yeah… definitely dread.
The setting sun turned the dust from the road red, stretching our two shadows before us. The kid, Jal, stepped beside me and stared at me out of the corner of his eye. He brushed his brown hair off his tanned forehead. “Why’d we stop?”
Agent Pitch Finalist #17 - Trespassers
TRESPASSERS
YA Fantasy
81,000 words
Query:
History books say a civilization called Middeah vanished from North America in 1015. They’re wrong. Middeah still thrives, twisted away from the modern world. The tribe’s survival comes at a violent price for the trespassers who slip through the cracks.
When sixteen-year-old artist Etta “borrows" her dad’s truck for a night of freedom, she ends up trapped in Middeah instead. The crisp air and upside-down trees make Etta feel like she’s stepped into one of her paintings. But if the tribe discovers she’s a trespasser, she’ll become their next human sacrifice. When one native learns her secret, Etta survives his attack and flees with a haunted, strangely familiar boy named Graham.
Etta doesn’t need Graham’s cat-green eyes and cryptic silences clouding her judgment, but she does need his help to conceal her identity. Disguised as a married couple, they discover what Middeah gains from its brutal offerings. The tribe has no sickness. No pollution. No technology, and no need for it. If Etta forsakes her past for an eternal life with Graham, she could contaminate the pristine world. If she follows the clues toward the only way home, back to the father Etta misses more than she ever expected, she risks losing both her neck and Graham’s on the altar stone.
TRESPASSERS was inspired by the real ancient American civilization that abandoned the Cahokia mounds near St. Louis. This 81,000-word YA fantasy is The Wizard of Oz meets The Girl of Fire and Thorns in early America.
First 150:
Etta knew better than to paint in the afternoon, but sometimes inspiration just swallowed her up.
Brakes squealed as her dad’s truck turned into the driveway outside. She squeezed her palm against her forehead. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Her dad was always home from work at six on Mondays. Etta had about three minutes until he walked through the door.
She tossed the paints in her supply basket, grabbed the brushes in a jumbled handful, and sprinted to the bathroom. Blue, green and silvery white swirled beneath the faucet as she rinsed the bristles, twisting into a smoky turquoise. Still dripping, she dropped them into their cup and stashed the whole basket under the sink.
The rattle and thump of the engine dying sounded through the hall. Two minutes.
Back in the kitchen she stole one last look at her piece, a bridge that hinted at metal towers on one side, with hungry, overgrown trees and vines reaching across on the other.
YA Fantasy
81,000 words
Query:
History books say a civilization called Middeah vanished from North America in 1015. They’re wrong. Middeah still thrives, twisted away from the modern world. The tribe’s survival comes at a violent price for the trespassers who slip through the cracks.
When sixteen-year-old artist Etta “borrows" her dad’s truck for a night of freedom, she ends up trapped in Middeah instead. The crisp air and upside-down trees make Etta feel like she’s stepped into one of her paintings. But if the tribe discovers she’s a trespasser, she’ll become their next human sacrifice. When one native learns her secret, Etta survives his attack and flees with a haunted, strangely familiar boy named Graham.
Etta doesn’t need Graham’s cat-green eyes and cryptic silences clouding her judgment, but she does need his help to conceal her identity. Disguised as a married couple, they discover what Middeah gains from its brutal offerings. The tribe has no sickness. No pollution. No technology, and no need for it. If Etta forsakes her past for an eternal life with Graham, she could contaminate the pristine world. If she follows the clues toward the only way home, back to the father Etta misses more than she ever expected, she risks losing both her neck and Graham’s on the altar stone.
TRESPASSERS was inspired by the real ancient American civilization that abandoned the Cahokia mounds near St. Louis. This 81,000-word YA fantasy is The Wizard of Oz meets The Girl of Fire and Thorns in early America.
First 150:
Etta knew better than to paint in the afternoon, but sometimes inspiration just swallowed her up.
Brakes squealed as her dad’s truck turned into the driveway outside. She squeezed her palm against her forehead. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Her dad was always home from work at six on Mondays. Etta had about three minutes until he walked through the door.
She tossed the paints in her supply basket, grabbed the brushes in a jumbled handful, and sprinted to the bathroom. Blue, green and silvery white swirled beneath the faucet as she rinsed the bristles, twisting into a smoky turquoise. Still dripping, she dropped them into their cup and stashed the whole basket under the sink.
The rattle and thump of the engine dying sounded through the hall. Two minutes.
Back in the kitchen she stole one last look at her piece, a bridge that hinted at metal towers on one side, with hungry, overgrown trees and vines reaching across on the other.
Agent Pitch Finalist #18 - Followed by Frost
Followed by Frost
YA Fantasy
73,000
Query:
Clever to the point of being devious, seventeen-year-old Smitha knows how to get what she wants and how to avoid what she doesn’t. But when she scorns the wizard Mordan’s affections, he curses her to be as cold as her heart. Followed by snow clouds and abandoned by warmth, Smitha is cast from her village after her perpetual winter kills not only the new spring crops, but her neighbors’ only son.
Drawn to her enigmatic mortality, Death himself offers Smitha a chance for relief: escape with him into the world beyond. But life is all Smitha has left, and even when pursued by angry settlers or hunters seeking game, she can’t give it up easily.
When a prince from the Southlands tracks down Smitha and begs her to end his country’s drought, Smitha realizes her curse can be used for good, even when it makes her every breath painful. It is through the Southlands that Smitha seeks redemption—but will her regrets for the past and her unexpected love for a man she cannot touch be enough to warm her heart, or will Death forever still it?
First 150 words:
I have known cold.
I have known the kind of cold that freezes to the bones, to the spirit itself. The cold that stills the heart and crystallizes the blood. The kind of cold that even fire fears, that can turn a woman to glass.
I have seen Death.
I saw him near my home, his dark hair rippling over one shoulder like thick forest smoke as he stooped over the bed of the Hutches’ only son. I saw his amber eyes as he tilted the rim of his wide-brimmed hat to greet me. I saw him kneel before me with his arms wide, and heard him whisper, Come with me.
I have known cold, the chills with which even the deepest winters cannot compare. I have lived it, breathed it, and lost by it. I have known cold, for it dwelled in the deepest hollows of my soul.
And the day I broke Mordan’s heart, it devoured me.
YA Fantasy
73,000
Query:
Clever to the point of being devious, seventeen-year-old Smitha knows how to get what she wants and how to avoid what she doesn’t. But when she scorns the wizard Mordan’s affections, he curses her to be as cold as her heart. Followed by snow clouds and abandoned by warmth, Smitha is cast from her village after her perpetual winter kills not only the new spring crops, but her neighbors’ only son.
Drawn to her enigmatic mortality, Death himself offers Smitha a chance for relief: escape with him into the world beyond. But life is all Smitha has left, and even when pursued by angry settlers or hunters seeking game, she can’t give it up easily.
When a prince from the Southlands tracks down Smitha and begs her to end his country’s drought, Smitha realizes her curse can be used for good, even when it makes her every breath painful. It is through the Southlands that Smitha seeks redemption—but will her regrets for the past and her unexpected love for a man she cannot touch be enough to warm her heart, or will Death forever still it?
First 150 words:
I have known cold.
I have known the kind of cold that freezes to the bones, to the spirit itself. The cold that stills the heart and crystallizes the blood. The kind of cold that even fire fears, that can turn a woman to glass.
I have seen Death.
I saw him near my home, his dark hair rippling over one shoulder like thick forest smoke as he stooped over the bed of the Hutches’ only son. I saw his amber eyes as he tilted the rim of his wide-brimmed hat to greet me. I saw him kneel before me with his arms wide, and heard him whisper, Come with me.
