Manuscript Status: Finished
Mentor Name: McKelle George and Heather Cashman
Mentee Name: Kristin Walters
Title: THE BOY IN THE RED DRESS
Category: Young Adult
Genre: Historical Mystery
Word Count: 65,000
Pitch:
When her drag queen best friend is accused of murder, a Jazz Age Veronica Mars must use her sharp wits and sharper tongue to search for the real killer in the seedy underbelly and glittering upper crust of 1931 New Orleans.
Excerpt:
Before that night, murder didn’t scare me. Even in the Quarter, where somebody got shot or stabbed or drowned every other week, I didn’t give it much thought. This was home. The buildings were crooked, and so were the people. I liked it that way.
Crooked made the Cloak and Dagger club possible. Made a person like me blend right in, like I’d never done in all those small towns Mama dragged me around to before she ditched me with Aunt Cal.
For once, though, I didn’t want to blend in. It was supposed to be my night. But like most things had in my seventeen years, “supposed to” flew the coop pretty quick.
As soon as Aunt Cal left for the bus station that evening, I put on fresh-pressed duds and combed my hair down, slick as glass. I found a tube of stage lipstick in the flotsam on her dresser and swiped that on too.
A two-note whistle sailed up through the open window, my best friend Marion’s signal he was waiting downstairs. I rubbed the lipstick back off with a handkerchief. It felt too waxy, too red, and false as a three-dollar bill.
Not that I minded a good lie. It just had to be one that suited me. And red lipstick didn’t. That was Marion’s affair.
What suited me was my newsboy cap, which I jammed down over my bobbed hair, and my nine-inch pearl-handled switchblade, which I flicked open and shut, twirled, and stuffed into my trousers pocket.
21 Comments
Kira Watson · November 2, 2017 at 10:23 pm
Hi Kristin,
Please send!
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
Jessica Watterson · November 2, 2017 at 11:01 pm
Would LOVE to see this, as Veronica Mars is my girl! Please send full, synopsis, query to jessica@dijkstra agency.com with #pitchwars in the sub line!
Michelle Richter · November 3, 2017 at 12:14 am
I’d love to see this! Please send the full and your query to me st querymichelle@fuseliterary.com and include Pitch Wars in the subject line.
Jessie Devine · November 3, 2017 at 1:44 am
I love this! Please query me and upload the full manuscript here: QueryMe.online/devinequeries/PitchWars
Erica Bauman · November 3, 2017 at 7:39 am
Hi Kristin,
I’d love to see this! Please send the full manuscript to ebauman@aevitascreative.com.
Thanks!
-Erica
Carrie Pestritto · November 3, 2017 at 10:32 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!
Carrie Hannigan · November 3, 2017 at 10:41 am
Hi Kristin,
I would love to see more! Please send your query to channigan@hsgagency.com and attach the first 100 pages as a word document. Also please include “Pitch Wars YA” in your subject line.
Thanks!
Carrie
Suzie Townsend · November 3, 2017 at 11:42 am
This sounds so amazing! I love the voice — I would love to read the full ms! Please send the full manuscript to suzie@newleafliterary.com attached as a Word document with the query in the first page of the document. Put “PITCH WARS” in the subject. Please also include a dreaded synopsis if you have one. Thank you! Can’t wait to read!
Penelope Burns · November 3, 2017 at 12:04 pm
Hi Kristin,
I would love to see this! Can you send the full to penelope@gelfmanschneider.com, with your query in the body of the email and #PitchWars and title in the subject line? Thanks so much!
Penelope
Annie Bomke · November 3, 2017 at 12:16 pm
This sounds amazing!! I’d love it if you could send me the first 100 pages to submissions@abliterary.com!
Katie Shea Boutillier · November 3, 2017 at 12:33 pm
Please send query and first 50 pages in word doc to ksboutillier@maassagency.com. Looking forward to reading — thanks so much! Katie <3
Kristy Hunter · November 3, 2017 at 2:42 pm
This sounds fantastic. I would love to read more! Could you please send the full manuscript as a word doc with your query letter in the body of the email to kristy.hunter@knightagency.net with “Pitch Wars Requested: TITLE” in the subject line. Thanks!!
Catherine Drayton · November 3, 2017 at 2:56 pm
Hi Kristin,
This sounds great! I’d love to read more. Please send your query to catherine@inkwellmanagement.com with the full manuscript attached.
Thanks!
Josh Adams · November 3, 2017 at 5:20 pm
I’m intrigued. Please send the full manuscript, along with your query, to josh@adamsliterary.com under the subject line: Pitch Wars / The Boy in the Red Dress. Looking forward to it!
Katie Grimm · November 3, 2017 at 7:41 pm
Hi Kristin – I hope you know the concept is so up my alley, and I already love the voice! Please email your query with full ms attached as a Word doc to dca@doncongdon.com with PitchWars Request + THE BOY IN THE READ DRESS in the subject line. Thanks and I look forward to reading more! – Katie Grimm, Don Congdon Associates
Roseanne Wells · November 3, 2017 at 8:14 pm
Hell yes! I’d love to read more! 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
Christa Heschke · November 4, 2017 at 2:32 pm
Wow, Jazz Age Veronica Mars?! Yes!! I’d love to read on! Please send the full manuscript to chquery@mcintoshandotis.com and put the title and Pitch Wars request in the subject line.
–Christa Heschke, McIntosh & Otis
Heather Flaherty · November 4, 2017 at 6:49 pm
Hey Kristin, this sounds AWESOME! I’d love to see more!
Please send:
– Query + 10 pages pasted in the body of the email
– Attach FULL ms as well!
– with subject line: PW YA + Title
to: flahertyqueries@thebentagency.com
Thank you so much!
Heather Flaherty (The Bent Agency)
Laura Zats · November 5, 2017 at 5:55 pm
OOOH! I’m so excited to read this! Please send the whole MS in a Word doc to laura@redsofaliterary.com. Please include a query in the body of the email and mention Pitch Wars in the subject line!
Melissa Nasson · November 6, 2017 at 3:54 pm
Kristin, 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
Lucy Cleland · November 9, 2017 at 2:15 pm
Kristen,
Pearl handled switch blade? 1931 New Orleans? Oh I need to see more. I hope you’ll be willing to share the full MS with me as an email attachment at lucy@kwlit.com, with PitchWars + your name/title in the subject line.
Can’t wait to see what happens at the Cloak & Dagger club…
Lucy
Comments are closed.