FIGHT FOR THIS
63,000 words
MG mystery/adventure
Pitch:
When Bones Malone pulls a half-delirious man from the Langille River, he stumbles onto a secret: his town is ground zero for a new technology that brings people's nightmares to life.
Langille was meant to be a fresh start for Bones, away from his father. All he wants is to take care of his mom and brothers, play baseball, and figure out how to stay out of trouble. But as he and his friends uncover a plot to turn Langille into a waking nightmare, Bones lands in his biggest fight yet. He's up against powerful people who use fear as a weapon on anyone in their way—including the town's nosy new reporter, Bones' mother.
Bones might be the bravest kid around, but he'll have to face the nightmare invention and confront his deepest fear if he wants to save his town—and his own struggling family.
First 250 words:
Clouds hung low above the town of Langille, gray as wet cement. Bones hoped the rain would hold off. He was pitching that night, if he could still throw. He flexed his sore knuckles. Stupid. He should have punched Tony Spezio with his left hand.
As if she could hear his thoughts, his mother walked faster. She was three steps ahead, locked in Too Angry For Words mode, each stride radiating fury. Bones and his brothers struggled to keep pace.
“Mom, come on,” he said.
Rachel marched on. She had not looked at him once since they left the Spezios’ house. “I said we’ll discuss it later.”
“I know I shouldn’t have punched Tony, but—”
She whirled. “Quentin Malone. The last thing I want to hear right now is an excuse.”
He hated his real name. She only used it in formal situations, like the first time they met with a lawyer. Or when she was really mad.
“He was picking on Rory, Mom,” Bones said. “I was trying to stop him.”
“It’s true,” added Bones’ seven-year-old brother, Dylan. “Tony called Rory a little sissy. He was trying to make him wear a dress.”
Rachel froze. “He was what?”
They looked at Rory, who stared at the sidewalk. Bones didn’t think his 10-year-old brother could bear to hear the story repeated.
He had tried to make peace. Honestly. He asked Tony politely to leave Rory alone. But Tony responded by calling the Malones a bunch of mama’s boys and said something crude about their mother.
Friday, February 27, 2015
Entry #24: The Hunt for the Heavenly Horse
The Hunt for the Heavenly Horse
69,700 words
YA/Historical fiction
A nomadic boy named Tagan refuses to give up his horse after she’s taken by the Chinese army. He sets out to rescue her in an epic journey across the Silk Road. Tagan allows himself to be taken hostage by the army so he can find his horse, but the army is divided in half and his horse is sent on a separate route back to China. Tagan endures sandstorms, brutal uprisings and near starvation along the two year trek. He also survive the brutal mistreatment by the soldiers who treat him like a barbarian. Tagan’s skill with horses and his knowledge of the desert wins the grudging respect of the soldiers he saves. As the army reunites, Tagan wonders if he will see his beloved horse again.
104 B.C.E
Central Asia
Tagan had imagined himself and his horse winning the game of Kok boru many times, but he never knew how hard it would be to steady himself on the bare back of a galloping horse while desperately trying to hold onto a goat carcass by one leg. He and Kutcha had practiced on the open grassland with Kutcha galloping in wide ovals and cutting quick turns while Tagan carried a sack weighted with sand. He had never considered how heavy the goat would be even though it had been gutted before the game began. The goat had also been skinned, making the carcass slick and hard to grasp. Tagan had never dreamed that his horse, Kutcha, would be spooked by the goat’s other three legs that jangled against her side. Tagan had hoped to hoist the goat onto his lap the way the older experienced riders did, but instead he gripped a slippery leg above the hoof as the rest of the carcass thumped against his horse. Kutcha mistook the prodding against her ribs as Tagan spurring her to run faster. Kutcha would have galloped harder anyway to keep ahead of the pack of riders on horseback coming up behind her. Even though Kutcha needed to stay ahead of the avalanche of mounted horses closing in around her Tagan was tipping to one side and was about to slide off of Kutcha’s back.
Give up the goat and stay on your horse, Tagan told himself.
Entry #23: ANYTHING BUT ALIVE
ANYTHING BUT ALIVE
79,000 words
NA Contemp (no romantic elements)
Pitch:
It takes a lot to break 24-year-old Mariella. Even the depression pseudo-coma that delayed her graduation last year and terrified her family only phased her for a few days. But when she’s slammed with a family suicide and a melodrama-plagued funeral during her last round of finals, she doesn’t just break—
She shatters.
Mari and her family have always battled bipolar disorder—what they call la strega—but her zia’s suicide is the first casualty of their decades-long war. To keep Mari from suffering the same fate, her husband encourages her to start seeing a shrink. But when she meets Oliver, a counseling intern with a mysteriously dead bipolar brother, she becomes obsessed not with her own brokenness, but with Oliver's. After all, it's much easier to fix someone—anyone—else.
But when Mari's misguided plan to give Oliver closure breaks him instead, la strega swoops in to destroy what's left of Mari's life.
1st page:
I tell myself a lot of things every day. That my aversion to people is just a product of hormones. That someday I won’t wake up in some kind of pain. And that, even if both of those are a stretch, I’ll definitely make it to every single class.
Today, like most days, I lied.
“You skipped all of your classes again?” Jason’s tone is stern, but he’s definitely holding back a laugh. “Sweetie, come on. You’re not in frosh or soph classes anym—”
I’d counter that even junior classes are nauseatingly easy, but he hates it when I brag. “I’m sore! And I was tired.”
The excuse sounds lame even to me, but Jason’s laugh is worth it. “You’re always tired. All of us are. It’s called ‘being in college.’”
I groan and flop back on the bed, putting him on speakerphone. I’ve only been up for three hours, but it feels like it’s been three days. “I know, I know. But I played a little more SynthLife for you. You might want to tell Uproar their dialogue guy was probably stoned when he wrote the intro.”
“Hey, it wasn’t that bad.” I can hear the frown in his voice, definitely real this time. “Especially considering Griff pulled three all-nighters in a row to write and code that on deadline.”
“Psh.” My cheeks heat up as I bite my tongue. My life seriously needs “save” and “load” buttons for these kind of foot-in-mouth situations. “I’m just saying if Uproar’s putting out a game that bad this year, maybe Griff would be better off joining you at Spigot instead of the other way around.”
Today, like most days, I lied.
“You skipped all of your classes again?” Jason’s tone is stern, but he’s definitely holding back a laugh. “Sweetie, come on. You’re not in frosh or soph classes anym—”
I’d counter that even junior classes are nauseatingly easy, but he hates it when I brag. “I’m sore! And I was tired.”
The excuse sounds lame even to me, but Jason’s laugh is worth it. “You’re always tired. All of us are. It’s called ‘being in college.’”
I groan and flop back on the bed, putting him on speakerphone. I’ve only been up for three hours, but it feels like it’s been three days. “I know, I know. But I played a little more SynthLife for you. You might want to tell Uproar their dialogue guy was probably stoned when he wrote the intro.”
“Hey, it wasn’t that bad.” I can hear the frown in his voice, definitely real this time. “Especially considering Griff pulled three all-nighters in a row to write and code that on deadline.”
“Psh.” My cheeks heat up as I bite my tongue. My life seriously needs “save” and “load” buttons for these kind of foot-in-mouth situations. “I’m just saying if Uproar’s putting out a game that bad this year, maybe Griff would be better off joining you at Spigot instead of the other way around.”
Entry #22: RETTA VS. MUTANTS
RETTA VS. MUTANTS
105,000 words
YA Magical Realism/Horror-Comedy
PITCH:
It’s barely 9:00 am, and sixteen-year-old Retta has already dealt with a mutilated cat, complaints about her grandmother filling bathtubs around town, and one signature she maybe/probably forged. Just another Wednesday.
But in seventy-two hours, Retta will be on her way to basketball camp and one step closer to a life-changing scholarship. All she has to do in the meantime is manage her family’s shenanigans. Easy.
Easy, that is, until her recently paroled brother gets accused of murder and disappears from police custody. Then a mutant, mole-looking creature pops out of the ground and swallows a ferret whole.
When the mutants start eating her neighbors, Retta’s basketball dreams must take a backseat to saving her bumbling family from a full-blown attack, and mutant-fighting would be a lot easier if they didn’t try to “help”. Veronica Mars meets Shaun of the Dead in this homage to campy horror-comedies of the 80s.
FIRST 250:
The Uiterwyks’ cat was clearly dead, but that didn’t make it Granna’s fault or Retta’s problem.
The corpse lay curled around the garden gnome and cooked in the sun reflecting off the Uiterwyks’ trailer. It was only 8:54 a.m. and already hot. Retta wrinkled her nose. This was not how she had planned to start her day, but as a member of a family like the Holkers, she had learned not to make plans.
Guts spilled in the grass like Spaghetti Os. The mangy animal was cut in half as if someone had dropped an axe on its stomach. Only, the bloody fur was ripped ragged in a way that suggested coyote or some other hungry thing.
Certainly not Retta’s 74-year-old grandmother.
But this was the accusation Brandi Uiterwyk had flung at her over the phone when she demanded Retta come two trailers down. Now.
Brandi huffed, just as impatient in person. “It’s not like we killed our own cat—”
Debatable.
“—and it is the second time your grandmother has broken in here and filled the bathtub,” she finished as if one crime implied the other.
That one was not an accusation. It was a fact. Granna had been filling bathtubs all over town. Last week she broke into Trudy Gunnarson’s and filled not only the bathtub but every pot in the house. Just left them around. On the counter. In the closet. Next to the TV. But she had yet to kill any pets.
“Unless the cat drowned before something ate its lower half,” Retta said, “Granna didn’t kill your cat.”
Entry #21: NIKITA WHITFIELD AND THE BUTTERFLY EATER
NIKITA WHITFIELD AND THE BUTTERFLY EATER
79,000 words
YA Fantasy
Pitch:
Fourteen-year-old Nikita Whitfield thinks there are only two good things about going to Pemberton Academy. One: it’ll give her some space from her overbearing mother. Two: no one there will compare her to her superstar older sister.
When she arrives, she learns Pemberton is more than just uniforms and English essays. It’s also a training ground for budding Technicians: kids who can cast illusions, smash concrete, and control other people’s minds.
She’s determined to become one of them. Even if that means enlisting help from a dwarf whose temper’s shorter than he is, serving a king grizzly bear that can stop time, and fighting against kingslayers and classmates alike.
But serving the Bear King also means defending him against his traitors, who're lurking under Nikita's nose. They're hungry for war, and when they drag Nikita's family into battle, she’ll need to decide which role best suits her: damsel or avenger.
First 250:
My mother's voice pierces my ears like a sharp knife.
“Did you remember the extra batteries, Dean?”
The thumping in my head is so loud that I almost don't hear my father's answer. I focus on counting the balloons but I barely make it to six before I feel another painful throb. My sister's graduation should be a happy day, but all I want to do is curl into a ball.
For one thing, my mother's been doing what she always does when she's anxious: making everyone else anxious. I can barely stop myself from screaming at her nonstop questions.
But, when I close my eyes to calm myself, the strange images I see are even worse. My mother’s staring at me, but not like she should be—with a worried look in her eyes, agonizing about something else my father forgot. Instead, in my mind’s eye, tears stream down her face, a silent scream rips from her lips and she’s showered in blood.
My eyes snap open and I rub the image away. I immediately hunt for my mother and she’s back to her normal, nervous self. But what was that image about?
Thinking about it makes my headache even worse, so I bury my face in my program. The words swim in front of my eyes and sweat dribbles down my neck from the summertime heat.
“And graduating magna cum laude, Thomas Kim!” the provost shouts.
We’re only on ‘K’ so it’ll take us forever to get to my sister, Kaia Whitfield.
79,000 words
YA Fantasy
Pitch:
Fourteen-year-old Nikita Whitfield thinks there are only two good things about going to Pemberton Academy. One: it’ll give her some space from her overbearing mother. Two: no one there will compare her to her superstar older sister.