I have known cold, the chills with which even the deepest winters cannot compare. I have lived it, breathed it, and lost by it. I have known cold, for it dwelled in the deepest hollows of my soul.
And the day I broke Mordan’s heart, it devoured me.
Agent Pitch Finalist #19 - Staying Dead
STAYING DEAD
YA Dark Fantasy
82,000
QUERY:
Persephone Mead wakes up in a house with no ceiling, a bed covered with flowers, and a giant shard of glass in her chest. Normal fifteen-year-old girls would start freaking out. Persephone is not a normal fifteen-year-old girl.
All she wants to know is: Did it work? Is she back? After everything she’s been through, has she finally made it?
But it doesn’t last. It never lasts.
And soon enough, she’s thrown back. Back down towards Earth. Back down towards a world full of smoke, debris, and wailing ambulances.
Persephone is not a normal fifteen-year-old girl. Because she just can’t seem to stay dead. And she has no idea why.
STAYING DEAD is a completed YA Dark Fantasy with a word count of 82,000.Thank you for your time and consideration.
First 150 Words:
When your eardrum gets blown apart, something weird happens. Right before everything goes silent, there’s this freaky ringing in your ear.
Not a lot of people know this, but that ringing in your ears? It’s the sound of dying cells. What you’re hearing is the last time you’ll ever get to hear that particular note. When it’s gone, it’s gone forever.
It was as if there was an entire orchestra of notes, all ringing, all dying, and that sound just drowned out everything. The sirens, the screaming--even the firefighter who was trying to drag me to safety. I think he was yelling something at me, but I couldn’t tell.
I blinked, staring up at the sky. Everything was coming in and out of focus for some reason. Blurry, sharp, blurry, sharp.
YA Dark Fantasy
82,000
QUERY:
Persephone Mead wakes up in a house with no ceiling, a bed covered with flowers, and a giant shard of glass in her chest. Normal fifteen-year-old girls would start freaking out. Persephone is not a normal fifteen-year-old girl.
All she wants to know is: Did it work? Is she back? After everything she’s been through, has she finally made it?
But it doesn’t last. It never lasts.
And soon enough, she’s thrown back. Back down towards Earth. Back down towards a world full of smoke, debris, and wailing ambulances.
Persephone is not a normal fifteen-year-old girl. Because she just can’t seem to stay dead. And she has no idea why.
STAYING DEAD is a completed YA Dark Fantasy with a word count of 82,000.Thank you for your time and consideration.
First 150 Words:
When your eardrum gets blown apart, something weird happens. Right before everything goes silent, there’s this freaky ringing in your ear.
Not a lot of people know this, but that ringing in your ears? It’s the sound of dying cells. What you’re hearing is the last time you’ll ever get to hear that particular note. When it’s gone, it’s gone forever.
It was as if there was an entire orchestra of notes, all ringing, all dying, and that sound just drowned out everything. The sirens, the screaming--even the firefighter who was trying to drag me to safety. I think he was yelling something at me, but I couldn’t tell.
I blinked, staring up at the sky. Everything was coming in and out of focus for some reason. Blurry, sharp, blurry, sharp.
Agent Pitch Finalist #20 - The Astronaut's Daughter
THE ASTRONAUT'S DAUGHTER
YA Historical Romance
75,000
Query:
When sixteen-year-old Evelyn’s father accepts a position with NASA’s Project Gemini to land a man on the moon by the end of the 1960s, she and her family are thrust into the spotlight. Evelyn pushes aside shyness—and her science fair trophies—to embrace her new social life. Football player Kip seems like potential boyfriend material, and her new friends eagerly invite her to seniors-only parties. She’s even offered a spot with an exclusive debutante cotillion. Whether it’s all due to her father’s celebrity doesn’t matter; for the first time, Evelyn is in.
Then Evelyn meets David, a rising student civil rights leader who challenges Evelyn’s comfortable lifestyle while he faces racial discrimination. She’s drawn to his passion for the cause, but her friends consider an interracial friendship as unacceptable. When Evelyn speaks too readily to a reporter at a local protest against segregation, her actions threaten not only her reputation at school, but also her father’s high-profile job. Tension rises between Evelyn's classmates and the rival all-Negro high school David attends when prank wars turn violent. Evelyn must decide whether her newfound popularity is worth her silence. If she does speak out, will her father lose his chance to set foot on the moon?
First 150:
I never gave the moon much thought until my father told me he wanted to walk on it.
Ever since NASA hired him for the Gemini project, the one that set the stage for Apollo and the future moon landing, that rock in the sky dictated my family’s every move. Especially tonight, as party guests celebrating Houston's new space center watched us like we were some variety act on The Ed Sullivan Show. I’d aimed for more Audrey Hepburn and less Shirley Temple, but I didn’t quite feel like the glamorous society girl everyone expected.
Maybe I would if I could stop sweating.
"Evelyn, there you are!" I jumped at my mother's presence and winced as sweat glued my silk dress to my back. She looked like a carbon copy of Jackie Kennedy with her bouffant and slim-skirted evening gown. "I'd like you to meet someone."
YA Historical Romance
75,000
Query:
When sixteen-year-old Evelyn’s father accepts a position with NASA’s Project Gemini to land a man on the moon by the end of the 1960s, she and her family are thrust into the spotlight. Evelyn pushes aside shyness—and her science fair trophies—to embrace her new social life. Football player Kip seems like potential boyfriend material, and her new friends eagerly invite her to seniors-only parties. She’s even offered a spot with an exclusive debutante cotillion. Whether it’s all due to her father’s celebrity doesn’t matter; for the first time, Evelyn is in.
Then Evelyn meets David, a rising student civil rights leader who challenges Evelyn’s comfortable lifestyle while he faces racial discrimination. She’s drawn to his passion for the cause, but her friends consider an interracial friendship as unacceptable. When Evelyn speaks too readily to a reporter at a local protest against segregation, her actions threaten not only her reputation at school, but also her father’s high-profile job. Tension rises between Evelyn's classmates and the rival all-Negro high school David attends when prank wars turn violent. Evelyn must decide whether her newfound popularity is worth her silence. If she does speak out, will her father lose his chance to set foot on the moon?
First 150:
I never gave the moon much thought until my father told me he wanted to walk on it.
Ever since NASA hired him for the Gemini project, the one that set the stage for Apollo and the future moon landing, that rock in the sky dictated my family’s every move. Especially tonight, as party guests celebrating Houston's new space center watched us like we were some variety act on The Ed Sullivan Show. I’d aimed for more Audrey Hepburn and less Shirley Temple, but I didn’t quite feel like the glamorous society girl everyone expected.
Maybe I would if I could stop sweating.
"Evelyn, there you are!" I jumped at my mother's presence and winced as sweat glued my silk dress to my back. She looked like a carbon copy of Jackie Kennedy with her bouffant and slim-skirted evening gown. "I'd like you to meet someone."
Agent Pitch Finalist #21 - Lovesense
LOVESENSE
YA Magical Realism
59,000 words
QUERY:
Seventeen-year-old Rae has spent her whole life with the ability to smell when a relationship will sour by looking at a photograph of the couple (rotting fish, anyone?). She uses her “lovesense” to run an anonymous love-guru business at school. But after years of smelling more stinky socks than roses, Rae is ready to give up on love altogether. Until, that is, she finds an old picture in her attic that smells of apricots and honey. Even better? She's in the photo.
