Manuscript Status: Finished
Mentor Name: Laura Salters
Mentee Name: Rebecca McLaughlin
Title: THE NAMELESS QUEEN
Category: YA
Genre: Fantasy
Word Count: 105,000
Pitch:
Coin is Nameless—no home, no family, no legal rights—but she’s just been named Queen.
If she finds her name, the Royals will fit her for a crown. If she fails, they’ll fit her for a noose.
And she’s not the only one searching.
RED QUEEN meets BOURNE IDENTITY.
Excerpt:
I wake up the same way I fell asleep: knife in hand, boots for a pillow, and Nameless.
When I push away the heavy window shutter, a shiver runs up my arms. My shoulder aches from sleeping on my side, but that’s the best way to stay warm: small spaces and a candle flame. I pull on my boots, wiggling the numbness from my toes.
Curling my fingers into my threadbare sleeves, I leave behind the pungent puddles and uneven alley brickwork for the smoother cobblestone street bearing the morning foot traffic. Passersby shrug off yawns as vendors shout their prices. Two iron rings for a jar of dried apples. Three copper coins for a cut of a morning pastry.
The city of Seriden is waking up.
Ren waits for me at the corner. Most mornings, he trades our stolen coins for a breakfast of stale cornbread while I pick out bump-grab marks. The easiest are pudgy-faced Legals with leather purses flaunted at their waists, or flashy gems dangling past their stiff, starched collars.
Usually Ren leans against the dark bricks, staring out at the morning crowds, his shoulders even and strong, a small smile on his lips that I don’t think he notices.
Today, he’s fidgeting; shoulders pinched, fingers twitching. Never a good sign.
“Bad news?” I ask. Fresh air, sharp with ocean salt, chases away my morning lethargy.
He grabs my hand and pulls me back down the alley. So much for fresh air.
23 Comments
Rachel Marks · November 3, 2015 at 12:43 am
I need to find out what the bad news is! Please send over the first 100 pages to rachel@rfliterary.com. Put in your subject line Pitch Wars Request. I can’t wait to take a look!
Danielle Barthel · November 3, 2015 at 10:14 am
Sounds fascinating! Please send the full manuscript to query@newleafliterary.com, with Pitch Wars – Danielle in the subject line. Thanks!
Kitty Walker · November 3, 2015 at 11:53 am
I like this! I’m very intrigued. Do send the rest to kitty@evewhite.co.uk, with Pitch Wars in the subject heading.
Peter Knapp · November 3, 2015 at 12:07 pm
I would love to take a look at this along with Danielle at NL — no need to resend, I can get the same copy that you sent the the query email — but excited to read!
Alexandra Machinist · November 3, 2015 at 12:08 pm
I’m left hanging…I must know more! Please send the full manuscript to amachinist@icmpartners.com. I can’t wait to read!
Lana Popovic · November 3, 2015 at 12:36 pm
Amnesia and royal succession–two of my favorite things, and not unusually seen together 🙂 I’d love to see the full ms, please, as a PDF, sent to lana@chalbergsussman.com with Pitch Wars and the title in the subject line. Looking forward to it!
Mandy Hubbard · November 3, 2015 at 12:59 pm
This is right up my alley– I’m hooked!
Instructions:
Please send the full as an attached word document, with the pitch you used here pasted into the first page. Send it to QueryMandy@EmeraldCityLiterary.com
Thanks!
Mandy Hubbard
Emerald City Literary Agency
(Formerly D4EO Literary)
Alex Slater · November 3, 2015 at 1:18 pm
Woah. I’d be thrilled to read the full manuscript. Please send a Word document to aslater@tridentmediagroup.com. Thanks!
Jim McCarthy · November 3, 2015 at 2:21 pm
Fantastic pitch! I’d love to have a look. I’m at jmccarthy@dystel.com. Word attachments are most preferable if possible!
Taylor Haggerty · November 3, 2015 at 3:24 pm
I’m hooked, and would love to keep reading! Please feel free to send along the query and full ms (as a word doc), to taylorsubmit@waxmanleavell.com. Thanks!
Jessica Sinsheimer · November 3, 2015 at 4:16 pm
I’d love to take a look! Please send query (in the body of the email) with synopsis and full manuscript (attached as Word documents) to ESubmissions at SarahJaneFreymann.com. Please mention Pitch Wars in the subject line. Thank you!
Melissa Nasson · November 3, 2015 at 4:47 pm
Hi, Rebecca- I would love to read more of this! Please email the full to melissa@rpcontent.com as a Word doc, and be sure to put Pitch Wars in the subject line. Thanks!
Melissa Nasson, Esq.
Associate Agent
Rubin Pfeffer Content, LLC
http://www.rpcontent.com
Suzie Townsend · November 3, 2015 at 11:38 pm
So I know Pete and Danielle have already requested this, but… I’d love to read it too! Send me the query + full ms at suzie@newleafliterary.com 🙂
Rena Rossner · November 4, 2015 at 7:10 am
I’d love to read this full manuscript! Please send it attached as a word document to:
rena(at)thedeborahharrisagency(dot)com
Thanks!
Rena Rossner
Leon Husock · November 4, 2015 at 10:06 am
Wow, looks like I need to read this one fast. I’d like to see more! Please send a query + the full MS to leon@lperkinsagency (with Pitch Wars in the subject line), along with a one-sentence description of your book.
Laura Zats · November 4, 2015 at 10:32 am
This is right up my alley! Please send a query (with #pitchwars in the title) as well as the first 100 pages to laura@redsofaliterary.com!
Stefanie Lieberman · November 4, 2015 at 12:25 pm
I’d love to read more! Please send the first 100 pages in Word format and a query letter to submissions@janklow.com, and include “Stefanie Lieberman” in the subject line of the email. Thank you!
Louise Fury · November 5, 2015 at 12:13 am
I’d love to read the full. Please send it along with the query to: furyqueries(at)thebentagency(dot)com
Include #pitchwars: (Title) in the subject line.
CAN’T WAIT!
Christa Heschke · November 5, 2015 at 3:25 pm
What an interesting premise!Please send the first 100 pages, query and synopsis to chquery[at]mcintoshandotis[dot]com and put “Pitch Wars request” in the subject line.
Thanks,
Christa Heschke
McIntosh & Otis, Inc.
Moe Ferrara · November 5, 2015 at 4:45 pm
I love this and definitely want to see more. Please send the query + synopsis + First 50 pages (I know the question always asked — you can go to the end of a chapter, but no more than 60 pages!) in one word doc to MFsubmissions [at] bookendsliterary.com with “PitchWars Request – THE NAMELESS QUEEN” as the subject. I can’t wait to take a look!
Victoria Marini · November 6, 2015 at 1:45 pm
Hi Rebecca! I emailed you (a somewhat long-winded one with a whole backstory to the email listed on your website) but just in case, I would love to take a look at this! Please send along the full to Victoria@gelfmanschneider.com
Thank you!
Victoria
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