PW #424: Adult Cyberpunk Fantasy: LYSISTRATA

Manuscript Status: Finished and ready for delivery

Mentor Name: K.T. Hanna
Mentee Name: Sarah Madsen
Title: LYSISTRATA
Category: Adult
Genre: Cyberpunk Fantasy
Word Count: 76,000

Pitch:

Thief-for-hire Alyssa D’Yaragen doesn’t have a Neurocomm, but she does have one advantage over her high-tech rivals: Elven magic. When a job goes bad, she becomes the target of mystical attacks. With her ex-boyfriend poking around, her new potential girlfriend wooing her hard-core, and a competitor turning confidant, one wrong move could be fatal.

Excerpt:
Manny’s Pub always made me feel like I’d stepped into some sort of fantasy novel. Shadows hugged the corners and the scent of wood smoke and roasted meats filled the warm air, wafting from the fireplace in the far wall. The illusion was spoiled, though, by the hum of the city outside and the pair of retropunks whispering to each other as I passed their table.

Jeremiah sat in the darkest booth at the back of the pub, strategically tucked in the corner so he had a view of the entire room. He saw me coming and smiled, raising his glass in my direction. A few unruly curls of dark hair peeked from beneath the hood of a navy blue sweatshirt with a Miskatonic University logo emblazoned on it. I recognized the shirt. Jeremiah was a good customer of mine, and what he didn’t purchase from me honestly I gave him as payment for favors rendered.

I pulled the most recent gift from the breast pocket of my jacket, slid into the empty bench in his booth, and tossed the slender bottle to him. He tilted it in the dim light to read the label, making an approving sound.

“Gold Reserve. Nice,” he said in a deep voice, then regarded me over his wire-rimmed glasses, tucking the bottle away in the pocket of his hoodie. “You must have something special for me tonight. You only bring out the good stuff for the important ones.”