When she arrives, she learns Pemberton is more than just uniforms and English essays. It’s also a training ground for budding Technicians: kids who can cast illusions, smash concrete, and control other people’s minds.
She’s determined to become one of them. Even if that means enlisting help from a dwarf whose temper’s shorter than he is, serving a king grizzly bear that can stop time, and fighting against kingslayers and classmates alike.
But serving the Bear King also means defending him against his traitors, who're lurking under Nikita's nose. They're hungry for war, and when they drag Nikita's family into battle, she’ll need to decide which role best suits her: damsel or avenger.
First 250:
My mother's voice pierces my ears like a sharp knife.
“Did you remember the extra batteries, Dean?”
The thumping in my head is so loud that I almost don't hear my father's answer. I focus on counting the balloons but I barely make it to six before I feel another painful throb. My sister's graduation should be a happy day, but all I want to do is curl into a ball.
For one thing, my mother's been doing what she always does when she's anxious: making everyone else anxious. I can barely stop myself from screaming at her nonstop questions.
But, when I close my eyes to calm myself, the strange images I see are even worse. My mother’s staring at me, but not like she should be—with a worried look in her eyes, agonizing about something else my father forgot. Instead, in my mind’s eye, tears stream down her face, a silent scream rips from her lips and she’s showered in blood.
My eyes snap open and I rub the image away. I immediately hunt for my mother and she’s back to her normal, nervous self. But what was that image about?
Thinking about it makes my headache even worse, so I bury my face in my program. The words swim in front of my eyes and sweat dribbles down my neck from the summertime heat.
“And graduating magna cum laude, Thomas Kim!” the provost shouts.
We’re only on ‘K’ so it’ll take us forever to get to my sister, Kaia Whitfield.
Entry #20: IF ONE OF THEM IS DEAD
IF ONE OF THEM IS DEAD
52,000 Words
YA Contemporary
Pitch:
Melissa is in a living hell over the whispers about her vomiting mid-hookup last week. She wants revenge, and to get out of Valley Pines.
When her closeted-pot-dealing bestie Jack suggests they create an app based on school scandals, she’s game. On “Chaos” students can anonymously post rumors for points; the more points they get, the more buzz they can access.
Chaos goes viral. Then Melissa discovers Jack wants to use it to spread an illicit video of a teacher who knows he deals. If Melissa agrees, a student’s reputation will be ruined – just like hers.
Melissa gets a conscience and pushes Jack to reconsider, but he snaps: he releases the video and starts stalking the teacher. Melissa has to stop Jack from reaching his lethal goal, or she’ll end up with handcuffs as a graduation present, looking at Valley Pines from behind bars instead of through a rearview mirror.
First Page:
In high school there are girls who are gods. They command everyone’s attention with a swish of their skirt, a pout of their lips, and a wink. My little sister Stephanie, and her friends are those girls. Pay attention, they say. Look at me, they beg.
You don’t want to cross these girls when they’re angry. These girls will key your car, spit gum in your hair, and pour diet Coke in your locker. Only diet, they’re not like you, fatass.
I am above all of the girls. I am above them because I know all of their secrets. I know everything. When you know things in high school it rattles you. You can feel it in your bones when you look at someone. It’s this shuffling sound in your ears that never goes away.
My phone bleeps. ‘1 new message’ flashes on the screen.
Anything interesting on the tangled web last night Birdie?
Jack Stewart always calls me Birdie even though my name is Melissa. He says it’s because it’s good to have a little birdie tell you secrets.
Just Gabbie Vanhout drama, and my Nathan Whettlesfield fiasco. I text back.
Last night, I was reading trumbullconfessional.com, an anonymous gossip site made by a couple of seniors from back when the Internet was still dial-up. Mostly it’s just bullshit posts about people looking to find the latest party, or just spread lies. But sometimes you hit confessional gold.
52,000 Words
YA Contemporary
Pitch:
Melissa is in a living hell over the whispers about her vomiting mid-hookup last week. She wants revenge, and to get out of Valley Pines.
When her closeted-pot-dealing bestie Jack suggests they create an app based on school scandals, she’s game. On “Chaos” students can anonymously post rumors for points; the more points they get, the more buzz they can access.
Chaos goes viral. Then Melissa discovers Jack wants to use it to spread an illicit video of a teacher who knows he deals. If Melissa agrees, a student’s reputation will be ruined – just like hers.
Melissa gets a conscience and pushes Jack to reconsider, but he snaps: he releases the video and starts stalking the teacher. Melissa has to stop Jack from reaching his lethal goal, or she’ll end up with handcuffs as a graduation present, looking at Valley Pines from behind bars instead of through a rearview mirror.
First Page:
In high school there are girls who are gods. They command everyone’s attention with a swish of their skirt, a pout of their lips, and a wink. My little sister Stephanie, and her friends are those girls. Pay attention, they say. Look at me, they beg.
You don’t want to cross these girls when they’re angry. These girls will key your car, spit gum in your hair, and pour diet Coke in your locker. Only diet, they’re not like you, fatass.
I am above all of the girls. I am above them because I know all of their secrets. I know everything. When you know things in high school it rattles you. You can feel it in your bones when you look at someone. It’s this shuffling sound in your ears that never goes away.
My phone bleeps. ‘1 new message’ flashes on the screen.
Anything interesting on the tangled web last night Birdie?
Jack Stewart always calls me Birdie even though my name is Melissa. He says it’s because it’s good to have a little birdie tell you secrets.
Just Gabbie Vanhout drama, and my Nathan Whettlesfield fiasco. I text back.
Last night, I was reading trumbullconfessional.com, an anonymous gossip site made by a couple of seniors from back when the Internet was still dial-up. Mostly it’s just bullshit posts about people looking to find the latest party, or just spread lies. But sometimes you hit confessional gold.
Entry #19: THE LEDGE
THE LEDGE
35,000
MG, Action and Adventure
Pitch:
HATCHET meets IF I STAY. When 13yo Bryce finds a hidden treasure map, he doesn't mean to steal it from his Grandpa and he doesn't mean to unearth a secret that will effect their entire family. While backpacking in the Rocky mountains with his big brother, Jack, and Grandpa, the brothers' sibling rivalry clouds their judgment and all Bryce's plans for an epic adventure go downriver. While the brothers must work together to survive the wilderness and each other, Bryce is determined to find what the map is hiding. But when a horrible climbing accident leaves Bryce unconscious, Jack must find a way to save him, and Bryce must choose life or their family secret will never see the light of day. Told in dual-POV.
First Page:
While treasure hunting through stacks of dusty boxes in Grandpa's barn loft, I found a plastic bin behind a china cabinet. Grandpa had said it was okay to explore up there when I told him I was bored, but still, I felt like I'd done something wrong when I found the map.
I popped the lid off the bin and walked my fingers over the hanging file folders, certain it was just a bunch of boring stuff, until I reached to replace the lid. A narrow wooden box was tucked away between the stacks of paper. I pulled the box out and unlatched the golden clasp with a click. My heart picked up speed with blazing excitement while I fumbled through baby pictures I'd never seen before. They were rubber-banded to a piece of paper; a hand-sketched map of a river, a house, and a lake. Beside the lake was a tree, and beside the tree was an X. My heart flashed. A real treasure map?
The spiral staircase to the loft creaked and groaned under someone's weight as I flipped through the photos again, unsure if they were baby pictures of me or my big brother, Jack.
“Bryce, you up there?” Grandpa yelled.
I jumped up and stuffed everything into my back pocket without thinking.
“Yeah,” I shouted, stepping over an old typewriter. “Coming!”
Grandpa's head appeared just as my toes reached the edge of the metal steps. I held my
breath to slow my breathing, hoping he wouldn't notice.
Entry #18: THE SECRETS WE KEEP
Title: THE SECRETS WE KEEP
Word Count: 84,560
Category/Genre: YA Contemporary/mystery
150 word Pitch:
During a late-night storm, Lyndsay Richards has an out of body experience while falling asleep – a defense mechanism for dealing with her mother and stepfather’s nightly fighting. During this OBE, Lyndsay sees Mr. Jenkins, her neighbor and janitor at her high school, moving a dead body. The next morning she gets proof what she witnessed wasn't a dream. However, without any credible evidence she can't go to the police. Jenkins is a decorated veteran, a sweet old man, and his son is a local cop, so who’s going to believe her? Only her BFF, of course, but definitely not her close-minded boyfriend. As clues mount, Lyndsay discovers she has less than two weeks to prove Jenkins is a serial killer before he kills again. It doesn’t help that she runs into him every day at school. And, the worst part…now the old man’s found out what she’s up to.
first page:
Apparently, marriage must suck.
That’s the only logical conclusion I can come to right now.
It’s going to be another long night. So far, he’s criticized her career, her cooking, and her hair. What’s next? The way she breathes? They’ve been at it since ten and it’s now way past midnight. Tonight’s fight between my mother and Neal is shaping up to be epic.
You would think I’d be used to it by now, since it happens almost every night. Well, except for the nights my stepfather doesn’t bother to come home until three or four in the morning.
His surly voice carries from their bedroom next door. I catch snippets here and there – his words sound more venomous than usual, even for him.
“–nothing but a cold, empty shrew,” he hisses.
“You never give me a chance,” my mother says, pitifully trying to appease him. “Please calm down…you’re going to wake Lyndsay.”
Too late for that.
Neal’s answer comes a second later, in the form of a book or a shoe that smacks the other side of the wall above my head with a loud thwack.
I jolt as if struck, snarling through gritted teeth, “Great…now, he’s throwing things.”
My stomach twists. I clench my pillow until my hand cramps, wishing these walls weren’t so damned thin, wishing I could get some sleep, most of all, wishing he would stop torturing her. Why does he treat her this way? She doesn’t deserve it.
Wham!
Must’ve been a drawer this time.
Word Count: 84,560
Category/Genre: YA Contemporary/mystery
150 word Pitch:
During a late-night storm, Lyndsay Richards has an out of body experience while falling asleep – a defense mechanism for dealing with her mother and stepfather’s nightly fighting. During this OBE, Lyndsay sees Mr. Jenkins, her neighbor and janitor at her high school, moving a dead body. The next morning she gets proof what she witnessed wasn't a dream. However, without any credible evidence she can't go to the police. Jenkins is a decorated veteran, a sweet old man, and his son is a local cop, so who’s going to believe her? Only her BFF, of course, but definitely not her close-minded boyfriend. As clues mount, Lyndsay discovers she has less than two weeks to prove Jenkins is a serial killer before he kills again. It doesn’t help that she runs into him every day at school. And, the worst part…now the old man’s found out what she’s up to.
first page:
Apparently, marriage must suck.
That’s the only logical conclusion I can come to right now.
It’s going to be another long night. So far, he’s criticized her career, her cooking, and her hair. What’s next? The way she breathes? They’ve been at it since ten and it’s now way past midnight. Tonight’s fight between my mother and Neal is shaping up to be epic.
You would think I’d be used to it by now, since it happens almost every night. Well, except for the nights my stepfather doesn’t bother to come home until three or four in the morning.
His surly voice carries from their bedroom next door. I catch snippets here and there – his words sound more venomous than usual, even for him.
“–nothing but a cold, empty shrew,” he hisses.
“You never give me a chance,” my mother says, pitifully trying to appease him. “Please calm down…you’re going to wake Lyndsay.”
Too late for that.
Neal’s answer comes a second later, in the form of a book or a shoe that smacks the other side of the wall above my head with a loud thwack.
I jolt as if struck, snarling through gritted teeth, “Great…now, he’s throwing things.”
My stomach twists. I clench my pillow until my hand cramps, wishing these walls weren’t so damned thin, wishing I could get some sleep, most of all, wishing he would stop torturing her. Why does he treat her this way? She doesn’t deserve it.
Wham!
Must’ve been a drawer this time.
