Manuscript Status: Finished
Mentor Name: Joy McCullough
Mentee Name: Rajani LaRocca
Title: MIDSUMMER’S MAYHEM
Category: Middle Grade
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy #ownvoices Indian-American
Word Count: 60,000
Pitch:
Eleven-year-old Mimi dreams of winning a baking contest judged by her celebrity chef idol. But she loses her best helper when her food-writer father returns from a trip mysteriously unable to distinguish between delicious and disgusting. Squabbling sisters, rhyming waitresses, and a golden-eyed boy in the woods mix up a recipe for mayhem in this mash-up of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Master Chef Junior.
Excerpt:
The song from the woods first called to me on a bright June morning while I sat on the back porch swing re-reading my favorite cookbook. I could only hear a few notes, a small taste of a half-remembered melody that meandered through the air, but I was hungry to hear the whole thing, and discover where it came from. I crossed the yard and stopped at the edge of the woods. As the music drifted to me like an irresistible aroma, I held my breath and stepped into the trees.
“Hey, Mimi!” My big sister Jules’s voice yanked me back to reality.
I spun around. She was dribbling a soccer ball, of course.
She leapt over the ball and ran to me. “I need your help.”
I pushed my hair out of my eyes. That’s the kind of hair I have — the kind that’s always in my face. “Did you hear that?” I asked, sure I’d heard the song again. “I want to—”
Jules grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the porch. She pointed at the driveway next door, where a moving van and a silver car were parked. “The new neighbors are here. Let’s bring them the brownies you baked this morning.”
“But those are for Dad.” Welcome Home brownies, since he’d been gone all week.
“Make him something else. Come on, don’t let them see us yet.”
19 Comments
Brent Taylor · November 1, 2017 at 9:12 pm
I would absolutely LOVE to read this! Please send as a Microsoft Word document to brent(@)triadaus(.)com. Looking forward!
Roseanne Wells · November 1, 2017 at 9:51 pm
Two of my favorite things, baking and Shakespeare–I’d love to take a look! Please use the guidelines on jdlit.com to send 100 pp (instead of the usual 20) and put #pitchwars in the subject line. I can’t wait to read more!
Roseanne Wells
The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency
Justin Wells · November 1, 2017 at 9:58 pm
I would love to take a look at this! It sounds fantastic! You can submit your full manuscript (along with other required information) using my Query Manager link: QueryMe.online/Justin_Wells/Pitch_Wars
Lauren Spieller · November 1, 2017 at 10:05 pm
This sounds INCREDIBLE. Please send your query in the body of an email, along with the full manuscript and a synopsis (both attached). Please also include a link to this entry. You can send your materials to lauren@triadaus.com. I look forward to reading!!!
~Lauren
Natascha Morris · November 1, 2017 at 11:14 pm
Rajani, this sounds so good. Please query me at QueryMe.online/1067/PitchWars2017. Thank you!
Best,
Natascha
Rena Rossner · November 2, 2017 at 2:38 am
I’d love to read this! Please send the full manuscript attached as a word document to: rena (at) thedeborahharrisagency (dot) com.
Thanks!
– Rena
Erica Bauman · November 2, 2017 at 4:33 am
This sounds AMAZING–I’d love to see it! Please send a query and the full manuscript to ebauman@aevitascreative.com, and put “Pitch Wars” in the subject line.
Thanks!
-Erica
Jim McCarthy · November 2, 2017 at 8:39 am
I would love to see this! Please send the full manuscript to me at jmccarthy@dystel.com. A Word attachment is most preferable if possible. Best, Jim
Katie Grimm · November 2, 2017 at 9:32 am
Hi Rajani – This concept is so, so amazing – I love Shakespeare retellings and the opening is pitch perfect! Please email your query with full ms attached as a Word doc to dca@doncongdon.com with PitchWars Request + MIDSUMMER’S MAYHEM in the subject line. Thanks!
Best,
Katie Grimm
Don Congdon Associates
Caitie Flum · November 2, 2017 at 9:59 am
This looks great! It I’d love to take a look.
Please send the query in the body of the email + full manuscript as a Word attachment to querycaitie@lizadawson.com with “Pitch Wars request” in the subject.
Hillary Jacobson · November 2, 2017 at 11:57 am
I love your concept and your voice! I’d love to read more. Please do send the full manuscript as a word document to hjacobson@icmpartners.com. Thank you!
Peter Knapp · November 2, 2017 at 3:11 pm
Rajani, this sounds excellent — I’d love to read! Please send the full manuscript as a Word doc with the query pasted into the first page of the document to queries@parkliterary.com with “PETER KNAPP – PITCH WARS REQUEST” in the subject. Thank you, and I look forward to reading!
Whitley Abell · November 2, 2017 at 4:11 pm
I’d love to see more! Please submit your query, synopsis, and first 50 pages to https://querymanager.com/query/inklings_whitley/PitchWars. I can’t wait to dive in!
Blair Wilson · November 2, 2017 at 7:00 pm
This sounds incredible–I’d love to read! Please send the full manuscript as a Word doc with the query pasted into the first page of the document to queries@parkliterary.com with “BLAIR WILSON – PITCH WARS REQUEST” in the subject. Thanks so much–looking forward to reading!
Andrea Cascardi · November 3, 2017 at 11:50 am
I would absolutely love to read this! Please send me the full manuscript, along with your query, to andrea@transatlanticagency.com I’m excited to see where this goes!
Natalie M. Lakosil · November 3, 2017 at 4:54 pm
Hi Joy,
I’d love to see this! Please send the full manuscript to me at natalie@bradfordlit.com, along with a synopsis and your query. Please include “Requested material: Pitch Wars” in the email subject.
Thanks!!
Natalie
Natalie Lakosil
Bradford Literary Agency
Pam Victorio · November 4, 2017 at 2:48 pm
I have been looking for this book forever. FOREVER. Please send a ‘query’ through my Query Manager and I’ll request the full through the system. http://QueryMe.Online/QueryPam
Christa Heschke · November 6, 2017 at 10:32 pm
This sounds great and I’d be interested to see more! Please send a query, first 50 pages and synopsis to chquery@mcintoshandotis.com. Look forward to reading!
-Christa Heschke, McIntosh & Otis
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