Rae seeks the identity of her mysterious playmate with the dedication she usually reserves for the 100-meter hurdles, but as the semester progresses, all she finds is trouble. She’s falling for her goofy teammate, Sam—even though he’s already been crossed off her list of possibilities. And, with just weeks until the city-county track championships, her love-guru business is exposed. She is forced to convince all her friends (and the administration) that she isn't a psycho gypsy freak—or, worse, that she hasn't been taking advantage of them for years.
Suspended from school, banned from the track championships, and alienated from her classmates, Rae has one last opportunity to set things right before her chance at finding the boy in the photo rots like stink on cheese.
First 150 Words:
No more reading relationships at work, I remind myself as I tap my cross-trainers in time with the photo processor’s whir, whir, flip. It spews three hundred prints of Mary Brighten and her fiancé but I’m not looking, especially after last week’s debacle with Mom’s friend Barb. Trust me, being the first to know that your mom’s best friend’s husband is leaving her for their pool boy sucks the big one.
Craning my neck I see the “Alfred’s has the Answer” digital clock: forty-seven minutes ‘til the bride waltzes in. The whir is louder than our cheesy elevator music, and my nose, even though I’m telling it no, is taking in bigger and bigger breaths. I pop another Altoid into my already crammed mouth. I don’t want to know! Think about Barb. But I’m like a crack addict needing my next hit. And there isn’t an addiction recovery program to save me.
YA Magical Realism
59,000 words
QUERY:
Seventeen-year-old Rae has spent her whole life with the ability to smell when a relationship will sour by looking at a photograph of the couple (rotting fish, anyone?). She uses her “lovesense” to run an anonymous love-guru business at school. But after years of smelling more stinky socks than roses, Rae is ready to give up on love altogether. Until, that is, she finds an old picture in her attic that smells of apricots and honey. Even better? She's in the photo.
Rae seeks the identity of her mysterious playmate with the dedication she usually reserves for the 100-meter hurdles, but as the semester progresses, all she finds is trouble. She’s falling for her goofy teammate, Sam—even though he’s already been crossed off her list of possibilities. And, with just weeks until the city-county track championships, her love-guru business is exposed. She is forced to convince all her friends (and the administration) that she isn't a psycho gypsy freak—or, worse, that she hasn't been taking advantage of them for years.
Suspended from school, banned from the track championships, and alienated from her classmates, Rae has one last opportunity to set things right before her chance at finding the boy in the photo rots like stink on cheese.
First 150 Words:
No more reading relationships at work, I remind myself as I tap my cross-trainers in time with the photo processor’s whir, whir, flip. It spews three hundred prints of Mary Brighten and her fiancé but I’m not looking, especially after last week’s debacle with Mom’s friend Barb. Trust me, being the first to know that your mom’s best friend’s husband is leaving her for their pool boy sucks the big one.
Craning my neck I see the “Alfred’s has the Answer” digital clock: forty-seven minutes ‘til the bride waltzes in. The whir is louder than our cheesy elevator music, and my nose, even though I’m telling it no, is taking in bigger and bigger breaths. I pop another Altoid into my already crammed mouth. I don’t want to know! Think about Barb. But I’m like a crack addict needing my next hit. And there isn’t an addiction recovery program to save me.
Agent Pitch Finalist #22 - Where the Staircase Ends
Where the Staircase Ends
YA Magical Realism
62,000
Query:
Betrayal is a concept Taylor Anderson knows all too well. Thanks to a lie orchestrated by her best friend, Sunny, her friends won’t talk to her and the boy she might love won’t return her calls. Betrayal is the reason Taylor wants to disappear, and after an accident her wish becomes a reality.
But instead of disappearing to a peaceful place filled with puffy clouds and harp-playing angels, Taylor opens her eyes to find an endless graystaircase climbing up, up, up into a clear blue sky. Led Zeppelin? Yeah, they totally nailed it.
Until the ghosts appear.
Not the ghosts of others trapped on the stairs – Taylor would welcome a visit from anyone who could explain why she can’t turn around or how snow can fall when there’s not a cloud in the sky.
Instead, the ghosts of the people she wants to forget swirl before her and plunge her back to the horrible week before the accident. Turns out that disappearing from your life doesn’t mean you get to leave it behind.
But the staircase is more than a haunted punishment. Within it lies a second chance to uncover the true value of everything Taylor thought she wanted to leave behind. But first she must unravel the mystery behind Sunny’s betrayal, and find the strength to forgive the unforgivable.
Unless the staircase breaks her before she can reach the top.
WHERE THE STAIRCASE ENDS is a 62,000 word YA novel that includes both contemporary and fantastical elements. The humor, emotion and character transformation will appeal to fans of Lauren Oliver’s BEFORE I FALL and Gayle Forman’s IF I STAY.
First 150:
I never noticed my pointy elbows. They were thorny things, jutting out from my sides like useless wings. I flattened them against my body. I didn’t want to give anyone yet another reason to avoid me.
It didn’t help.
A line of three girls made an unnecessary show of skirting past me, exchanging smirks with the subtlety of elephants. Once out of view I heard the hiss, hiss, hiss of heated whispers passing between them.
That was her, right? She’s the girl?
I fought the urge to spin around and shoot venom right back at them, but I didn’t want to waste my words on three girls I wouldn’t have cared about yesterday. Besides, Sunny was the one who caused this whole mess.
No one was at Sunny’s locker when I passed by. Without the swarm of bodies and hum of morning activity it looked like any other locker.
YA Magical Realism
62,000
Query:
Betrayal is a concept Taylor Anderson knows all too well. Thanks to a lie orchestrated by her best friend, Sunny, her friends won’t talk to her and the boy she might love won’t return her calls. Betrayal is the reason Taylor wants to disappear, and after an accident her wish becomes a reality.
But instead of disappearing to a peaceful place filled with puffy clouds and harp-playing angels, Taylor opens her eyes to find an endless graystaircase climbing up, up, up into a clear blue sky. Led Zeppelin? Yeah, they totally nailed it.
Until the ghosts appear.
Not the ghosts of others trapped on the stairs – Taylor would welcome a visit from anyone who could explain why she can’t turn around or how snow can fall when there’s not a cloud in the sky.
Instead, the ghosts of the people she wants to forget swirl before her and plunge her back to the horrible week before the accident. Turns out that disappearing from your life doesn’t mean you get to leave it behind.
But the staircase is more than a haunted punishment. Within it lies a second chance to uncover the true value of everything Taylor thought she wanted to leave behind. But first she must unravel the mystery behind Sunny’s betrayal, and find the strength to forgive the unforgivable.
Unless the staircase breaks her before she can reach the top.
WHERE THE STAIRCASE ENDS is a 62,000 word YA novel that includes both contemporary and fantastical elements. The humor, emotion and character transformation will appeal to fans of Lauren Oliver’s BEFORE I FALL and Gayle Forman’s IF I STAY.
First 150:
I never noticed my pointy elbows. They were thorny things, jutting out from my sides like useless wings. I flattened them against my body. I didn’t want to give anyone yet another reason to avoid me.
It didn’t help.
A line of three girls made an unnecessary show of skirting past me, exchanging smirks with the subtlety of elephants. Once out of view I heard the hiss, hiss, hiss of heated whispers passing between them.
That was her, right? She’s the girl?
I fought the urge to spin around and shoot venom right back at them, but I didn’t want to waste my words on three girls I wouldn’t have cared about yesterday. Besides, Sunny was the one who caused this whole mess.
No one was at Sunny’s locker when I passed by. Without the swarm of bodies and hum of morning activity it looked like any other locker.