Entry #17: THE GREAT WOODS
Title: THE GREAT WOODS
Word count: 37,000
Genre: Middle grade contemporary fantasy
Pitch:
Eleven-year-old Jenny is spending the summer with her grandparents in Maine while her parents settle the details of their divorce. To escape the family turmoil, Jenny runs to the forbidden woods behind the house. She discovers a world of magic and music, of elves and unicorns. In the woods, there is no fighting, and Jenny can solve every problem. She frees a trapped unicorn. She helps birth a foal. So Jenny returns to the woods despite warnings from her family and the elves to stay away.
But Jenny is wrong. She exposes the unicorns to a virus, and they begin dying. To get the medicine they need, she must pass a lion and steal a giant’s blood. Her grandfather gives her his beloved horse, and Jenny sets off. Along the way, she’ll face hunger, injury, and her greatest fear. Jenny’s hardest challenge, though, will be returning to her splintering family.
First 250:
It began with the fireflies, as magic often does. Jenny was in the field behind her grandparents’ house with her younger brother, chasing fireflies. She spied a good one, low-flying and lazy, and followed it past the shed and into the darkening woods.
“Jen-ny,” Billy’s voice echoed through the trees. Jenny smiled. He was worse than Gran. That night, though, Jenny wouldn’t be bothered about Billy and his fretting. Or about her grumpy grandparents and their boring old house, or her parents a million miles away in Evanston. She scanned the woods like a prowling jaguar. She wanted that flashing light, and she was going to get it.
The light flared to her left. Jenny crept up to it. She had her special blue jar, the one her dad gave her right before she left, tight in her hands. She lunged for the firefly, but it darted past a thin beech. Jenny pursed her lips and blew her bangs out of her eyes. You’re not getting away that easy, mister.
Little sticks and sharp pebbles replaced the soft July grass under her bare feet as she got deeper into the woods. That should have been a sign – the woods knew Jenny didn’t belong there, and tried to urge her away. Jenny didn’t notice the warning, though. She only had eyes for that small and magical glow.
The firefly lit beyond a low bush, and Jenny’s eyes lit with it. It was close. She could get it. She tiptoed toward it.
Word count: 37,000
Genre: Middle grade contemporary fantasy
Pitch:
Eleven-year-old Jenny is spending the summer with her grandparents in Maine while her parents settle the details of their divorce. To escape the family turmoil, Jenny runs to the forbidden woods behind the house. She discovers a world of magic and music, of elves and unicorns. In the woods, there is no fighting, and Jenny can solve every problem. She frees a trapped unicorn. She helps birth a foal. So Jenny returns to the woods despite warnings from her family and the elves to stay away.
But Jenny is wrong. She exposes the unicorns to a virus, and they begin dying. To get the medicine they need, she must pass a lion and steal a giant’s blood. Her grandfather gives her his beloved horse, and Jenny sets off. Along the way, she’ll face hunger, injury, and her greatest fear. Jenny’s hardest challenge, though, will be returning to her splintering family.
First 250:
It began with the fireflies, as magic often does. Jenny was in the field behind her grandparents’ house with her younger brother, chasing fireflies. She spied a good one, low-flying and lazy, and followed it past the shed and into the darkening woods.
“Jen-ny,” Billy’s voice echoed through the trees. Jenny smiled. He was worse than Gran. That night, though, Jenny wouldn’t be bothered about Billy and his fretting. Or about her grumpy grandparents and their boring old house, or her parents a million miles away in Evanston. She scanned the woods like a prowling jaguar. She wanted that flashing light, and she was going to get it.
The light flared to her left. Jenny crept up to it. She had her special blue jar, the one her dad gave her right before she left, tight in her hands. She lunged for the firefly, but it darted past a thin beech. Jenny pursed her lips and blew her bangs out of her eyes. You’re not getting away that easy, mister.
Little sticks and sharp pebbles replaced the soft July grass under her bare feet as she got deeper into the woods. That should have been a sign – the woods knew Jenny didn’t belong there, and tried to urge her away. Jenny didn’t notice the warning, though. She only had eyes for that small and magical glow.
The firefly lit beyond a low bush, and Jenny’s eyes lit with it. It was close. She could get it. She tiptoed toward it.
Entry 16: THE KIDNAPPER'S CONUNDRUM
THE KIDNAPPER'S CONUNDRUM
55,000
MG Fantasy
While a shady Drumwick lawyer builds her case against him, Simon works on a case of his own with best friend, Abby – a ten-year-old interested in anything that lets her skip school. With necklace in hand, the duo snake through the alleyways and secret passages of Drumwick, searching for clues. Instead, they encounter everything from crawling snickets to spotted honknuckles, but the mystery deepens when Simon discovers a hidden store-house belonging to the real kidnapper. The criminal is nearby and desperate to find the necklace. Turns out the pendant is much more than a piece of old, broken jewellery.
Between conspiratorial conversations, dodging cops, and destroying an entire library, Simon is thrown into some serious detective work. There's a culprit to catch, and if Simon can’t clear his name before someone else goes missing, he might never see his family again.
First page:
Thirty-seven minutes ago, a bush winked. Or blinked. Simon looked away too fast to be sure. If monsters lived in Galloway forest, despite insisting they surely and definitely did not exist, Simon thought it best not to make eye contact.
“Surprised to see you this far from the RV,” his father called.
“I was trying to find a good place to read.” Simon placed his unopened book on a crumbled stone wall. Granted, picnic tables and benches were sparse in Rubble City Campgrounds with the large boulders everywhere. “Hey dad, Emily’s just imagining her night monsters right?”
His father laughed. “Of course she is. You went through a similar period yourself.” A tall man, Jim Hardt had more hair on the sides of his head than on top, and a permanent watch tan decorated his wrist. In one hand he carried two fishing poles, both twice Simon’s height, and in the other, a rusty tackle box. “You thought something lived under your bed.”
“At least that’s normal,” Simon grumbled. Seeing creatures in the woods, especially during the day, was not normal.
“Fishing might get your mind off it.” His father held up the poles. They were quite loved – and bent. “The nice old couple let me borrow them.”
Simon’s uneasiness melted. Fishing happened in the water, and monsters couldn’t hide there. “Can I dig for the worms?”
Entry #15: RIVETED
RIVETED
68,000 words
YA Sci-Fi
Pitch:
As one of the mechanical race known as the boltedkindred, Johnny Rivet questions the reasons for the cold war separating him from his human friend and love, Rebecca.
Living steeped in an atmosphere of longstanding tension, Johnny is used to being feared for his inexplicable sentience. But hostilities are threatening to erupt, and he has his own fears: the unfinished men, people with eyes like dark ink pools and paper skin masquerading as humans. These creatures burn with an irrational hatred of the boltedkindred who share their city, a crumbling alternate-1950s metropolis.
No one else notices the faces the unfinished men wear aren’t fully human. No one else sees the city is literally breaking down.
Johnny and Rebecca unite to stop the cold war before it erupts into a violent inferno—but to do so they’ll have to leave their city, along with their families and old lives, behind.
First 250 words:
It unfolded itself from the elevator. There was no better word for its motion.
In the dying light, I saw the unfinished man, saw him like I somehow hadn’t before. His eyes were malevolent puddles of ink on milky pale paper flesh. His nostrils and mouth were ragged, yawning gashes—chasms of empty blackness.
He didn’t breathe, he rustled.
I heard Rebecca’s breathing hitch beside me, a tiny gasp catching in her throat as he moved like broken origami twitchscuttling towards us slowly, twitch crinkle scrape twitch crinkle scrape. How had I ever mistaken him for human, or even living?
Before that moment I hadn’t really seen them for what they were, creatures only masquerading as humans.
I may not have been human, but those things weren’t, either.
I wondered if Rebecca was seeing the same creature I was, or if she was still lulled by his very superficial resemblance to a person, as I once had been. Perhaps we see what we want to see, or only see what we believe possible.
“I smell rust,” he wheezed through his torn mouth. “Hello, little tick-tock.”
And as he said it, I tasted rust—hot, burning, angry rust. Never before had I experienced the sensation that followed: everything stopped. I stopped. The frantic whirl of my thoughts, my mind, my body—all ground to a halt.
One moment all circuits and gears were churning towards logic and reason; the next, every fiber of me was routed towards a single sensation of paralytic fear.
68,000 words
YA Sci-Fi
Pitch:
As one of the mechanical race known as the boltedkindred, Johnny Rivet questions the reasons for the cold war separating him from his human friend and love, Rebecca.
Living steeped in an atmosphere of longstanding tension, Johnny is used to being feared for his inexplicable sentience. But hostilities are threatening to erupt, and he has his own fears: the unfinished men, people with eyes like dark ink pools and paper skin masquerading as humans. These creatures burn with an irrational hatred of the boltedkindred who share their city, a crumbling alternate-1950s metropolis.
No one else notices the faces the unfinished men wear aren’t fully human. No one else sees the city is literally breaking down.
Johnny and Rebecca unite to stop the cold war before it erupts into a violent inferno—but to do so they’ll have to leave their city, along with their families and old lives, behind.
First 250 words:
It unfolded itself from the elevator. There was no better word for its motion.
In the dying light, I saw the unfinished man, saw him like I somehow hadn’t before. His eyes were malevolent puddles of ink on milky pale paper flesh. His nostrils and mouth were ragged, yawning gashes—chasms of empty blackness.
He didn’t breathe, he rustled.
I heard Rebecca’s breathing hitch beside me, a tiny gasp catching in her throat as he moved like broken origami twitchscuttling towards us slowly, twitch crinkle scrape twitch crinkle scrape. How had I ever mistaken him for human, or even living?
Before that moment I hadn’t really seen them for what they were, creatures only masquerading as humans.
I may not have been human, but those things weren’t, either.
I wondered if Rebecca was seeing the same creature I was, or if she was still lulled by his very superficial resemblance to a person, as I once had been. Perhaps we see what we want to see, or only see what we believe possible.
“I smell rust,” he wheezed through his torn mouth. “Hello, little tick-tock.”
And as he said it, I tasted rust—hot, burning, angry rust. Never before had I experienced the sensation that followed: everything stopped. I stopped. The frantic whirl of my thoughts, my mind, my body—all ground to a halt.
One moment all circuits and gears were churning towards logic and reason; the next, every fiber of me was routed towards a single sensation of paralytic fear.
Entry #14: THE OTHER SIDE OF NORMAL
THE OTHER SIDE OF NORMAL
93,000 words
YA Dark Comedy
YA Dark Comedy
Mashup: Tina Fey’s MEAN GIRLS/Lauren Oliver’s ROOMS/Meg Cabot’s MEDIUM. When Bethany Sultry pictured her future, she never imagined her life would end in a car crash when she was sixteen, not as her popularity was rising, and certainly not one hour after she was crowned the junior class homecoming queen. When ownership of the crown transfers to her high school nemesis, Bethany refuses to rest in peace with that bitch wearing her bling. But how far will she go to defeat her rival if the price of victory is damning her own soul to hell?
FIRST PAGE:
When I die, I don’t so much go into the light as have the light suck me up like a dust bunny in a cosmic vacuum cleaner. I zoom headfirst through an immense translucent tunnel four times my width. A hum loud as a jet engine presses against my inner ear. The smell of ozone pinches my nasal cavities. Veils of colored air blow through my scalp, wind along my spinal column, and exit cold through the soles of my bare feet. My body curves into a tucked roll. The light dims. I burst into a stark white room and land on my feet in crouched position. The floor is solid and warm.
I see my boyfriend’s dead sister. She waves. Her name is Moon. She’s sucking on a lollipop, the big kind with the swirls. Her hair’s done up in three ponytails. I’m pretty sure she has a glitter tattoo on her cheek but it’s hard to see against the pale blue tint of her skin.
I straighten up and ask, “Is this heaven?”
Moon pulls the lollipop from her mouth and points it at the only other living being in the room. “Meet Cal. He’s an angel.”
Being in the presence of an angel is awesome, especially when that angel smells like warm apple pie with cinnamon crumb topping. His cheekbones are higher than mine. I want to lick one.
Cal narrows his eyes at me. “I’m your celestial probation officer.”
I resolve not to lick any part of him.
