Manuscript Status: Two Weeks

Mentor Name: Rebecca Petruck

Mentee Name: Robin Lemke

Title: FRENCH BRAIDS AND OTHER ENTANGLEMENTS

Category: Middle Grade

Genre: Science Fiction

Word Count: 50,000 words

Pitch:

An anxiety-ridden math prodigy wants to help her dad find a healthy alt-Earth before their generations-old “temporary” colony on the moon runs out of water. She’d also like a best friend, another resource in short supply. When she discovers the vlog of a girl her age on an obviously alternative Earth, she knows she should tell her dad right away, but can’t resist starting a conversation that turns into real friendship. But when their worlds become entangled at a quantum level, the girls must untangle the cosmic knots and hope friendship can be stronger than Newton’s laws.

Excerpt:

A set is like a collection, like the way my little brother and his friends collect TopBot cards and battle them incessantly at recess. I’m sure he could tell you about every single robot and exactly what it does. Or you could just write it like this: Stone’s Cards = {whatever it is he collects}. But I like to think a set is a collection that means something, so I collect more important things, like grave injustices done against me. The most recent addition to Things Silver Should Never Have to Endure is struggling through an entire choir concert with orange Jell-O dripping down the inside of my space helmet and congealing in my ears thanks to my little brother and things he thinks are hilarious.

I think it’s worth saying that the sets Things Stone Thinks are Hilarious and Grave Injustices Done Against Silver are almost identical.

It’s true, I don’t technically have to wear my space helmet indoors, but that’s not the point. The fact that we’ve learned to live on the moon but not how to make choir concerts endurable isn’t even the point. The point is, I’ve added a new member to a set that really should be empty.

Categories: PW Entries

21 Comments

Lauren Spieller · November 1, 2017 at 10:33 pm

This made me laugh out loud! I’d love to see 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!

Maria Vicente · November 2, 2017 at 8:07 am

Robin, I would love to take a look at the full manuscript! Please email a query letter to maria@psliterary.com with the subject line “Pitch Wars Request: French Braids and Other Entanglements” and include the manuscript (+ a synopsis) as an attachment.

Carrie Pestritto · November 2, 2017 at 8:48 am

I was super intrigued by your pitch and sample and definitely want to read more of this!! Please send me your query and first 50 pages, with the subject “PITCHWARS REQUEST,” to carrie(at)prospectagency(dot)com. Thank you and excited to see more!

Elana Roth Parker · November 2, 2017 at 9:51 am

Hi! I’d love to read more! Please email me at eparker [at] ldlainc [dot] com:

* Subject line: PitchWars Submission: YOUR BOOK TITLE
* Your query letter in the body of the email
* The full manuscript attached as a Word document

Thanks!
Elana

Caitie Flum · November 2, 2017 at 10:16 am

This looks great! 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 12:21 pm

I am in love with the idea of this. Please send the full manuscript as a word document to hjacobson@icmpartners.com. Thank you!!

Sarah Landis · November 2, 2017 at 1:10 pm

I’d love to read more! Please send the full manuscript to slandis@sll.com. Thanks!

Peter Knapp · November 2, 2017 at 3:36 pm

Oh, I am definitely intrigued and the title is great. I’d love to keep reading! 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 3:48 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!

Jessie Devine · November 2, 2017 at 5:54 pm

Ah! I love this so much! Please query me and upload the full manuscript at QueryMe.online/devinequeries/PitchWars. Thank you.

Beth Buck · November 2, 2017 at 8:51 pm

This is a really strong start! I love the mathy nerdiness. I’m an Acquisitions Editor for Immortal Works Press. Please send your full manuscript to beth.buck@immortal-works.com.

Blair Wilson · November 2, 2017 at 11:13 pm

This is so great–I’d love to read more! 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!

Jennifer Azantian · November 3, 2017 at 2:51 am

I would love to read more!

Please send your query, 1-2 page synopsis, and first 100 pages (in an attached word doc.) to queries at azantianlitagency dot com with “PitchWars: TITLE by Name” in the subject line. Thanks!

I look forward to reading on!

Jennifer Azantian
Azantian Literary Agency

Jennifer Azantian · November 3, 2017 at 2:52 am

I would love to read more!

Please send your query, 1-2 page synopsis, and first 100 pages (in an attached word doc.) to queries at azantianlitagency dot com with “PitchWars: TITLE by Name” in the subject line. Thanks!

I look forward to reading!

Jennifer Azantian
Azantian Literary Agency

Jennifer Azantian · November 3, 2017 at 2:55 am

Hi Robin,

I would love to read more!

Please send your query, 1-2 page synopsis, and first 100 pages (in an attached word doc.) to queries at azantianlitagency dot com with “PitchWars: TITLE by Name” in the subject line. Thanks!

I look forward to reading on!

Jennifer Azantian
Azantian Literary Agency

Natalie M. Lakosil · November 3, 2017 at 4:45 pm

Hi Robin,

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

Roseanne Wells · November 3, 2017 at 6:44 pm

I’d love to read more! Please use the guidelines on jdlit.com to send 30pp (instead of the normal 20), and include #Pitchwars in the subject line. I can’t wait to dive in!

Roseanne Wells
The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency

Penelope Burns · November 4, 2017 at 2:07 pm

Hi Robin,

I would absolutely love to see this! Can you send the full to penelope@gelfmaschneider.com with your query in the body of the email and PitchWars and title in the subject line? Thank you!

Penelope

Melissa Nasson · November 6, 2017 at 3:09 pm

Robin, this sounds amazing! Please send the first 50 pages as a Word doc or PDF attachment to melissa@rpcontent.com. Please also include your query letter in the body of the email, and Pitch Wars in the subject line.

I look forward to reading!

Thanks,

Melissa Nasson
Rubin Pfeffer Content

Rena Rossner · November 6, 2017 at 4:09 pm

This sounds amazing and right up my alley! I’d love to take a closer look! Please send the full manuscript attached as a word document to: rena@thedeborahharrisagency.com

Thanks!

– Rena

Brenda Bowen · November 9, 2017 at 10:10 am

Hi Robin —

I’m intrigued! Please send the full manuscript to me at querybb@sjga.com, along with a synopsis and your query. Also — pls include “You loved this in #PitchWars” in the email subject. Thank you for participating and best of luck to you — Brenda

Brenda Bowen
Sanford J. Greenburger Associates
@bbowen949

Comments are closed.