Agent Pitch Finalist #23 - Restless
RESTLESS
YA Ghost Story
88,000
QUERY:
When Reuben Hall was eleven he killed a girl -- not with a rope or a knife, but with a dare. Now eighteen, Reuben is still haunted by that day, and by the little girl ghost of Mikaela Patterson. Reuben and his ghost have a complex relationship: She is his burden, his tormentor, and quite possibly his only friend. But after years of self-flagellation, all Reuben wants is to be left in peace. When each of his experiments to make Mikaela leave fail, he is left with one last plan: take her back to the place where she drowned and force her to face up to the reality of her death.
But Mikaela isn't the worst thing that haunts the mountain town of Norah's Pass. The locals are full of stories of freak drownings and mysterious illnesses, and Reuben soon realizes his arrival has awoken a long-slumbering darkness. As the faceless monster begins to stir, possessing townspeople and leaving bodies in its wake, Reuben must face up to his own guilt and earn Mikaela's friendship if he is ever to find redemption and leave the town alive.
First 150 Words:
I was eleven when I killed Mikaela Patterson. Not with a rope or a knife, but with a dare.
"Swim to the middle of the lake," I told her. "I bet you can't do it. I bet you're too chicken."
I could lie and say I didn't think she'd go through with it, or that I thought she was a better swimmer, but the truth was I really didn't care. All I wanted was to be left in peace to read my Star Wars novel, and I got what I wanted. As I fell asleep on the dock, my book shading my eyes, Mikaela crept into the freezing water. I imagine she would have been proud to face her fear like that. I imagine the further she swam, out of the clutches of the reaching lake weed, the more confident she became. And when she looked back she would have been surprised at how far she'd swum.
YA Ghost Story
88,000
QUERY:
When Reuben Hall was eleven he killed a girl -- not with a rope or a knife, but with a dare. Now eighteen, Reuben is still haunted by that day, and by the little girl ghost of Mikaela Patterson. Reuben and his ghost have a complex relationship: She is his burden, his tormentor, and quite possibly his only friend. But after years of self-flagellation, all Reuben wants is to be left in peace. When each of his experiments to make Mikaela leave fail, he is left with one last plan: take her back to the place where she drowned and force her to face up to the reality of her death.
But Mikaela isn't the worst thing that haunts the mountain town of Norah's Pass. The locals are full of stories of freak drownings and mysterious illnesses, and Reuben soon realizes his arrival has awoken a long-slumbering darkness. As the faceless monster begins to stir, possessing townspeople and leaving bodies in its wake, Reuben must face up to his own guilt and earn Mikaela's friendship if he is ever to find redemption and leave the town alive.
First 150 Words:
I was eleven when I killed Mikaela Patterson. Not with a rope or a knife, but with a dare.
"Swim to the middle of the lake," I told her. "I bet you can't do it. I bet you're too chicken."
I could lie and say I didn't think she'd go through with it, or that I thought she was a better swimmer, but the truth was I really didn't care. All I wanted was to be left in peace to read my Star Wars novel, and I got what I wanted. As I fell asleep on the dock, my book shading my eyes, Mikaela crept into the freezing water. I imagine she would have been proud to face her fear like that. I imagine the further she swam, out of the clutches of the reaching lake weed, the more confident she became. And when she looked back she would have been surprised at how far she'd swum.
Agent Pitch Finalist #24 - Cadaver Dog
Cadaver Dog
YA Speculative Fiction
77,000
Query:
In a time when water is rare, fifteen-year-old Jacob's enhanced genes are the only reason his village survives--he can find water. As a Cadaver Dog, he's part of a modified breed of humans who have the senses of a bloodhound. When a gang of desert-dwellers slaughter everyone in his village, only Jacob and two orphaned sisters make it out alive. Desperate and alone, they search for the fabled Water City, where secret tombs are rumored to store precious water beneath the city's streets.
Jacob leads the girls through the desert, but the path he chooses brings them straight into the desert-dwellers' waiting arms. Only this time, it's not murder they're after, but Jacob's Cadaver Dog nose. They don't hesitate torturing the girls in an effort to force Jacob to join their deadly ranks. All three manage to escape, but it's only to return to the heat and death of the desert.
They're running out of options, time, and water. The desert-dwellers are hunting them down, and not even Jacob's ability will be enough to keep them alive. If they don't reach the Water City soon, it's either death by dehydration or cold-blooded murder, and Jacob isn't willing to choose either.
First 150 Words:
The sun paints ribbons of heat across the desert. The day will be hot and already smells of burning salt. Sweat breaks out along my arms. On days like this, I wish we built our home in the empty river bed to the north. Water one poured from the canyon into the ocean. Now all it's good for is shade.
Squinting into the sun, I scan the horizon until I see Mother's dark shadow stretching along the ground. A basket hangs from her waist, heavy and full of food that can live off the ocean's salt. Another person's shadow darkens the earth beside her.
My heart thuds beneath my ribs. It's him. Mother's outline grows taller as she steps closer. The shadow beside her splits in two as it pulls over the land. And both people are too short.
Neither is my father.
Strangers. In my village. Surely, the Devil has turned his evil eye toward us.
YA Speculative Fiction
77,000
Query:
In a time when water is rare, fifteen-year-old Jacob's enhanced genes are the only reason his village survives--he can find water. As a Cadaver Dog, he's part of a modified breed of humans who have the senses of a bloodhound. When a gang of desert-dwellers slaughter everyone in his village, only Jacob and two orphaned sisters make it out alive. Desperate and alone, they search for the fabled Water City, where secret tombs are rumored to store precious water beneath the city's streets.
Jacob leads the girls through the desert, but the path he chooses brings them straight into the desert-dwellers' waiting arms. Only this time, it's not murder they're after, but Jacob's Cadaver Dog nose. They don't hesitate torturing the girls in an effort to force Jacob to join their deadly ranks. All three manage to escape, but it's only to return to the heat and death of the desert.
They're running out of options, time, and water. The desert-dwellers are hunting them down, and not even Jacob's ability will be enough to keep them alive. If they don't reach the Water City soon, it's either death by dehydration or cold-blooded murder, and Jacob isn't willing to choose either.
First 150 Words:
The sun paints ribbons of heat across the desert. The day will be hot and already smells of burning salt. Sweat breaks out along my arms. On days like this, I wish we built our home in the empty river bed to the north. Water one poured from the canyon into the ocean. Now all it's good for is shade.
Squinting into the sun, I scan the horizon until I see Mother's dark shadow stretching along the ground. A basket hangs from her waist, heavy and full of food that can live off the ocean's salt. Another person's shadow darkens the earth beside her.
My heart thuds beneath my ribs. It's him. Mother's outline grows taller as she steps closer. The shadow beside her splits in two as it pulls over the land. And both people are too short.
Neither is my father.
Strangers. In my village. Surely, the Devil has turned his evil eye toward us.
Agent Pitch Finalist #25 - A.K.A. Killer
A.K.A. KILLER
Contemporary YA Thriller
92,000 words
Query:
In sunny southern California, seventeen-year-old Ruby Rose is known for her killer looks, her killer SAT scores, and even her killer taste in shoes—but only her victims will know how killer she really is. Not that child rapists and murderers who beat the system every time deserve to be called “victims.”
Daughter to Orange County District Attorney Jane Rose and fallen SWAT Sergeant Jack Rose, Ruby not only knows the law, she believes in it. That is, until someone starts manipulating her into breaking it. Thinking a cryptic text message is from her high school crush, Liam Slater, asking her to Homecoming, Ruby heads down to the harbor. Instead of the lame trail of roses she’s expecting, she hears a child’s desperate call for help. Someone has lured her here, and is forcing her to choose between letting an innocent girl die or committing “legally justified” murder to prevent it.