Entry #13: WHATEVER IT TAKES
WHATEVER IT TAKES
65,000 words
YA Contemporary Romance
After indirectly causing an accident that destroys his best friend’s aspiration of playing pro basketball, 17-year-old Sam Daniels vows to continue their dream for both of them. All he needs is a place to live when his parents move away. Luckily, his nerdy cousin, Brandon, offers his home. But his offer comes with strings. This anime-loving, roleplay-gamer wants Sam’s help to catch the eye of his crush. And this includes pretending to be gay to not be a ‘distraction’ to the girl.
Things hit a snag when the crush’s cousin, Kylie, seems to despise him—calling him Satan in basketball shorts. As he spends more time with them, the closer he gets to Kylie. And the harder he falls for her. Revealing his secret might piss off Brandon and ruin his basketball chances. But not saying anything would make any chance of being with Kylie impossible. Basketball or love.
First 250 words
No texts. No replies to my emails. Nothing.
Even though I was expecting it (Hell, I would have bet some money if I could), disappointment still ate away at me. Like someone shoved a glowing basketball in my gut, twisting and burning away at my insides.
I pressed Send on the private message to Charlie before I lost my nerve. He hasn’t talked to me since the accident, but if he wanted me to leave him alone he should say something. A simple ‘Screw yourself, Sam’.
I picked up an actual basketball and dribbled it on the ground a few times, hoping it would calm me down. But each time the ball slammed down, a new memory popped in my head. Thud. Giving Charlie the keys to my car so I could stay at the party to hook up with some random chick. Thud. The call about Charlie’s accident. Thud. His body crumpled and broken on the hospital bed. Thud.Charlie mom’s slap and telling me to stay the hell away from her son.
Crap. It’s been over a year and it felt like yesterday.
It wasn’t my fault, but I still felt like it was. I let Charlie take my car even though he was wasted. It was also my car that had the faulty brakes. I’d been planning to get it fixed for ages, but never got around to it. And now Charlie had to pay the price.
65,000 words
YA Contemporary Romance
After indirectly causing an accident that destroys his best friend’s aspiration of playing pro basketball, 17-year-old Sam Daniels vows to continue their dream for both of them. All he needs is a place to live when his parents move away. Luckily, his nerdy cousin, Brandon, offers his home. But his offer comes with strings. This anime-loving, roleplay-gamer wants Sam’s help to catch the eye of his crush. And this includes pretending to be gay to not be a ‘distraction’ to the girl.
Things hit a snag when the crush’s cousin, Kylie, seems to despise him—calling him Satan in basketball shorts. As he spends more time with them, the closer he gets to Kylie. And the harder he falls for her. Revealing his secret might piss off Brandon and ruin his basketball chances. But not saying anything would make any chance of being with Kylie impossible. Basketball or love.
First 250 words
No texts. No replies to my emails. Nothing.
Even though I was expecting it (Hell, I would have bet some money if I could), disappointment still ate away at me. Like someone shoved a glowing basketball in my gut, twisting and burning away at my insides.
I pressed Send on the private message to Charlie before I lost my nerve. He hasn’t talked to me since the accident, but if he wanted me to leave him alone he should say something. A simple ‘Screw yourself, Sam’.
I picked up an actual basketball and dribbled it on the ground a few times, hoping it would calm me down. But each time the ball slammed down, a new memory popped in my head. Thud. Giving Charlie the keys to my car so I could stay at the party to hook up with some random chick. Thud. The call about Charlie’s accident. Thud. His body crumpled and broken on the hospital bed. Thud.Charlie mom’s slap and telling me to stay the hell away from her son.
Crap. It’s been over a year and it felt like yesterday.
It wasn’t my fault, but I still felt like it was. I let Charlie take my car even though he was wasted. It was also my car that had the faulty brakes. I’d been planning to get it fixed for ages, but never got around to it. And now Charlie had to pay the price.
Entry #12: CHILDREN OF TOKUA
CHILDREN OF TOKUA
95,000 words
YA SCI-FI
95,000 words
YA SCI-FI
Pitch:
Before Zackaria can discover the shocking secret about her connection to Arah, a mercenary kidnaps her sister. Zackaria seeks Arah’s assistance, but Arah will only help if Zackaria willfully surrenders up her body. With time running out, Zackaria must decide whether she’s desperate enough to lose her freewill forever by accepting Arah’s proposal.
First 250 words:
Zackaria hated trains. Buses too. And airplanes were the most unbearable. She would rather cross a cold Siberian wasteland barefoot than be stuck in a closed compartment with a bunch of people. Wasn’t the last time she boarded a train four years ago? And she was doing so well with avoiding public transportation. Until now.
With trembling hands buried in the pockets of her gray pea coat, Zackaria stepped into the Bentham Red Line’s railcar.
Her brother and sister, Ryker and Meliz, had not yet entered after her when everyone inside erupted into a hum of whispers and nervous chatter. Strangers stole glances at Zackaria’s face. She shut her eyes to spare the passengers from her gaze, but she was too late.
A toddler's cry broke through the cacophony, and his mother's blood red nails pressed his head close to her blouse. A young man soothed his yapping pug, a squished ball of brown and black. Another passenger hid his face behind a leather satchel. A couple that had caught Zackaria's eyes stared in the opposite direction. The woman whispered into her partner’s ear, and the couple, hands locked, abandoned their seats to sit further down the car. Way down. Most passengers close to Zackaria squirmed in their seats. The rest moved as far away as the length of the railcar would allow. No one dared look in her direction again.
Rage perched on Zackaria’s shoulder, digging its claws into it.
With trembling hands buried in the pockets of her gray pea coat, Zackaria stepped into the Bentham Red Line’s railcar.
Her brother and sister, Ryker and Meliz, had not yet entered after her when everyone inside erupted into a hum of whispers and nervous chatter. Strangers stole glances at Zackaria’s face. She shut her eyes to spare the passengers from her gaze, but she was too late.
A toddler's cry broke through the cacophony, and his mother's blood red nails pressed his head close to her blouse. A young man soothed his yapping pug, a squished ball of brown and black. Another passenger hid his face behind a leather satchel. A couple that had caught Zackaria's eyes stared in the opposite direction. The woman whispered into her partner’s ear, and the couple, hands locked, abandoned their seats to sit further down the car. Way down. Most passengers close to Zackaria squirmed in their seats. The rest moved as far away as the length of the railcar would allow. No one dared look in her direction again.
Rage perched on Zackaria’s shoulder, digging its claws into it.
Entry #11: THE BATTLE OF WONDERLAND GARDENS
THE BATTLE OF WONDERLAND GARDENS
41,000 words
MG Fantasy
Pitch
Ellis has a big problem—a rivalry that drives him crazy. He wants to finally beat Alicia, the thorn in his side, at something. Even a small victory in their youth theater ticket sales contest will do. He concocts a plan to sell a boatload of tickets to the old folks at the Wonderland Gardens Retirement Community. His hopes crumble after he finds Alicia beat him to the punch and sold her tickets to the residents.
Alicia has problems, too. An evil spirit possessing the community’s beloved owner has taken over the facility. It is in search of a new, younger body and kidnaps Alicia. Ellis can’t sit idly by,even though a tiny part of him wants to, and joins the fight. With the aid of a talking terrier guide, Ellis leads the oddball elderly residents against the fiend and its raven minions to rescue Alicia and reclaim their home.
First Page
The air seeped from Ellis Brown’s balloon of hope and instantly ruined his once-promising Saturday morning. He could not believe what he just heard. “You mean a girl has already been here selling these tickets?”
Mr. and Mrs. McGregor, the Wonderland Gardens Retirement Center’s hosts, sat in the lobby’s red velvet armchairs smiling. Mr. McGregor returned the tickets that Ellis just tried to sell them and said, “Yes, she came about an hour ago. Still in the building, I believe.”
Mrs. McGregor beamed. “Such an angel, blonde hair, blue eyes, and beaming with joy.”
Yep, that’s Alicia. What a fake. Ellis forced a smile as the anxiety bubbled in the pit of his stomach. “And I suppose she sold you tickets to our show?”
“As a matter of fact, she did," Mr. McGregor said. “Such a sweet young lady. She did mention that a friend of hers, a boy, might stop by later, and here you are.”
Sweet? Maybe, if rattlesnake’s venom’s sweet. “She does have a way,” Ellis said.
Ellis was a good kid, but he had one big problem, Alicia Swanson. She had been a thorn in his side all throughout middle school. She beat him at everything and, to make matters worse, she had a habit of broadcasting it to everyone.
He was counting on the retirement home's residents to beat Alicia by selling more Alice in Wonderland show tickets. Not anymore. Ellis felt a familiar churning in his gut as, once again, a sure victory slipped painfully through his fingers.
Entry #10: THE LAND OF JOY AND SORROW
THE LAND OF JOY AND SORROW
92,000 words
YA Fantasy
92,000 words
YA Fantasy
Pitch:
Seventeen-year-old Smadar never imagined that a flea-market find would lead her back to a magical world sung into existence by the race of Elementals. Now, its once-glorious cities lie in ruins, overrun by Lord Jogganath's monstrous hordes.
When an ambush leaves Smadar dying, a young mage’s forbidden mantras kindle her life. But beautiful, lethal Halle guards a shameful secret – he’s not a mage or a warrior, but a slave without memories, bound to a vicious master. And Smadar is the coin to buy his freedom. Only she refuses to be bought or sold.
As Jogganath’s power grows, the pair gets caught in a brutal war, and the severed threads of their destinies entwine, weaving a tale of star-crossed love and ancient betrayal. To ensure a future for her people, Smadar must seek answers in her own past, embracing a destiny extraordinary even in a land of magic and curses.
First 250 words:
Smadar glared at the ornate bronze clock by the pier. So Tammy was running forty minutes late. Unusual, but not such a tragedy. She knew her best friend would never miss their monthly scavenger hunt in the overflowing rows of Trash or Treasure flea market. Some things were sacred.
She tried to ignore a group of girls who had been gawking at her from across the colorful stalls. If only people could be fined for staring – the longer the stare, the heavier the fine. She fought the urge to smooth down her black, wind-tangled hair, then shrugged and let it beat around her shoulders, long and thick as afternoon shadows.
She wouldn’t apologize for what she was, or in her case – what she wasn’t.
Tugging on the corner of her piled, lapis-blue scarf, Smadar pulled it off, the comfort of protective mantras her mother had woven into the yarn washing over her in tingly, electric spirals. Bright as a Morpho butterfly wing, warm and soft as a kitten curled up against her skin – the scarf was one of the few reminders of Eden she had brought into her exile, the only splash of color in her black-on-black-on-grey clothes.
“Is that a tattoo on her chest!”
“What a freak!”
Surreptitiously, Smadar touched her tamgha; the very essence of every mage’s craft.
Freak, she thought bitterly, if only they knew.
The girls giggled louder, and instead of covering up, she lifted her chin and flashed them her sharpest, brightest smile, the smile she always wore when facing especially vile things.
Entry #9: THE SINNER ROSE
Title: THE SINNER ROSE
Word Count: 93,000
Genre: YA Romantic Fantasy
Pitch:
Killing never comes easy, but for eighteen-year-old Martia, exterminating those who fall in love is a normal day on the job. In the kingdom of Mithos, true love is the most dangerous form of magic, giving the wielder the power to burn through skin and bone. Those who fall prey to it are eliminated. When Martia is assigned as a guard to Prince Narin after an assassination attempt, their eyes meet and her world freezes in first sight—the first symptom of true love. When their secret is discovered, Martia must decide: plunge her sword into Narin’s heart, or choose Narin and become one of the hunted.
First 250:
The streets of Yuin are no place for love.
I creep through the night, wearing black in a city of pale stone. Even after dusk, Yuin is bright, the firelight blinding me. I slink further into the shadows cast by the alley's gleaming wall, tilting away from the flickering glow. Darkness shields better than any armor.
Something clinks to my left. I reach for the polished hilt of my scimitar.
A giggling couple stumble into the alley after a rolling wine bottle. The woman's sharp snicker drowns out the distant music of stringed vihuelas and beating hand drums. She clutches her sides, bunching up the layers in her floor-length pleated dress. Her glazed eyes rise to meet mine and the laughter squelches.
