Manuscript Status: Finished
Mentor Names: Helene Dunbar & Beth Hull
Mentee Name: Luke Hupton
Title: THE HEART THAT FOLLOWED ME HOME
Category: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary #ownvoices
Word Count: 65,000 words
Pitch:
Orwell’s anxiety over being gay is exacerbated by his rare form of OCD. He’s convinced he’s too broken to be loved until HIV+ Dexter proves him wrong. But the shadowy figure manifested by Orwell’s crumbling mental state is appearing more often and, unsure where reality stops and his fears begin, Orwell must learn to face what he dreads most, or risk losing himself – and Dexter – forever.
Excerpt:
Dad is teetering on the top step of a ladder, pinning a rainbow flag to the window of The Beginning, the bookstore my parents have run since before I was born.
“Did you buy a bigger flag?” I ask, from behind the counter where I check my emails every morning before school.
Dad looks at Mom nervously. When I came out, they threw me a party and showered me with gifts. They covered the store in pink balloons and images of a smashed-up closet. Then they gave me a rainbow flag cake that made me run up to my room so I could scream into a very plain pillow.
They know how I feel about the flag.
“It’s the same one from last year,” says Dad, without meeting my eyes.
“No, it’s not. The one from last year covered the width of the door. This one spans the whole window. Did it grow while it was in storage?”
“Maybe we have gremlins,” Mom says. “We did have that leak in the attic at Easter.”
I glance at my screen and an ad for the Meat Market appears. Posters have slowly started to show up all over the west end, posters of muscular men in tight briefs covered in oil with a look of mischief on their faces that suggested they were in the wrong place at the right time.
I hate Pride.
18 Comments
Brent Taylor · November 2, 2017 at 9:40 pm
I need this in my inbox ASAP!!! Please send as a Microsoft Word document to brent(@)triadaus(.)com. Looking so forward to it.
Kira Watson · November 2, 2017 at 10:16 pm
Hi Luke,
Wow! I’d love to read more!
Please send your query with a FULL manuscript (attached as a Word Doc) to queries@emmasweeneyagency.com with PitchWars Request for Kira Watson + TITLE.
Thank you!
-Kira Watson
Emma Sweeney Agency
Penny Moore · November 2, 2017 at 11:17 pm
Hi Luke,
I’d love to read more! Please email me at penny[at]empireliterary[dot]com. Please put Pitch Wars and your book title in the subject line and attach your full manuscript! Thanks! Looking forward to reading!
Best,
Penny
Anne · November 3, 2017 at 5:21 am
I want to read MORE****Can I have the full script please. Can’t wait!! It’s a while since I have had the opportunity to read something of yours. You are so good at keeping things to yourself. Share the love! LOL AnneXx
Caitie Flum · November 3, 2017 at 8:49 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.
Jenny Bent · November 3, 2017 at 9:49 am
Please email query and full ms (as an attachment) to info@thebentagency.com, PITCHWARS in subject line. Thanks!
Jess Dallow · November 3, 2017 at 10:11 am
Hi Luke,
I’d love to read more! Please send the full manuscript attached in a word doc with your query letter in the body of the email to Jess@Browerliterary.com with #PitchWars and your title in the subject. Looking forward to reading!
Jess
Carrie Pestritto · November 3, 2017 at 10:29 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 100 pages, with the subject “PITCHWARS REQUEST,” to carrie(at)prospectagency(dot)com. Thank you and excited to see more!
Alice Sutherland-Hawes · November 3, 2017 at 11:57 am
I’m super keen to read more of this. Do send to me at submissions@madeleinemilburn.com for the attention of Alice.
All my best
Alice
Hillary Jacobson · November 3, 2017 at 12:22 pm
I love your writing and I would love to read more!! Please do send the full manuscript as a word document to hjacobson@icmpartners.com. Thank you!!
Quressa Robinson · November 3, 2017 at 2:24 pm
You absolutely, completely sucked me in! I can’t wait to read the rest. I may not be the only agent here at Nelson Literary Agency who wants to read your amazing work! If that is the case, please send just one email to query@nelsonagency.com with PITCH WARS UPLOAD in the subject line. We will reply with our upload instructions, and then all the interested NLA agents will read and consider your manuscript. Thank you!”
Danielle Burby · November 3, 2017 at 3:29 pm
This one is so totally up my alley! You have a really compelling voice and I definitely want to see the full. I know I’m not the only agent here at Nelson Literary Agency who is excited to read this one! Please send just one email to query@nelsonagency.com with PITCH WARS UPLOAD in the subject line. We will reply with our upload instructions, and then all the interested NLA agents will read and consider your manuscript. Thank you!
Peter Knapp · November 3, 2017 at 4:50 pm
This sounds incredible, Luke! The title alone has me feeling emotional, and the voice is so good. I would love to read more. Please send the full manuscript as a Word doc to queries@parkliterary.com with the query pasted into the first page of the doc. If available, please also attach a one (or so) page synopsis. Put “PITCH WARS REQUEST – PETE KNAPP” in the subject. Thank you!
Roseanne Wells · November 3, 2017 at 7:31 pm
I want to read this book right now! Please use the guidelines on jdlit.com to send 100pp (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
Blair Wilson · November 4, 2017 at 1:58 pm
This sounds great — I would love to read more! Please send the full manuscript as a Word doc to queries@parkliterary.com with the query pasted into the first page of the doc. Put “PITCH WARS REQUEST – BLAIR WILSON” in the subject. Thank you–looking forward to reading!
Christa Heschke · November 4, 2017 at 2:06 pm
Wow! I have to read on and see where this goes! Please send a query, first 50 pages and synopsis to chquery@mcintoshandotis.com and put the title and Pitch Wars request in the subject line.
–Christa Heschke, McIntosh & Otis
Melissa Nasson · November 6, 2017 at 3:35 pm
Luke, I’d love to read more of this! 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
Brianne Johnson · November 6, 2017 at 4:25 pm
Hi Luke,
I’m already so captivated by the sample you’ve shared above! Please could you send the first 50 attached in a word document? I would really appreciate it if you would label your query REQUESTED: Pitch Wars and label the document with your last name and the title.
Thank you so much! I can’t wait to dive in!
Warmly,
Bri
Brianne Johnson
Writers House
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