Torn between satisfaction that one less monster is roaming the streets and guilt for the blood on her hands, Ruby tries to find the real murderer behind it all. But in her search, the body count keeps rising, turning her into something she never dreamed possible: A teenaged serial killer. Ruby must find out who is using her and stop him before she finds herself walking death row, wearing one of those horribly baggy orange jumpsuits even Hollywood royalty can't pull off. The closer she gets to the truth, the closer she gets to a long-held family secret that threatens to destroy everything and everyone she’s ever held dear.
First 150 words:
Life shouldn’t involve so much calculation—and I’m not just talking algebra. I’m talking about the calculated, premeditated avoidance of life. I didn’t need a 4.0 GPA to know that sneaking out of the city library at 9:00 on a Friday night didn’t win me any points on the SPA (Social Point Average), on which I was definitely flunking.
Pausing under the dark awning, I took a quick breath of briny ocean air to regain my bearings. The old parking lot fluorescents flickered behind the suffocating fog, making it hard to tell if the rain was misting down from above or if it was coming in sideways from the shore. In any case, the blacktop lay slick, full of potholes, and speckled with math club kids who’d just love to report a sighting of Recluse Ruby Rose.
With a practiced stealth, I dashed through the night. Even in my new Prada Peep-Toe Pumps—a.k.a. my Penelopes—I had speed.
Contemporary YA Thriller
92,000 words
Query:
In sunny southern California, seventeen-year-old Ruby Rose is known for her killer looks, her killer SAT scores, and even her killer taste in shoes—but only her victims will know how killer she really is. Not that child rapists and murderers who beat the system every time deserve to be called “victims.”
Daughter to Orange County District Attorney Jane Rose and fallen SWAT Sergeant Jack Rose, Ruby not only knows the law, she believes in it. That is, until someone starts manipulating her into breaking it. Thinking a cryptic text message is from her high school crush, Liam Slater, asking her to Homecoming, Ruby heads down to the harbor. Instead of the lame trail of roses she’s expecting, she hears a child’s desperate call for help. Someone has lured her here, and is forcing her to choose between letting an innocent girl die or committing “legally justified” murder to prevent it.
Torn between satisfaction that one less monster is roaming the streets and guilt for the blood on her hands, Ruby tries to find the real murderer behind it all. But in her search, the body count keeps rising, turning her into something she never dreamed possible: A teenaged serial killer. Ruby must find out who is using her and stop him before she finds herself walking death row, wearing one of those horribly baggy orange jumpsuits even Hollywood royalty can't pull off. The closer she gets to the truth, the closer she gets to a long-held family secret that threatens to destroy everything and everyone she’s ever held dear.
First 150 words:
Life shouldn’t involve so much calculation—and I’m not just talking algebra. I’m talking about the calculated, premeditated avoidance of life. I didn’t need a 4.0 GPA to know that sneaking out of the city library at 9:00 on a Friday night didn’t win me any points on the SPA (Social Point Average), on which I was definitely flunking.
Pausing under the dark awning, I took a quick breath of briny ocean air to regain my bearings. The old parking lot fluorescents flickered behind the suffocating fog, making it hard to tell if the rain was misting down from above or if it was coming in sideways from the shore. In any case, the blacktop lay slick, full of potholes, and speckled with math club kids who’d just love to report a sighting of Recluse Ruby Rose.
With a practiced stealth, I dashed through the night. Even in my new Prada Peep-Toe Pumps—a.k.a. my Penelopes—I had speed.
Agent Pitch Finalist #26 - Operation Breakup
OPERATION BREAKUP
Contemporary YA
78,000 words
Query:
Sixteen-year-old painter Abby Wheeler has blended herself into the background so well that she’s practically invisible. Even her dream guy, Cooper Deal, barely knows she exists. He’s the soccer team captain with the popularity status to match. Art freaks need not apply. Besides, Cooper’s girlfriend, the perfect Miss Teenage Dream, has already dug her claws in him and no amount of brute force will tear that she-monster away.
When Abby accidentally slips about her secret infatuation in front of master manipulator Ian Koch, she’s sure her future involves being Ian’s blackmailed slave. Craptastic. But he makes an enticing proposal instead: he’ll keep his trap shut about Abby’s crush if she joins forces with him to end Cooper’s relationship. Operation Breakup. Abby loves Cooper, Ian loves Cooper’s girlfriend, throw a wedge between the supercouple, and voilà! The perfect opportunity for Abby to change the course of her life.
But making a deal with the devil comes with a price. As Ian’s demands grow increasingly risky, Abby’s enemy list piles high and Cooper’s girlfriend is at the top. Soon Abby is knee-deep in blackmail, bribes and threats of exposure. The only thing keeping her grounded is the growing spark between her and Cooper Deal—a spark she hopes is real. But at the rate she’s going, Cooper may not know the real Abby when Operation Breakup’s mission is complete. She’s not even sure she’ll know herself.
First 150 words:
No less than five minutes into Global Studies and the first stab of a migraine pierced my left eyeball. It started when I shoved my hand into a brown bag and pulled out a slip of paper with Ian Koch’s name scrawled on it.
“First partnership: Ian Koch and Abby Wheeler!” Mr. Rausch said with a flourish and handed the paper bag to his next victim.
You could hear a pin drop. The entire class looked up like Mr. Rausch had said, “Ian Koch and Osama bin Laden!” They stared at Ian with these big, concerned eyes, like he was going to the gallows or something.
Really? Was I that bad of a partner? I might not have been valedictorian material, but I wasn’t warming the bench in the principal’s office, either.
Ian lifted one hand, looking like it pained him to wave me over.
Great. Front row. As if Global History wasn’t excruciatingly bad enough.
Contemporary YA
78,000 words
Query:
Sixteen-year-old painter Abby Wheeler has blended herself into the background so well that she’s practically invisible. Even her dream guy, Cooper Deal, barely knows she exists. He’s the soccer team captain with the popularity status to match. Art freaks need not apply. Besides, Cooper’s girlfriend, the perfect Miss Teenage Dream, has already dug her claws in him and no amount of brute force will tear that she-monster away.
When Abby accidentally slips about her secret infatuation in front of master manipulator Ian Koch, she’s sure her future involves being Ian’s blackmailed slave. Craptastic. But he makes an enticing proposal instead: he’ll keep his trap shut about Abby’s crush if she joins forces with him to end Cooper’s relationship. Operation Breakup. Abby loves Cooper, Ian loves Cooper’s girlfriend, throw a wedge between the supercouple, and voilà! The perfect opportunity for Abby to change the course of her life.
But making a deal with the devil comes with a price. As Ian’s demands grow increasingly risky, Abby’s enemy list piles high and Cooper’s girlfriend is at the top. Soon Abby is knee-deep in blackmail, bribes and threats of exposure. The only thing keeping her grounded is the growing spark between her and Cooper Deal—a spark she hopes is real. But at the rate she’s going, Cooper may not know the real Abby when Operation Breakup’s mission is complete. She’s not even sure she’ll know herself.
First 150 words:
No less than five minutes into Global Studies and the first stab of a migraine pierced my left eyeball. It started when I shoved my hand into a brown bag and pulled out a slip of paper with Ian Koch’s name scrawled on it.
“First partnership: Ian Koch and Abby Wheeler!” Mr. Rausch said with a flourish and handed the paper bag to his next victim.
You could hear a pin drop. The entire class looked up like Mr. Rausch had said, “Ian Koch and Osama bin Laden!” They stared at Ian with these big, concerned eyes, like he was going to the gallows or something.
Really? Was I that bad of a partner? I might not have been valedictorian material, but I wasn’t warming the bench in the principal’s office, either.