Dammit. I hate it when people see me. My lips jerk up in a jagged smile.
She grabs the man's hand and pulls him close. "It's one of them."
The man twists in my direction and pales, a whine escaping his throat. They always look at me like that, seeing a monster in the place of a girl. I wish I could shrink back.
I step forward.
The woman whimpers. "Please, don't kill us."
Both man and woman are dark-haired, dark-eyed and dark-skinned like me, like all Mithoians. An ordinary person would only see two drunken lovers. But I see more. A thin maroon aura twists around the couple, reaching out with ebony tendrils.
The aura of someone with black magic.
Entry #8: THALIA, THE STORIES SPINNER
Title: THALIA, THE STORIES SPINNER
Word count: 50,000
Genre: MG Fantasy
Pitch:
Thalia is a stubborn 13-year-old muse with the power to change any story’s outcome. But she is controlled by a tyrannical writer who threatens her into doing things she wouldn’t do otherwise. This time, he locks her into a manuscript with the reinvented characters of Andersen and wants her to steal Beauty’s mirror, the one that can show someone’s true soul.
But to save the manuscript from destruction and gain her independence, Thalia must reorganize a world with heroes who feel put upon by her. And she must face enemies who may have even greater powers, like the winter queen who wants to steal her muse powers.
Thalia needs to use the secret powers of the manuscript to get up a better defense against her enemies, find the mirror and use it as weapon. Fast; for if she fails, she will end up in the trash with the other crumpled-up, forgotten drafts.
First 250 words:
Thalia flattened her back along the spines of the collected works of Hans Christian Andersen. As a muse, Thalia could make herself as small as an eraser. But today her size did not matter. She was as clumsy as a butterfly without its wings, which didn’t help her crawl along the dusty book shelf. Especially when her creator roamed the library to snatch her. Her legs made a little Bambi split at the thought and she almost stumbled nose first on an overstuffed binder. The binder stood upright on the shelf, dark as ink, packed with rough drafts collected by her writer.
Thalia brushed off the dust covering the silver letters. Her lips whispered the words carved on the cover: “Aeolia: Land of Discarded Characters.” That sounded like music to Thalia’s ears. Somewhere in there, the reinvented story of the Winter Queen was waiting for Thalia to find it. The only story magically alive.
The library cracked. Thalia looked back over her shoulder, on high alert. The writer was here somewhere. She pushed open the binder, her hand shaking like a compass needle. When the first page crinkled, she squeezed between the pages to hide, sweat running down her back. The paper smelled of mildew and leather. Some of the yellowish drafts were probably older than her.
“Achoo!”
She sneezed under the cloud of dust trapped in the wrinkled pages and slapped a hand on her mouth. It was easy to picture her creator fingering the pages, ready to smash her back into a bookmark.
Word count: 50,000
Genre: MG Fantasy
Pitch:
Thalia is a stubborn 13-year-old muse with the power to change any story’s outcome. But she is controlled by a tyrannical writer who threatens her into doing things she wouldn’t do otherwise. This time, he locks her into a manuscript with the reinvented characters of Andersen and wants her to steal Beauty’s mirror, the one that can show someone’s true soul.
But to save the manuscript from destruction and gain her independence, Thalia must reorganize a world with heroes who feel put upon by her. And she must face enemies who may have even greater powers, like the winter queen who wants to steal her muse powers.
Thalia needs to use the secret powers of the manuscript to get up a better defense against her enemies, find the mirror and use it as weapon. Fast; for if she fails, she will end up in the trash with the other crumpled-up, forgotten drafts.
First 250 words:
Thalia flattened her back along the spines of the collected works of Hans Christian Andersen. As a muse, Thalia could make herself as small as an eraser. But today her size did not matter. She was as clumsy as a butterfly without its wings, which didn’t help her crawl along the dusty book shelf. Especially when her creator roamed the library to snatch her. Her legs made a little Bambi split at the thought and she almost stumbled nose first on an overstuffed binder. The binder stood upright on the shelf, dark as ink, packed with rough drafts collected by her writer.
Thalia brushed off the dust covering the silver letters. Her lips whispered the words carved on the cover: “Aeolia: Land of Discarded Characters.” That sounded like music to Thalia’s ears. Somewhere in there, the reinvented story of the Winter Queen was waiting for Thalia to find it. The only story magically alive.
The library cracked. Thalia looked back over her shoulder, on high alert. The writer was here somewhere. She pushed open the binder, her hand shaking like a compass needle. When the first page crinkled, she squeezed between the pages to hide, sweat running down her back. The paper smelled of mildew and leather. Some of the yellowish drafts were probably older than her.
“Achoo!”
She sneezed under the cloud of dust trapped in the wrinkled pages and slapped a hand on her mouth. It was easy to picture her creator fingering the pages, ready to smash her back into a bookmark.
Entry #7: LISTEN TO ME
LISTEN TO ME
41,000 words
MG Contemporary
Pitch:
Twelve-year-old Serena isn’t so much a self-imposed hermit as a dad-imposed one. When your beer-guzzling dad can barely talk, let alone walk, having friends around isn’t an option. But smart, eccentric Katie surprises her with a tempting offer of friendship until Serena’s drunken father nearly runs the girls over. Serena’s relief and guilt overflow when he’s hauled off to a work release program.
With her father gone, Serena’s friendship with Katie blossoms, and she slowly dares to do the unthinkable, like talk to a boy and join chorus. But a social life can’t replace a father, or fix her family’s problems, something that sours even her happiest moments.
When her dad comes home sober, he asks Serena to trust him. But heartache and humiliation are in store when gossip at school begins. Now she must choose—give Dad a chance laced with some tough love, or revert to hermit mode in case he fails.
First 250:
I slouch in my seat, avoiding Mr. Henderson’s eyes as though that will make me invisible. Today he is cheerful and chirpy and enjoying himself way too much. He leans on a corner of his desk in front of the class, randomly assigning partners for our oral history reports.
“Sam Flores, your partner is—” His broad chest expands in a dramatic pause while he teases the dark-haired boy two seats ahead of me. Sam is a good student, but so cute he’d make my tongue trip me into a huge puddle of embarrassment.
The round white clock behind our teacher ticks away. Suspense holds my lungs hostage. My fingers clench the edge of my chair hard enough to hurt.
Mr. Henderson calls on someone else. My sigh is part relief, part disappointment.
Someone who likes to talk would be a good partner—the more my partner says, the less I’ll need to say. Maybe no one would notice my nerves turning me to stone.
“Serena O’Hara, you and Katie Bell will work on women of the Revolutionary War.”
Katie’s blue eyes radiate satisfaction, smiling at me. I should be happy to get someone so smart. But she’ll want to spend hours making sure we are way over-prepared. Katie also moved into my neighborhood over the summer. What if she expects to meet outside of school? For a second my heart clenches, ready to bolt. We can’t. Not at my house.
I take a deep breath. Relax. There’s no need for her to meet Dad.
41,000 words
MG Contemporary
Pitch:
Twelve-year-old Serena isn’t so much a self-imposed hermit as a dad-imposed one. When your beer-guzzling dad can barely talk, let alone walk, having friends around isn’t an option. But smart, eccentric Katie surprises her with a tempting offer of friendship until Serena’s drunken father nearly runs the girls over. Serena’s relief and guilt overflow when he’s hauled off to a work release program.
With her father gone, Serena’s friendship with Katie blossoms, and she slowly dares to do the unthinkable, like talk to a boy and join chorus. But a social life can’t replace a father, or fix her family’s problems, something that sours even her happiest moments.
When her dad comes home sober, he asks Serena to trust him. But heartache and humiliation are in store when gossip at school begins. Now she must choose—give Dad a chance laced with some tough love, or revert to hermit mode in case he fails.
First 250:
I slouch in my seat, avoiding Mr. Henderson’s eyes as though that will make me invisible. Today he is cheerful and chirpy and enjoying himself way too much. He leans on a corner of his desk in front of the class, randomly assigning partners for our oral history reports.
“Sam Flores, your partner is—” His broad chest expands in a dramatic pause while he teases the dark-haired boy two seats ahead of me. Sam is a good student, but so cute he’d make my tongue trip me into a huge puddle of embarrassment.
The round white clock behind our teacher ticks away. Suspense holds my lungs hostage. My fingers clench the edge of my chair hard enough to hurt.
Mr. Henderson calls on someone else. My sigh is part relief, part disappointment.
Someone who likes to talk would be a good partner—the more my partner says, the less I’ll need to say. Maybe no one would notice my nerves turning me to stone.
“Serena O’Hara, you and Katie Bell will work on women of the Revolutionary War.”
Katie’s blue eyes radiate satisfaction, smiling at me. I should be happy to get someone so smart. But she’ll want to spend hours making sure we are way over-prepared. Katie also moved into my neighborhood over the summer. What if she expects to meet outside of school? For a second my heart clenches, ready to bolt. We can’t. Not at my house.
I take a deep breath. Relax. There’s no need for her to meet Dad.
Entry #6: THE CHRONICLES OF WHAT HAPPENED, BY CAM HANSON
THE CHRONICLES OF WHAT HAPPENED, BY CAM HANSON
79,600 words
YA Contemporary
Pitch:
Sometimes a kid’s only hope for saving himself is to become his parents’ shrink.
Or so fifteen-year-old Cam Hanson would like you to think. Never mind that he spent last summer under the care of a psychiatrist, or as Cam calls him, the “effing witch doctor mind specialist.” He’d rather you pay more attention to his attempt to turn his life around, to become more observant, more professional.
When his family’s surprise inheritance of a grand old home dredges up troubling memories from his parents’ childhoods, Cam decides his life’s purpose is to be their therapist. Learning from and then cleverly supplanting a sketchy hired hypnotist, he fends off his meddling siblings and pushes his parents to the brink. But in forcing a confrontation with their traumatic pasts, is Cam trying to help them heal or is he being driven by the unsettling truth behind his desire to reinvent himself?
First Page:
So before we get started and get carried away and all that, let’s be clear about something:
Cam Hanson has not run away from home.
Okay, technically, he has, but really, the more sophisticated and professional explanation (out of respect for your intelligence) is that Cam Hanson has taken a brief sabbatical from home. More specifically, a brief sabbatical from his role as hands-on, day-to-day leader of his family and his parents’ only hope at healing their deep-seated psychic wounds.
Nice résumé for someone alive only fifteen years ten months.
Another important point in need of clarification: This temporary suspension of familial duties and Cam’s subsequent departure to an undisclosed location with his notebooks and pens and his memories to write out what you’re reading now, this chronicle of what really happened to the Hansons in those ten months following the day he turned fifteen, is not Cam’s doing by choice, but rather his best option out of several less attractive ones due to the unfortunate, inexcusable actions and belief systems of certain nefarious individuals, all of which will be exposed, and rightfully so, in said chronicle.
But that’s not where the story begins.
Cam’s parents didn’t become his patients overnight and a jealous world didn’t try and tear down the edifice of his achievements in one day. We start where it all really started for Cam Hanson: that particularly anxious evening in February, when, among other fortuitous events, he received a vision from the future.
79,600 words
YA Contemporary
Pitch:
Sometimes a kid’s only hope for saving himself is to become his parents’ shrink.
Or so fifteen-year-old Cam Hanson would like you to think. Never mind that he spent last summer under the care of a psychiatrist, or as Cam calls him, the “effing witch doctor mind specialist.” He’d rather you pay more attention to his attempt to turn his life around, to become more observant, more professional.
When his family’s surprise inheritance of a grand old home dredges up troubling memories from his parents’ childhoods, Cam decides his life’s purpose is to be their therapist. Learning from and then cleverly supplanting a sketchy hired hypnotist, he fends off his meddling siblings and pushes his parents to the brink. But in forcing a confrontation with their traumatic pasts, is Cam trying to help them heal or is he being driven by the unsettling truth behind his desire to reinvent himself?
