Title: FINDING MR. KELLY
Category: Adult
Genre: Historical
Word Count: 76,000
Pitch:
Evelina Taylor, secretary at the Boston Reporter, has been terrified of the sea for as long as she can remember- which makes things problematic when blue-eyed fisherman Finn Kelly arrives from Ireland, intent of finding his missing father. Resolved to keep herself properly detached, Evelina decides to help reunite Finn with his past as the city tremors under the rumors of a strike. As the answers they have been searching for arrives, the city erupts in to chaos and ultimately Evelina realizes that everyone must face their worst fears- even if it means letting Finn go.
Question 1: In your MC’s voice, what costumed character do you relate most to and why?
Mrs. Incredible, I believe, because she will do anything to save her family, and family is important, whether you have only one, or a houseful. She also adores her miraculously thin space-aged suit that allows for incredible flexibility and movement in all sorts of dreadful conditions that might require one to have the convenience of extended limbs- and it’s water proof.
Question 2: As an author, what makes your manuscript a tasty treat (aka unique/marketable)?
The Missing Friends newspaper advertisement was a real column used by the Irish to find their lost friends and loved ones, most of which were found. And who wouldn’t want a handsome Irishman to convince them into the ocean with a kiss?
First 250 words:
A calm, early morning hush, interrupted only by the occasional flight of a stray winter snow flake escaping into the wind escorted her past the entry, down the shoveled porch steps and into a pristine blanket of new snow. Evelina Taylor’s shoes made tiny crescent shaped dents in the diamond-white crust that obscured the sidewalks and roadways, smoothed the edges of the sharp rooftops and draped the window sills with its untouched beauty- unsullied by the soot and grime that the day would indubitably bring. She hadn’t wakened the driver to ready the coupe from the garage; she didn’t want to spoil the backdrop. Not just yet.
She crossed to a lane ruled by elegant black fences under the protection of the soft glow emitting from a stately old street lamp, and relished the silence of a city so peaceful it seemed to be holding its breath. A certain wonderful dreariness still clung to the shadows between the buildings, singing of night and cold earth and the fresh, delicately stitched blankets of frosty lace just waiting to be discovered in their side gardens.
The wind bit in to her cheeks, making her eyes smart and water as she checked her way at a crossing then hurriedly traversed the empty street. She tugged on the green silk scarf around her neck, adjusting it little more snugly at her throat as she squinted up through the towering horizon of shadowy rooftops. Smoke drifted diligently skyward from a long row of chimney stacks; a comforting sign of the warmth within as the last few visible stars blinked out from the gray morning sky.