Ian lifted one hand, looking like it pained him to wave me over.
Great. Front row. As if Global History wasn’t excruciatingly bad enough.
Agent Pitch Finalist #27 - Hope in Bloom
Hope in Bloom
YA Contemporary
72,000
Query:
All girls have hopes. Unfortunately, some hopes die before they have a chance to bloom.
Eighteen-year-old Mallory’s dream of the perfect senior year is disintegrating. Her father hasn’t had a job in ages, her brother drags a shadow of misery around the house, and the sister she idolizes has taken off without a word. The only bright spot left in her life is her boyfriend—that is until she catches his lips attached to another girl’s at the end-of-summer party.
After barely surviving a disastrous first day of school, Mallory lands at a mini-mart known for selling more winning lottery tickets than any other store for hundreds of miles. Desperate for a spot of hope, she joins the crowd and watches her dreams print out on two yellowish-orange tickets.
As Mallory’s senior year continues to unravel, she becomes increasingly dependent on her lottery hope. Each set of tickets gifts her with a dream of a different life, one in which new adventures replace the suffering that surrounds her. This pipe dream, however, also demands lies—to family and friends—that multiply daily until Mallory can no longer recognize the girl she used to be and the life she used to have.
But with a little help from a new friend—the tough yet totally hot transfer student who’s got struggles of his own—Mallory just may see that a jackpot win isn’t the lottery’s only prize.
First 150 Words:
Every girl needs a good luck charm. Mine was a shirt, emerald green with rainbow embroidery along the neckline. I was convinced that magic lived in every thread. My boyfriend Ben said it was the shirt I had on the day he fell in love with me. I'd also worn it the day I found out I’d finally made the varsity cheerleading squad and the day I’d gotten my first ‘A’ on a pre-calculus test. It was definitely a lucky shirt, and I would’ve worn it to the party that night if only it had been clean.
“Hurry up!” I tapped my foot impatiently, looking back at my friends who were moving at a snail’s pace up the walkway.
Sara, Taylor, and Nicole were gossiping about something, but I had zero interest in their conversation. My heart somersaulted in anticipation of seeing Ben. He left for college a month ago, and I missed him.
YA Contemporary
72,000
Query:
All girls have hopes. Unfortunately, some hopes die before they have a chance to bloom.
Eighteen-year-old Mallory’s dream of the perfect senior year is disintegrating. Her father hasn’t had a job in ages, her brother drags a shadow of misery around the house, and the sister she idolizes has taken off without a word. The only bright spot left in her life is her boyfriend—that is until she catches his lips attached to another girl’s at the end-of-summer party.
After barely surviving a disastrous first day of school, Mallory lands at a mini-mart known for selling more winning lottery tickets than any other store for hundreds of miles. Desperate for a spot of hope, she joins the crowd and watches her dreams print out on two yellowish-orange tickets.
As Mallory’s senior year continues to unravel, she becomes increasingly dependent on her lottery hope. Each set of tickets gifts her with a dream of a different life, one in which new adventures replace the suffering that surrounds her. This pipe dream, however, also demands lies—to family and friends—that multiply daily until Mallory can no longer recognize the girl she used to be and the life she used to have.
But with a little help from a new friend—the tough yet totally hot transfer student who’s got struggles of his own—Mallory just may see that a jackpot win isn’t the lottery’s only prize.
First 150 Words:
Every girl needs a good luck charm. Mine was a shirt, emerald green with rainbow embroidery along the neckline. I was convinced that magic lived in every thread. My boyfriend Ben said it was the shirt I had on the day he fell in love with me. I'd also worn it the day I found out I’d finally made the varsity cheerleading squad and the day I’d gotten my first ‘A’ on a pre-calculus test. It was definitely a lucky shirt, and I would’ve worn it to the party that night if only it had been clean.
“Hurry up!” I tapped my foot impatiently, looking back at my friends who were moving at a snail’s pace up the walkway.
Sara, Taylor, and Nicole were gossiping about something, but I had zero interest in their conversation. My heart somersaulted in anticipation of seeing Ben. He left for college a month ago, and I missed him.
Agent Pitch Finalist #28 - Rip Her to Shreds
RIP HER TO SHREDS
YA contemporary
75,000
QUERY:
The Wretched Gretchens will shatter your eardrums, and they’re not going to apologize. But the teen all-girl band is facing an inevitable breakup. Lead singer Charlie, who croons like Patsy Cline on steroids, is ditching Portland for college at the end of the summer, and her bandmates won’t fit in her suitcase.
A prom-night battle of the bands victory snags the Wretched Gretchens the opening slot on a West Coast tour with Rorschach, indie darlings hoping to mimic the charm of their debut album. Charlie seizes the chance to make the last summer with her band matter, even if it means abandoning the unrequited crush all her songs are about.
But the rush of new cities, heart-pounding shows and all-night parties only isolates Charlie from her best friends. Guitarist Roxanne would rather flirt with Rorschach’s frontman, a golden-voiced Texan with curls luscious as Jim Morrison’s, than talk about college. Layla is consumed by an obsession with a bass solo. And drummer M.J. hides a secret that’s been throwing off her rhythm ever since they left Portland. As summer melts into fall, Charlie struggles with what ties the Gretchens together beyond their catchy hand-clap choruses—and what happens when they get home.
First 150 Words:
In the green room, she’d be herself again.
Away from the cymbals clanging in her ears and the bass throbbing in her belly, she’d be Charlie the dork. Charlie the siren, that girl who shimmied and gyrated and crooned like she knew how to string sentences together, would be dead. The real Charlotte Bray usually fumbled through basic conversations. She was the one who wanted to lose. She was the one who wanted it all to be over.
Charlie clamped the mic back onto the stand, turned her back on the applause and hurried off the stage and through a badly lit corridor. Hands trembling, she staggered into the green room and sunk onto the couch, careful to avoid the scrubbed-out stain that was once dirt or vomit or something more sinister. Safety. Finally.
Then she forced herself to smile, ready to lie to her best friend, who was heading inside with her guitar slung over her shoulder.
YA contemporary
75,000
QUERY:
The Wretched Gretchens will shatter your eardrums, and they’re not going to apologize. But the teen all-girl band is facing an inevitable breakup. Lead singer Charlie, who croons like Patsy Cline on steroids, is ditching Portland for college at the end of the summer, and her bandmates won’t fit in her suitcase.
A prom-night battle of the bands victory snags the Wretched Gretchens the opening slot on a West Coast tour with Rorschach, indie darlings hoping to mimic the charm of their debut album. Charlie seizes the chance to make the last summer with her band matter, even if it means abandoning the unrequited crush all her songs are about.
But the rush of new cities, heart-pounding shows and all-night parties only isolates Charlie from her best friends. Guitarist Roxanne would rather flirt with Rorschach’s frontman, a golden-voiced Texan with curls luscious as Jim Morrison’s, than talk about college. Layla is consumed by an obsession with a bass solo. And drummer M.J. hides a secret that’s been throwing off her rhythm ever since they left Portland. As summer melts into fall, Charlie struggles with what ties the Gretchens together beyond their catchy hand-clap choruses—and what happens when they get home.
First 150 Words:
In the green room, she’d be herself again.
Away from the cymbals clanging in her ears and the bass throbbing in her belly, she’d be Charlie the dork. Charlie the siren, that girl who shimmied and gyrated and crooned like she knew how to string sentences together, would be dead. The real Charlotte Bray usually fumbled through basic conversations. She was the one who wanted to lose. She was the one who wanted it all to be over.