First Page:
So before we get started and get carried away and all that, let’s be clear about something:
Cam Hanson has not run away from home.
Okay, technically, he has, but really, the more sophisticated and professional explanation (out of respect for your intelligence) is that Cam Hanson has taken a brief sabbatical from home. More specifically, a brief sabbatical from his role as hands-on, day-to-day leader of his family and his parents’ only hope at healing their deep-seated psychic wounds.
Nice résumé for someone alive only fifteen years ten months.
Another important point in need of clarification: This temporary suspension of familial duties and Cam’s subsequent departure to an undisclosed location with his notebooks and pens and his memories to write out what you’re reading now, this chronicle of what really happened to the Hansons in those ten months following the day he turned fifteen, is not Cam’s doing by choice, but rather his best option out of several less attractive ones due to the unfortunate, inexcusable actions and belief systems of certain nefarious individuals, all of which will be exposed, and rightfully so, in said chronicle.
But that’s not where the story begins.
Cam’s parents didn’t become his patients overnight and a jealous world didn’t try and tear down the edifice of his achievements in one day. We start where it all really started for Cam Hanson: that particularly anxious evening in February, when, among other fortuitous events, he received a vision from the future.
Entry #5: COWARDS AND CAPES
COWARDS AND CAPES
60,000 words
YA Sci-Fi
It's been twenty years since the last superheroes died and the power went out in Chicago. The city's dark remains have burdened fifteen-year-old Glenn with a broken mother and a battered best friend. They are both his greatest loves and his biggest burdens. With his late father's revolver and a heavy, cynical heart, Glenn protects them as best he can until the day the mysterious old man at the end of his delivery route shares a secret: he knows how to bring electricity back. What is more, he'll need Glenn to find the bodies of the dead superheroes to make it happen. It's a decision that will inevitably create the first and last supervillain. Moving back and forth through five decades and vividly exploring love, loss and hope, this story combines the depth and beauty of THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER AND CLAY with the humor and adventure of GOONIES.
Glenn poked Charlie's body with the toe of his shoe. He was unconscious, shattered glass and milk strewn all around him on the pavement. There was blood, too, escaping from some unseen head wound and stretching its crimson fingers inside the white liquid.
Glenn bent down and shook his burly friend. "Charlie."
Staying in the middle of Malum Street left them incredibly exposed.
The sun had just broke behind the lone house at the end of the forgotten road, all the weeds and gnarled growth glistening with frost. The two-story home looked as though it could be pushed over. Glenn had often thought of doing it himself, of putting the structure out of its misery. What little paint remained was no longer colored and the wood beneath it had given way to rot and ominous noises whenever the wind picked up. It was assumed that it had been abandoned and looted, the same as every house in the neighborhood, but the boys went by every morning regardless.
Because Charlie had begged and Glenn had relented. Someone at Training had said they'd seen lights on inside the house. Not candlelight, either. Light light. Electric light. It was the stuff of legend, buried with the last superheroes in '64.
It had been relatively easy for Glenn to work the lifeless street into their delivery route, to swing by the house in the dead of morning and let Charlie check for the lights. How quickly that simple choice had become a poor one.
60,000 words
YA Sci-Fi
PITCH:
FIRST 250:
Chapter One
__________
1984
Glenn bent down and shook his burly friend. "Charlie."
Staying in the middle of Malum Street left them incredibly exposed.
The sun had just broke behind the lone house at the end of the forgotten road, all the weeds and gnarled growth glistening with frost. The two-story home looked as though it could be pushed over. Glenn had often thought of doing it himself, of putting the structure out of its misery. What little paint remained was no longer colored and the wood beneath it had given way to rot and ominous noises whenever the wind picked up. It was assumed that it had been abandoned and looted, the same as every house in the neighborhood, but the boys went by every morning regardless.
Because Charlie had begged and Glenn had relented. Someone at Training had said they'd seen lights on inside the house. Not candlelight, either. Light light. Electric light. It was the stuff of legend, buried with the last superheroes in '64.
It had been relatively easy for Glenn to work the lifeless street into their delivery route, to swing by the house in the dead of morning and let Charlie check for the lights. How quickly that simple choice had become a poor one.
Entry #4: XAVIER AND THE MYSTERIOUS BLACK SPACESHIP
XAVIER AND THE MYSTERIOUS BLACK SPACESHIP
42,000 words
MG Science Fiction Adventure
Pitch:
Twelve-year-old Xavier Howell has a knack for making things go awry on a colossal scale. Like when his beetle trap experiment turned into a minefield of dung bombs. Otherwise, he's just an ordinary kid on a normal outer-world colony . . . as far as he knows.
When a mysterious black spaceship shows up and almost fries the colony to a crisp; Xavier uncovers a holographic message left by his long dead mother. She confesses to hiding a microchip in his head containing her super-secret artificial intelligence research and warns him that "The Man" (evil head of the Cornucopia Conglomerate) will do anything to get his hands on it.
With a band of eclectic sidekicks that include a quirky professor and a robot with multiple personalities, Xavier must escape the mysterious black spaceship and solve his mother's riddles—all while using his non-dorky ninja moves to dodge giant, man-eating plants.
First Page:
I thought to myself: Self, that’s not supposed to happen—just as the second dung bomb exploded.
Watching the smelly, sticky, brownish-green substance fly through the air like shrapnel, I realized I'd made a slight miscalculation somewhere. Crouched in one of the wheat fields that surrounded the colony on Kevin 5, I took a moment to review the parameters of my little beetle catching science fair experiment.
Mr. Finch, the colony's bug guy, assured me the chemical I'd used in the traps would be poisonous to the black-bellied grain beetle. The heap of cow dung covering the trays of chemicals was meant to attract said beetles (again according to the illustrious Mr. Finch)—not blowup. Perhaps I should've consulted the colony chemist, too?
The third beetle-trap-turned-dung-bomb exploded.
That's when the smell first hit me. I tried very hard not to let any more air penetrate my nose or mouth. The endeavor was unsuccessful and so I gagged … repeatedly.
"Xavier Howell!"
I cringed. I didn't recognize the voice (the colony was not that small), but its tone was certainly familiar. My reputation had preceded me. Turning around slowly, I came face to knees with one of the grain farmers. I couldn't remember the man’s name, but I might've been distracted by the fact that he was covered—from head to toe—in dung.
It was difficult to talk without first inhaling the putrid air. "Yes, sir?"
"What in—" His angry reply was cut off by the fourth and final explosion.
When a mysterious black spaceship shows up and almost fries the colony to a crisp; Xavier uncovers a holographic message left by his long dead mother. She confesses to hiding a microchip in his head containing her super-secret artificial intelligence research and warns him that "The Man" (evil head of the Cornucopia Conglomerate) will do anything to get his hands on it.
With a band of eclectic sidekicks that include a quirky professor and a robot with multiple personalities, Xavier must escape the mysterious black spaceship and solve his mother's riddles—all while using his non-dorky ninja moves to dodge giant, man-eating plants.
First Page:
I thought to myself: Self, that’s not supposed to happen—just as the second dung bomb exploded.
Watching the smelly, sticky, brownish-green substance fly through the air like shrapnel, I realized I'd made a slight miscalculation somewhere. Crouched in one of the wheat fields that surrounded the colony on Kevin 5, I took a moment to review the parameters of my little beetle catching science fair experiment.
Mr. Finch, the colony's bug guy, assured me the chemical I'd used in the traps would be poisonous to the black-bellied grain beetle. The heap of cow dung covering the trays of chemicals was meant to attract said beetles (again according to the illustrious Mr. Finch)—not blowup. Perhaps I should've consulted the colony chemist, too?
The third beetle-trap-turned-dung-bomb exploded.
That's when the smell first hit me. I tried very hard not to let any more air penetrate my nose or mouth. The endeavor was unsuccessful and so I gagged … repeatedly.
"Xavier Howell!"
I cringed. I didn't recognize the voice (the colony was not that small), but its tone was certainly familiar. My reputation had preceded me. Turning around slowly, I came face to knees with one of the grain farmers. I couldn't remember the man’s name, but I might've been distracted by the fact that he was covered—from head to toe—in dung.
It was difficult to talk without first inhaling the putrid air. "Yes, sir?"
"What in—" His angry reply was cut off by the fourth and final explosion.
Entry #3: TRACKER220
TRACKER220
74,000 words
YA Sci fi/Thriller
Like everyone, sixteen-year-old Kaya Weiss has a brain-interfacing tracking chip, but she’s also the glitch that threatens the entire network.
With a series of thoughts and blinks, Kaya can contact anyone and search for anything on the tracker network. But the authorities monitor everything—where Kaya goes, who she talks to, and what she searches. It’s never bothered her much, until her tracker malfunctions, and the authorities carve into her skull to reset it.
When Kaya’s tracker goes off the grid a second time, there’s no way she’ll become a lab rat again. Except a rogue movement called the Ghosts also hunts her—to exploit her faulty tracker and destroy the network. Evading the authorities requires serious tech skills, but Kaya can’t trust the Ghosts either. Accustomed to having infinite knowledge at her disposal, Kaya must rely on her intelligence to uncover the source of the glitches before either side lobotomizes her for the defective tracking chip.
First page
We were going to get caught. No question about it. Masking your tracker signal got you a date with the authorities at best, and at worst… I didn’t want to think about it. I wasn’t lucky enough to get away with this. I was never that lucky.
Troy grinned and held out the radio wave generator. “Come on, Kaya. You know you want to.”
I shook my head. A few minutes of freedom from the tracker network wasn’t worth the risk. If the authorities showed up, they’d brain probe us to check our chips for glitches.
Troy waved the box in my face. “You sure? It’s such a rush!”
I shivered despite the bonfire blazing in front of us. “No, I’m good, thanks.”
That little box was trouble. Worse than Pandora’s. My muscles tensed. At least if I refused to disrupt my tracker signal, I wouldn’t have to lie about breaking the law.
Trekking into the woods to watch everyone attempt to beat the record for longest signal disruption was insanity. Why couldn’t we hang out at the fly-in theater instead? Anything other than pursuing a one-way ticket to tracker juvie.
But they loved the thrill of tempting fate—the ultimate game of chicken. At best, they had about five minutes of interrupted tracker signals before the network alerted the authorities.
I leaned into Harlow, and he put his arm around me. He’d never ditch me. But most of his friends wouldn’t hesitate to use me as authority bait if the agents showed up. Not if—when.
Troy glared at Harlow. “Looks like your girlfriend’s afraid of getting caught.”
Entry #2: THE MIDNIGHT FLIGHT OF THE SALEM MAGI
THE MIDNIGHT FLIGHT OF THE SALEM MAGI
58,000
MG Fantasy
Pitch:
THE MIDNIGHT FLIGHT OF THE SALEM MAGI is a secret history retelling of
Paul Revere's Ride.
Ark and Swanette are under a family curse that would keep most kids
out of trouble— they cannot tell lies. But when witch hunters start
asking questions about the Salem witches' descendants, the twins flee
to Boston in hopes of escaping their ancestors' doom.
Instead, they uncover an alliance between the witch hunters and
redcoats to unleash dragons against the patriots in exchange for the
redcoats' help capturing New England's magi. Although the twins were
taught to stay hidden, they know the terror of being chased and can't
abandon anyone to such a fate.
Before Lexington can be attacked, Ark and Swanette must form an
alliance with Abigail Adams, Boston's witch-in-chief, to save the
patriots. Because when dragons are coming, it's one if by land, two if
by sea, and three if by air.
First 250 Words:
At dusk I’m scheduled to burn at the stake. I don't like to brag, but
I'm really good at it. This will be my third time. It’s made me
something of a celebrity around New England. While burning magi has
always attracted large crowds, I like to think I’ve taken the
spectacle to a new level.
Thanks to my reputation, the villagers have packed the town square
despite the short notice. A local baker rambles through the crowd,
hefting a food tray overhead. "Get your gingerbread cookies! It's not
a bonfire without your favorite foods."
I’d wave the baker down, but I’m chained to a stake atop a log
pyramid. Instead, I hop in place to rattle the steel chains. "Do you
have any oatmeal cookies?"
The baker raises his bushy eyebrows. "Kid, no one likes oatmeal cookies."
"Well, I do."
He shakes his head. "In that case, no one but you likes oatmeal cookies."
I let out a huff that turns to fog in the cold air. "I’m surrounded by
Philistines."
They form a crowd that stretches toward the horizon until their faces
begin to blur in the fading light. Latecomers scramble up ladders to
reach the nearby rooftops. A few have even taken the time to bring
telescopes.
From the audience size, every person in the region must have come to
find out if I can honestly survive being burned alive. Thank Goodness.
If everyone is watching me, no one is searching for my sister and
cousins.
58,000
MG Fantasy
Pitch:
THE MIDNIGHT FLIGHT OF THE SALEM MAGI is a secret history retelling of
Paul Revere's Ride.
Ark and Swanette are under a family curse that would keep most kids
out of trouble— they cannot tell lies. But when witch hunters start
asking questions about the Salem witches' descendants, the twins flee
to Boston in hopes of escaping their ancestors' doom.
Instead, they uncover an alliance between the witch hunters and
redcoats to unleash dragons against the patriots in exchange for the
redcoats' help capturing New England's magi. Although the twins were
taught to stay hidden, they know the terror of being chased and can't
abandon anyone to such a fate.
Before Lexington can be attacked, Ark and Swanette must form an
alliance with Abigail Adams, Boston's witch-in-chief, to save the
patriots. Because when dragons are coming, it's one if by land, two if
by sea, and three if by air.
First 250 Words:
At dusk I’m scheduled to burn at the stake. I don't like to brag, but
I'm really good at it. This will be my third time. It’s made me
something of a celebrity around New England. While burning magi has
always attracted large crowds, I like to think I’ve taken the
spectacle to a new level.
Thanks to my reputation, the villagers have packed the town square
despite the short notice. A local baker rambles through the crowd,
hefting a food tray overhead. "Get your gingerbread cookies! It's not
a bonfire without your favorite foods."
I’d wave the baker down, but I’m chained to a stake atop a log
pyramid. Instead, I hop in place to rattle the steel chains. "Do you
have any oatmeal cookies?"
The baker raises his bushy eyebrows. "Kid, no one likes oatmeal cookies."
"Well, I do."
He shakes his head. "In that case, no one but you likes oatmeal cookies."
I let out a huff that turns to fog in the cold air. "I’m surrounded by
Philistines."
They form a crowd that stretches toward the horizon until their faces
begin to blur in the fading light. Latecomers scramble up ladders to
reach the nearby rooftops. A few have even taken the time to bring
telescopes.
From the audience size, every person in the region must have come to
find out if I can honestly survive being burned alive. Thank Goodness.
If everyone is watching me, no one is searching for my sister and
cousins.
Entry #1: WHO IS BERKLEY ADAMS?
WHO IS BERKLEY ADAMS?
81,000 words
YA Contemporary
Pitch:
Sixteen-year-old identical twins Ben and Travis are impossible to tell apart, and that’s just how they like it. That is until Berkley Adams identifies Ben from Travis before the entire school—something their own mother can’t do—and challenges them to a game of riddles. Humiliated and exposed, they leap at the chance for revenge.
Ben’s detailed mind and Travis’ hacking skills have one semester to answer her riddle: “Who is Berkley Adams?” Clue by clue, they seek to turn the game against her, but as they discover Berkley’s more intimate side, her secrets transform her into someone likeable—friend-worthy, even. Though Ben can’t help but linger on the idea, he knows Travis will never let that happen.
The twins have only two choices left: lose the game and lose each other, or solve Berkley’s riddle and sacrifice the growing friendship.
After all, their world isn’t big enough for three.
First 250:
“Dude, your contacts are gone.” Travis checked their bathroom vanity. “Seriously, your go-to pair, your back-up pair, even your contact solution—poof. Nothing but a random index card signed by some ‘Berkley Adams.’”
Ben hung his head. What was he going to do without his contacts? He’d have to show up for school at Northside Collegiate in half an hour, and he’d either be blind or wearing glasses. Glasses that would make him look different from his identical twin. In public. Where outsiders could see.
“Hang on, there’s a message on the back.” Travis lifted a white rectangle. “‘To Ben Northside,” he said, “and also to Travis Northside, who is likely reading aloud for his brother. I apologize for the petty theft, but don’t be alarmed, you’ll thank me soon.’”
Ben crossed his arms. Who would write this? Only their mother left notes for them, and those were restricted to the kitchen.
“‘As you can see—or rather, not see—your contacts have been removed from your possession. This is only to prep you both for our meeting today at Northside Collegiate, whereupon you will be issued a challenge. No need to worry—I’ll find you. Additional apologies for this morning’s inconvenience, but you may find that blindness will deliver a sharper perspective. Sincerely,’” Travis hesitated, “Berkley Adams’?”
Ben pulled his eyebrows together as cold blood flooded down his back. Who was Berkley Adams?
“I think,” Travis said with a slow-growing grin, “we have a new game on our hands.”
Ben’s detailed mind and Travis’ hacking skills have one semester to answer her riddle: “Who is Berkley Adams?” Clue by clue, they seek to turn the game against her, but as they discover Berkley’s more intimate side, her secrets transform her into someone likeable—friend-worthy, even. Though Ben can’t help but linger on the idea, he knows Travis will never let that happen.
The twins have only two choices left: lose the game and lose each other, or solve Berkley’s riddle and sacrifice the growing friendship.
After all, their world isn’t big enough for three.
First 250:
“Dude, your contacts are gone.” Travis checked their bathroom vanity. “Seriously, your go-to pair, your back-up pair, even your contact solution—poof. Nothing but a random index card signed by some ‘Berkley Adams.’”
Ben hung his head. What was he going to do without his contacts? He’d have to show up for school at Northside Collegiate in half an hour, and he’d either be blind or wearing glasses. Glasses that would make him look different from his identical twin. In public. Where outsiders could see.
“Hang on, there’s a message on the back.” Travis lifted a white rectangle. “‘To Ben Northside,” he said, “and also to Travis Northside, who is likely reading aloud for his brother. I apologize for the petty theft, but don’t be alarmed, you’ll thank me soon.’”
Ben crossed his arms. Who would write this? Only their mother left notes for them, and those were restricted to the kitchen.
“‘As you can see—or rather, not see—your contacts have been removed from your possession. This is only to prep you both for our meeting today at Northside Collegiate, whereupon you will be issued a challenge. No need to worry—I’ll find you. Additional apologies for this morning’s inconvenience, but you may find that blindness will deliver a sharper perspective. Sincerely,’” Travis hesitated, “Berkley Adams’?”
Ben pulled his eyebrows together as cold blood flooded down his back. Who was Berkley Adams?
“I think,” Travis said with a slow-growing grin, “we have a new game on our hands.”
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Pitch Plus One Top 25
You've ALL been amazing and we hope you've learned from the feedback the process provided. But here are the top 25 titles you've been waiting for! Congrats. If you find yours below you should revise and get your pitch and first page back ASAP! You have until February 27th at 3PM EASTERN. Then I will begin posting the pitch and first pages for each of you. If you choose not to revise, I will post then same entry as last time with a new random number.
| ANYTHING BUT ALIVE |
| CHILDREN OF TOKUA |
| COWARDS AND CAPES |
| FIGHT FOR THIS |
| IF ONE OF THEM IS DEAD` |
| LISTEN TO ME |
| MUSE POWERS IN DANGER |
| NIKITA WHITFIELD AND THE BUTTERFLY EATER |
| RETTA VS. MUTANTS |
| RIVETED |
| THE BATTLE OF WONDERLAND GARDENS |
| THE CHRONICLES OF WHAT HAPPENED, BY CAM HANSON |
| THE GREAT WOODS |
| THE HUNT FOR THE HEAVENLY HORSE |
| THE KIDNAPPER'S CONUNDRUM |
| THE LAND OF JOY AND SORROW |
| THE LEDGE |
| THE MIDNIGHT FLIGHT OF THE SALEM MAGI |
| THE OTHER SIDE OF NORMAL |
| THE SECRETS WE KEEP |
| THE SINNER ROSE |
| TRACKER 220 |
| WHATEVER IT TAKES |
| WHO IS BERKLEY ADAMS? |
| XAVIER AND THE MYSTERIOUS BLACK SPACESHIP |
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Entry #49: THE KIDNAPPER'S CONUNDRUM
THE KIDNAPPER'S CONUNDRUM
55,000
MG Fantasy
Just before 12-year-old Simon Hardt’s parents went missing, his father entrusted him with a necklace. Now the owner of the necklace –a librarian in the mysterious town of Drumwick – has gone missing too, and Simon is on trial, suspected of being involved.
Unable to convince Drumwick’s council he's innocent, straight-A Simon is placed under house arrest. Luckily, being trapped in a four-walled prison is no match for Simon's best friend, Abby – a nine-year-old interested in anything that lets her skip school. Free and with necklace in hand, they snake through the alleyways and secret passages of Drumwick, searching for clues to his parents' location. Instead, they encounter everything from crawling snickets to spotted honknuckles, but the mystery deepens when Simon discovers a hidden store-house belonging to the real kidnapper. The criminal is still nearby and desperate to find the necklace. Turns out the pendant is something much more than a piece of old, broken jewelry.
Between conspiratorial conversations, dodging cops, and destroying an entire library, Simon is thrown into some serious detective work. There's a culprit to catch, and if Simon can’t clear his name before someone else goes missing, he might never see his family again.
First page:
Thirty-seven minutes ago, a bush winked. Granted, Simon never truly believed in monsters, but his eight-year-old sister Emily wouldn’t shut up about the creatures hiding in the forest. It was starting to get to him — he hadn’t slept for two days.
“Surprised to see you this far from the RV,” his father commented.
“I needed a break.” Simon spun on the rotten bench. A tall man, Jim Hardt had more hair on the sides of his head than on top, and a permanent watch tan decorated his wrist. In one hand he carried two fishing poles, both twice Simon’s height, and in the other, a rusty tackle box. “Emily woke me up again last night with her creepy stories.”
“If I remember correctly, you went through a similar period.” He ruffled Simon’s overgrown hair. “You claimed something lived under your bed.”
“At least that’s normal,” Simon grumbled. A few Christmases ago, he unwrapped a book from Santa: Mystical Wonders of World’s Legends. Amazing pictures and exciting stories about creepy creatures from different areas of the world — also happened to give him nightmares for a month straight.
“Fishing might get your mind off Emily.” His father held up the poles. They were quite loved – and bent. “The nice old couple down the road let me borrow them.”
“Can I dig for the worms?”
The ground turned out rockier than expected, and worms a bit sparse, but Simon eventually found a handful. The stream, on the other-hand, was a pleasant surprise.
Entry #48: Andari
Andari
120,000 words
YA Fantasy
Pitch:
Magical sword-bearer Andari and her landwalking merman love Jaire of the South must intervene when the dragon king asks King Kyan of the North for a bride prize. A dragon attack on the Southern beaches is imminent. Should King Kyan ally with the dragons, the Southern forest folk and beach-settled children of merfolk will fall.
King Kyan accepts Jaire's offer to be an ambassador to the dragons in place of sending a bride, then tells Andari he'll aid the South if Andari becomes his own queen. Andari initially sees this as a marriage of expediency. King Kyan is smitten and desperate for his country's survival.
They soon learn that dragons attack land, sea, and underworld, upending even the ancestors. The only chance to break the dread alliance will be to take down the dragon king himself . . .
120,000 words
YA Fantasy
Pitch:
Magical sword-bearer Andari and her landwalking merman love Jaire of the South must intervene when the dragon king asks King Kyan of the North for a bride prize. A dragon attack on the Southern beaches is imminent. Should King Kyan ally with the dragons, the Southern forest folk and beach-settled children of merfolk will fall.