Charlie clamped the mic back onto the stand, turned her back on the applause and hurried off the stage and through a badly lit corridor. Hands trembling, she staggered into the green room and sunk onto the couch, careful to avoid the scrubbed-out stain that was once dirt or vomit or something more sinister. Safety. Finally.
Then she forced herself to smile, ready to lie to her best friend, who was heading inside with her guitar slung over her shoulder.
Agent Pitch Finalist #29 - Eyre House
EYRE HOUSE
YA CONTEMPORARY
62,000
Query:
Eyre House is a YA gothic contemporary that recasts Jane Eyre in a sleepy southern island town, complete with all the ghost stories.
All seventeen-year-old Evan Richardson wants out of his summer is an escape from the foster system that’s run his life. A job at Eyre House on quiet Edisto Island, SC, seems like the perfect solution. But the plantation-turned-bed-and-breakfast has a lot more to offer than freedom and employment. The island is full of ghost stories, and Eyre House seems to have more than its fair share of secret passages and things that go bump in the night. The tough part is telling what's ghost and what's story.
Ginny, whose family has owned Eyre House since before the Civil War, seems like the perfect person to help him figure it all out. She’s sexy, confident...and, as the owner's daughter, completely off limits. Except that Ginny's way more interested in distracting Evan than in ghost hunting, especially when the ghosts he’s uncovering are hers. Still, Ginny is hard to resist – and Evan's not sure he really wants to. But when he wakes in the night to the heat of his burning bed, Evan knows the ghosts must be after him. He’s also beginning to think that Ginnny might be hiding something behind those honey-gold eyes.
And unfortunately, the ghosts are growing more and more dangerous. When Ginny’s ex-boyfriend is found dead in the Eyre House pool, Evan knows he’s got two choices: figure out what’s going on, or become the next ghost to haunt Ginny Eyre.
First 150 Words:
I swore under my breath for about the millionth time since leaving Charleston. The blasting staccato of rain against my helmet didn’t quite drown out the deep rumble of my bike’s engine. Lightning highlighted the rural road ahead of me, and the marshes that surrounded it. It was hard to believe it wasn’t even six yet. The clouds rolling up the coast were dark as hell. Even with the right gear, I was cold, wet, and tired.
I had wanted to leave early, make Eyre House by midafternoon. The Gages had never hidden how little they cared about me, but they sure as hell had done their best to keep me from leaving today. They’d delayed me until just before the storm hit, leaving me to make what should have been an hour’s ride in torrential rain.
Personally, I suspected the loss of my foster payment was to blame. Fucking assholes.
YA CONTEMPORARY
62,000
Query:
Eyre House is a YA gothic contemporary that recasts Jane Eyre in a sleepy southern island town, complete with all the ghost stories.
All seventeen-year-old Evan Richardson wants out of his summer is an escape from the foster system that’s run his life. A job at Eyre House on quiet Edisto Island, SC, seems like the perfect solution. But the plantation-turned-bed-and-breakfast has a lot more to offer than freedom and employment. The island is full of ghost stories, and Eyre House seems to have more than its fair share of secret passages and things that go bump in the night. The tough part is telling what's ghost and what's story.
Ginny, whose family has owned Eyre House since before the Civil War, seems like the perfect person to help him figure it all out. She’s sexy, confident...and, as the owner's daughter, completely off limits. Except that Ginny's way more interested in distracting Evan than in ghost hunting, especially when the ghosts he’s uncovering are hers. Still, Ginny is hard to resist – and Evan's not sure he really wants to. But when he wakes in the night to the heat of his burning bed, Evan knows the ghosts must be after him. He’s also beginning to think that Ginnny might be hiding something behind those honey-gold eyes.
And unfortunately, the ghosts are growing more and more dangerous. When Ginny’s ex-boyfriend is found dead in the Eyre House pool, Evan knows he’s got two choices: figure out what’s going on, or become the next ghost to haunt Ginny Eyre.
First 150 Words:
I swore under my breath for about the millionth time since leaving Charleston. The blasting staccato of rain against my helmet didn’t quite drown out the deep rumble of my bike’s engine. Lightning highlighted the rural road ahead of me, and the marshes that surrounded it. It was hard to believe it wasn’t even six yet. The clouds rolling up the coast were dark as hell. Even with the right gear, I was cold, wet, and tired.
I had wanted to leave early, make Eyre House by midafternoon. The Gages had never hidden how little they cared about me, but they sure as hell had done their best to keep me from leaving today. They’d delayed me until just before the storm hit, leaving me to make what should have been an hour’s ride in torrential rain.
Personally, I suspected the loss of my foster payment was to blame. Fucking assholes.
Agent Pitch Finalist #30 - Water Lily
Water Lily
YA Sci-Fi Mystery
90,000
QUERY:
As children, best friends Sadie and Brandt invented a treasure-hunting game to train for positions on their city’s reconnaissance force. But when the game went wrong and Brandt drowned outside their floating ocean home, the trail of clues he’d hidden — and the treasure at its end — were lost. Plagued by guilt, Sadie has spent years searching for the trail, but when she stumbles upon it on her sixteenth birthday, she realizes this wasn't one of Brandt’s usual games.
His cryptic riddles lead Sadie to Emery, a visiting official who suspects the clues could lead to information about his sister's disappearance. They work together to solve Brandt’s paper puzzles, but his clues reveal two startling government secrets: The citizens of their floating nation aren't the only ones who survived Earth's rising seas. And Brandt’s death was no accident.
When Sadie discovers that Emery lied and is from the very land she believed was lost, she realizes the conspiracy runs deeper than the ocean itself. With the government determined to silence them both, she must make a choice. Can she live with the lies of her home? Or should she put her faith in the boy who deceived her and escape into a world she thought had drowned?
FIRST 150 WORDS:
Drowned remnants of leaves and bark are all that remain of Earth's trees. They’ve been reduced to soggy bits of pine and oak that travel the world on ocean currents like pulpy puzzle pieces waiting to be put back together. But I know all too well that some puzzles can't be solved.
Thanks to Mom’s book, I at least know the trees' names. I'm the only one who does.
As I turn its pages now in the quiet of my bedroom, it's easy to get lost in the faded photographs of long-dead species. Mom said nothing is ever truly gone as long as you remember it, and I think that's why she gave me this book—to learn names I'll never speak and preserve memories that aren't my own.
The biochip buzzes in my wrist and I jump, dropping the book and spilling forbidden words across the floor. Above me, the alarm blares and the lights flash their insistence.
YA Sci-Fi Mystery
90,000
QUERY:
As children, best friends Sadie and Brandt invented a treasure-hunting game to train for positions on their city’s reconnaissance force. But when the game went wrong and Brandt drowned outside their floating ocean home, the trail of clues he’d hidden — and the treasure at its end — were lost. Plagued by guilt, Sadie has spent years searching for the trail, but when she stumbles upon it on her sixteenth birthday, she realizes this wasn't one of Brandt’s usual games.
His cryptic riddles lead Sadie to Emery, a visiting official who suspects the clues could lead to information about his sister's disappearance. They work together to solve Brandt’s paper puzzles, but his clues reveal two startling government secrets: The citizens of their floating nation aren't the only ones who survived Earth's rising seas. And Brandt’s death was no accident.
When Sadie discovers that Emery lied and is from the very land she believed was lost, she realizes the conspiracy runs deeper than the ocean itself. With the government determined to silence them both, she must make a choice. Can she live with the lies of her home? Or should she put her faith in the boy who deceived her and escape into a world she thought had drowned?
FIRST 150 WORDS:
Drowned remnants of leaves and bark are all that remain of Earth's trees. They’ve been reduced to soggy bits of pine and oak that travel the world on ocean currents like pulpy puzzle pieces waiting to be put back together. But I know all too well that some puzzles can't be solved.
Thanks to Mom’s book, I at least know the trees' names. I'm the only one who does.
As I turn its pages now in the quiet of my bedroom, it's easy to get lost in the faded photographs of long-dead species. Mom said nothing is ever truly gone as long as you remember it, and I think that's why she gave me this book—to learn names I'll never speak and preserve memories that aren't my own.
The biochip buzzes in my wrist and I jump, dropping the book and spilling forbidden words across the floor. Above me, the alarm blares and the lights flash their insistence.
Agent Pitch Finalist #31 - Divine
DIVINE
YA Sci-Fi
76,000
Query:
If you’d told seventeen-year-old pickpocket Caddy a week ago she’d scale a sixty-story prison with a rogue orphan, she’d laugh in your face and walk off with you wallet.
But that’s before a sandstorm destroys half the city and the vigilante boy, Twist, drags her to safety in the secret ruins beneath the glass metropolis. Before the Service—the civil police—starts pulling people from the streets in search of a diamond thief. Before the tensions between citizens and Service rise to suffocating heights, and riots flood the city.
All the while, Caddy must fight to keep herself from getting too close to Twist. If there’s anything she’s learned on the streets, it’s to avoid attachment. But when her brother is arrested on false charges, Caddy becomes desperate to save what little family she has left. There’s only one person who can help break him out of prison: Twist. But when trusting the boy means risking her petty-thief status, her family, and her life, she must decide if she’s ready to face the Service head on.
First 150 Words:
Heat presses against me. The orange haze makes the air impossibly dry as I scan the swarm of bodies packed tight in the streets. The dust is high today. Another sandstorm is coming.
Squinting, I try to focus. My fingers itch as silver flashes on my left, my right. I reach and slip a thin chain dangling from a man’s pocket into my bag as I stick to the shade of the massive buildings. In Cidy, there are no skyscrapers. All of the glass buildings penetrate the indigo sea above. To the untrained eye, we’d seem prosperous, peaceful. But based on the masses here, that’s far from the truth.
My head pounds from the cries of barterers, and I run a hand through my hair scanning for redcoats. Today thousands of people will be on the streets to trade what they have for what they need. Meaning Service will be on high alert for thieves.
YA Sci-Fi
76,000
Query:
If you’d told seventeen-year-old pickpocket Caddy a week ago she’d scale a sixty-story prison with a rogue orphan, she’d laugh in your face and walk off with you wallet.
But that’s before a sandstorm destroys half the city and the vigilante boy, Twist, drags her to safety in the secret ruins beneath the glass metropolis. Before the Service—the civil police—starts pulling people from the streets in search of a diamond thief. Before the tensions between citizens and Service rise to suffocating heights, and riots flood the city.
All the while, Caddy must fight to keep herself from getting too close to Twist. If there’s anything she’s learned on the streets, it’s to avoid attachment. But when her brother is arrested on false charges, Caddy becomes desperate to save what little family she has left. There’s only one person who can help break him out of prison: Twist. But when trusting the boy means risking her petty-thief status, her family, and her life, she must decide if she’s ready to face the Service head on.
First 150 Words:
Heat presses against me. The orange haze makes the air impossibly dry as I scan the swarm of bodies packed tight in the streets. The dust is high today. Another sandstorm is coming.
Squinting, I try to focus. My fingers itch as silver flashes on my left, my right. I reach and slip a thin chain dangling from a man’s pocket into my bag as I stick to the shade of the massive buildings. In Cidy, there are no skyscrapers. All of the glass buildings penetrate the indigo sea above. To the untrained eye, we’d seem prosperous, peaceful. But based on the masses here, that’s far from the truth.
My head pounds from the cries of barterers, and I run a hand through my hair scanning for redcoats. Today thousands of people will be on the streets to trade what they have for what they need. Meaning Service will be on high alert for thieves.
Agent Pitch Finalist #32 - Between the Currents
BETWEEN THE CURRENTS
YA paranormal
120k
QUERY:
Sleep terrors have plagued Lilah's nights since childhood. Years later, the episodes are increasing, each night whisking her in lucid dream to Hawaii, a place she loves as much as she hates.
Living in listless Williamsburg, Virginia, Lilah spends equal parts moping her way through community college and avoiding conflict with her mother when life finally begins. In dream she meets Koa, a native Hawaiian with secrets, the most compelling being she cannot touch him without receiving an electric jolt. It is Koa who will prove to Lilah she isn't dreaming, awakening her to the unimaginable world of astral travel. Within this new world, Lilah discovers her gift – a skill she had no idea she possessed.
When Hawaiian myth collides with reality, Lilah finds herself the crux of an ancient fight over astral travel and is forced to face her greatest fear: trusting herself.
BETWEEN THE CURRENTS is a modern love story where truth and myth converge between astral travel and the waves of the Pacific ocean.
First 150 Words:
– VIBRATIONS –
They purred in my ears, buzzed through my veins. The vibrations coursed beneath my skin, sparking at each nerve and escaping my pores.
I was paralyzed.
Only able to move my head, my eyes bounced from one corner of the ceiling to the next as I watched for the blur.
Like clockwork it appeared, a silver-white cloud materializing above me. Nothing more than a haze of pearl, the blur began to do what the blur did: push my body into my bed.
Along with the pushing, the vibrations grew louder, taking on a rhythm, a melody set to an electric metronome. It pulsed into me, up and down, like the pricking of a needle on a sewing machine.
–VVVZZ…VVVZZ…VVVZZ…VVVZZ…VVVZZ…VVVZZ…VVVZZ –
I heard it, the buzzing.
I felt it, the pricking.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I screamed from inside my head, Go away…please, GO AWAY!!! The intensity of my pleas twisted my face, each overstressed syllable scrunching my features.
YA paranormal
120k
QUERY:
Sleep terrors have plagued Lilah's nights since childhood. Years later, the episodes are increasing, each night whisking her in lucid dream to Hawaii, a place she loves as much as she hates.
Living in listless Williamsburg, Virginia, Lilah spends equal parts moping her way through community college and avoiding conflict with her mother when life finally begins. In dream she meets Koa, a native Hawaiian with secrets, the most compelling being she cannot touch him without receiving an electric jolt. It is Koa who will prove to Lilah she isn't dreaming, awakening her to the unimaginable world of astral travel. Within this new world, Lilah discovers her gift – a skill she had no idea she possessed.
When Hawaiian myth collides with reality, Lilah finds herself the crux of an ancient fight over astral travel and is forced to face her greatest fear: trusting herself.
BETWEEN THE CURRENTS is a modern love story where truth and myth converge between astral travel and the waves of the Pacific ocean.
First 150 Words:
– VIBRATIONS –
They purred in my ears, buzzed through my veins. The vibrations coursed beneath my skin, sparking at each nerve and escaping my pores.
I was paralyzed.
Only able to move my head, my eyes bounced from one corner of the ceiling to the next as I watched for the blur.
Like clockwork it appeared, a silver-white cloud materializing above me. Nothing more than a haze of pearl, the blur began to do what the blur did: push my body into my bed.
Along with the pushing, the vibrations grew louder, taking on a rhythm, a melody set to an electric metronome. It pulsed into me, up and down, like the pricking of a needle on a sewing machine.
–VVVZZ…VVVZZ…VVVZZ…VVVZZ…VVVZZ…VVVZZ…VVVZZ –
I heard it, the buzzing.
I felt it, the pricking.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I screamed from inside my head, Go away…please, GO AWAY!!! The intensity of my pleas twisted my face, each overstressed syllable scrunching my features.
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