King Kyan accepts Jaire's offer to be an ambassador to the dragons in place of sending a bride, then tells Andari he'll aid the South if Andari becomes his own queen. Andari initially sees this as a marriage of expediency. King Kyan is smitten and desperate for his country's survival.
They soon learn that dragons attack land, sea, and underworld, upending even the ancestors. The only chance to break the dread alliance will be to take down the dragon king himself . . .
My last day among the Sangi stank of trouble. Even before the Acursa came for me.
At our beach bonfire celebration, two fresh dragon heads sat on stakes framed by torches just in from the night surf like totems against the darkness. The smaller dragon head, on the stake to the left, I’d killed myself with my sword Denara.
Dragons tried to take Agratica five hundred years ago. That time, the people united and held them off. Five swords of power helped hold the beaches. The dragons turned away to conquer and colonize a less well-defended land. Now dragons returned. Only two swords of power remained at the beach, and I didn't know how we'd survive.
The aromas of dinner and the night sea in the wind felt like a sultry caress. Colorful flames from the bonfires threw flickering lights on the faces of dancing merfolk who had turned tails to legs to come to the party and shadowy gray Sangi who’d come out from the Devlag woods to enjoy the food. At the edge of the nearby forest, tree spirits danced to the music of Sangi drums and mer pipes.
Jaire and I sat at the fringe of the festivities, backs to the cliffs. I shivered and leaned into him, grateful he was dry. He pulled me in for a salty kiss.
"No need to stress now," he said. "Enjoy the celebration. You've earned it."
“We need the other three swords,” I said.
At our beach bonfire celebration, two fresh dragon heads sat on stakes framed by torches just in from the night surf like totems against the darkness. The smaller dragon head, on the stake to the left, I’d killed myself with my sword Denara.
Dragons tried to take Agratica five hundred years ago. That time, the people united and held them off. Five swords of power helped hold the beaches. The dragons turned away to conquer and colonize a less well-defended land. Now dragons returned. Only two swords of power remained at the beach, and I didn't know how we'd survive.
The aromas of dinner and the night sea in the wind felt like a sultry caress. Colorful flames from the bonfires threw flickering lights on the faces of dancing merfolk who had turned tails to legs to come to the party and shadowy gray Sangi who’d come out from the Devlag woods to enjoy the food. At the edge of the nearby forest, tree spirits danced to the music of Sangi drums and mer pipes.
Jaire and I sat at the fringe of the festivities, backs to the cliffs. I shivered and leaned into him, grateful he was dry. He pulled me in for a salty kiss.
"No need to stress now," he said. "Enjoy the celebration. You've earned it."
“We need the other three swords,” I said.
Entry #47: ANYTHING BUT ALIVE
ANYTHING BUT ALIVE
79,000 words
NA Contemp (no romantic elements)
Pitch:
It takes a lot to break 24-year-old Mariella. Even the depression pseudo-coma that delayed her graduation last year and terrified her family only phased her for a few days. But when she’s slammed with a family suicide and a melodrama-plagued funeral during her last round of finals, she doesn’t just break—
She shatters.
Mari and her family have always battled bipolar disorder—what they call la strega—but her zia’s suicide is the first casualty of their decades-long war. To keep Mari from suffering the same fate, her husband encourages her to start seeing a shrink. But when she meets Oliver, a counseling intern with a mysteriously dead bipolar brother, she becomes obsessed not with her own brokenness, but with Oliver's. After all, it's much easier to fix someone—anyone—else.
But when Mari's misguided plan to give Oliver closure breaks him instead, la strega swoops in to destroy what's left of Mari's life.
1st page:
I tell myself a lot of things every day. That my aversion to people is just a product of hormones. That someday I won’t wake up in some kind of pain. And that, even if both of those are a stretch, I’ll definitely make it to every single class.
Today, like most days, I lied.
“You skipped all of your classes again?” Jason’s tone is stern, but he’s definitely holding back a laugh. “Sweetie, come on. You’re not in frosh or soph classes anym—”
I’d counter that even junior classes are nauseatingly easy, but he hates it when I brag. “I’m sore! And I was tired.”
The excuse sounds lame even to me, but Jason’s laugh is worth it. “You’re always tired. All of us are. It’s called ‘being in college.’”
I groan and flop back on the bed, putting him on speakerphone. I’ve only been up for three hours, but it feels like it’s been three days. “I know, I know. But I played a little more SynthLife for you. You might want to tell Uproar their dialogue guy was probably stoned when he wrote the intro.”
“Hey, it wasn’t that bad.” I can hear the frown in his voice, definitely real this time. “Especially considering Griff pulled three all-nighters in a row to write and code that on deadline.”
“Psh.” My cheeks heat up as I bite my tongue. My life seriously needs “save” and “load” buttons for these kind of foot-in-mouth situations. “I’m just saying if Uproar’s putting out a game that bad this year, maybe Griff would be better off joining you at Spigot instead of the other way around.”
Today, like most days, I lied.
“You skipped all of your classes again?” Jason’s tone is stern, but he’s definitely holding back a laugh. “Sweetie, come on. You’re not in frosh or soph classes anym—”
I’d counter that even junior classes are nauseatingly easy, but he hates it when I brag. “I’m sore! And I was tired.”
The excuse sounds lame even to me, but Jason’s laugh is worth it. “You’re always tired. All of us are. It’s called ‘being in college.’”
I groan and flop back on the bed, putting him on speakerphone. I’ve only been up for three hours, but it feels like it’s been three days. “I know, I know. But I played a little more SynthLife for you. You might want to tell Uproar their dialogue guy was probably stoned when he wrote the intro.”
“Hey, it wasn’t that bad.” I can hear the frown in his voice, definitely real this time. “Especially considering Griff pulled three all-nighters in a row to write and code that on deadline.”
“Psh.” My cheeks heat up as I bite my tongue. My life seriously needs “save” and “load” buttons for these kind of foot-in-mouth situations. “I’m just saying if Uproar’s putting out a game that bad this year, maybe Griff would be better off joining you at Spigot instead of the other way around.”
Entry #46: XAVIER AND THE MYSTERIOUS BLACK SPACESHIP
XAVIER AND THE MYSTERIOUS BLACK SPACESHIP
42,000 words
MG Science Fiction Adventure
Pitch:
Twelve-year-old Xavier Howell has a knack for making things go awry on a colossal scale—for example, his beetle trap science fair project became a minefield of dung bombs. Other than that, he's just an ordinary kid on an outer world colony . . . as far as he knows.
Everything changes when a mysterious spaceship shows up and fries the colony to a crisp, leaving everyone homeless. Xavier's puzzle box plays a holographic message of his long dead mother. Xavier learns about the microchip in his head that "The Man" will do anything to get his hands on.
With a band of eclectic sidekicks that includes a quirky professor, a robot with multiple personalities, and Lillian, the super genius, Xavier must escape the mysterious spaceship, discover his own amazing talents, and solve his mother's riddles—all while using his impressive and non-dorky ninja moves to dodge giant, man-eating plants.
First Page:
I thought to myself: Self, that’s not supposed to happen—just as the second dung bomb exploded.
Watching the smelly, sticky, brownish-green substance fly through the air like shrapnel, I realized somewhere I'd made a slight miscalculation. Crouched in one of the wheat fields that surrounded the colony on Kevin 5, I took a moment to review the parameters of my little beetle catching science fair experiment.
The beetle traps consisted of plastic trays holding a chemical Mr. Finch, the colony's bug guy, assured me would be poisonous to the black-bellied grain beetle. The trays were covered by a heap of cow dung to attract said beetles (again according to the illustrious Mr. Finch). Perhaps I should've consulted the colony chemist, too?
The third beetle-trap-turned-dung-bomb exploded.
"Xavier Howell!"
I cringed. I didn't recognize the voice, the colony was small but not that small, but its tone was certainly familiar. My reputation had preceded me. Turning around slowly, I came face to knees with one of the grain farmers. I couldn't remember the man’s name, but I might've been distracted by the fact that he was covered—from head to toe—in dung.
"Yes, sir?" Why does my voice always crack at times like these?
"What in—"
His angry reply was cut off by the fourth and final explosion. The trap I'd proudly dubbed ‘The Hotel’ went out in a blaze of glory, spewing forth a cloud of brown and a jet of yellow flames.
Everything changes when a mysterious spaceship shows up and fries the colony to a crisp, leaving everyone homeless. Xavier's puzzle box plays a holographic message of his long dead mother. Xavier learns about the microchip in his head that "The Man" will do anything to get his hands on.
With a band of eclectic sidekicks that includes a quirky professor, a robot with multiple personalities, and Lillian, the super genius, Xavier must escape the mysterious spaceship, discover his own amazing talents, and solve his mother's riddles—all while using his impressive and non-dorky ninja moves to dodge giant, man-eating plants.
First Page:
I thought to myself: Self, that’s not supposed to happen—just as the second dung bomb exploded.
Watching the smelly, sticky, brownish-green substance fly through the air like shrapnel, I realized somewhere I'd made a slight miscalculation. Crouched in one of the wheat fields that surrounded the colony on Kevin 5, I took a moment to review the parameters of my little beetle catching science fair experiment.
The beetle traps consisted of plastic trays holding a chemical Mr. Finch, the colony's bug guy, assured me would be poisonous to the black-bellied grain beetle. The trays were covered by a heap of cow dung to attract said beetles (again according to the illustrious Mr. Finch). Perhaps I should've consulted the colony chemist, too?
The third beetle-trap-turned-dung-bomb exploded.
"Xavier Howell!"
I cringed. I didn't recognize the voice, the colony was small but not that small, but its tone was certainly familiar. My reputation had preceded me. Turning around slowly, I came face to knees with one of the grain farmers. I couldn't remember the man’s name, but I might've been distracted by the fact that he was covered—from head to toe—in dung.
"Yes, sir?" Why does my voice always crack at times like these?
"What in—"
His angry reply was cut off by the fourth and final explosion. The trap I'd proudly dubbed ‘The Hotel’ went out in a blaze of glory, spewing forth a cloud of brown and a jet of yellow flames.
Entry #45: The Hunt for the Heavenly Horse
The Hunt for the Heavenly Horse
69,700 words
YA/Historical fiction
Pitch:
The Hunt for the Heavenly Horse is a YA novel set along the ancient Silk Road. It’s about a determined boy named Tagan who sets out to recapture his horse from the Chinese army after they seize 3,000 prized horses from his kingdom. After Tagan is taken hostage by the army, he begins planning the rescue his horse. But before Tagan can escape with his horse the army is divided in half and sent on separate routes back to China. Tagan can’t rescue his horse until the armies reunite, but can he survive the sandstorms and near starvation on the journey? More brutal than this is Tagan’s treatment by his guard, Shan, who regards him as a barbarian. Tagan earns Shan’s grudging respect through his skill with horses and for his knowledge of the desert. As the depleted armies reconnect, Tagan waits to learn the fate of his horse.
First Page:
First Page:
104 B.C.E
Central Asia
Tagan had imagined himself and his horse winning the game of Kok boru many times, but he never knew how hard it would be to steady himself on the bare back of a galloping horse while desperately trying to hold onto a goat carcass by one leg. He and Kutcha had practiced on the open grassland with Kutcha galloping in wide ovals and cutting quick turns while Tagan carried a sack weighted with sand. He had never considered how heavy the goat would be even though it had been gutted before the game began. The goat had also been skinned, making the carcass slick and hard to grasp. Tagan had never dreamed that his horse, Kutcha, would be spooked by the goat’s other three legs that jangled against her side. Tagan had hoped to hoist the goat onto his lap the way the older experienced riders did, but instead he gripped a slippery leg above the hoof as the rest of the carcass thumped against his horse. Kutcha mistook the prodding against her ribs as Tagan spurring her to run faster. Kutcha would have galloped harder anyway to keep ahead of the pack of riders on horseback coming up behind her. Even though Kutcha needed to stay ahead of the avalanche of mounted horses closing in around her Tagan was tipping to one side and was about to slide off of Kutcha’s back.
Give up the goat and stay on your horse, Tagan told himself.
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