Manuscript Status: Two week delivery
Mentor Name: McKelle George and Heather Cashman
Mentee Name: Sasha Smith
Title: HAXAHAVEN
Category: Young Adult
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Word Count: 73,000 words
Pitch:
After accidentally killing her predatory boss, seventeen-year-old seamstress Frances is taken to Haxahaven, a school for witches disguised as a tuberculosis sanitarium. Her strange magic thrusts her into a power-struggle between her secretive coven and a corrupt political organization. Frances manipulates both sides but must choose what matters more; the justice she craves for her murdered brother or the city’s safety.
Excerpt:
New York, March, 1911
The man in the bowler hat smelled distinctly of death.
His hands had been washed clean in the polluted waters of the Hudson, but death clung to his coat the way clouds of cheap perfume used to, in the dance halls he had visited when he was a younger man. Sour factory smoke burned his nose. But still, still he could smell the way the boy’s last moments hung on him.
The boy had not begged.
He hated it when they begged.
A much younger man’s boots clapped against the cobblestones as he approached.
His easy gait was so like the dead boy’s before his feet were wrapped in chains.
“Is it done?” The young man narrowed his eyes at the moon hanging low over the city.
“Yes.”
“Did he say anything about the girl?”
“Only her name. Right before he sank.”
“Well then,” the young man huffed, pulling an envelope out of the satchel slung over his shoulder.
The man in the bowler hat took it without a word.
It was the middle of the night, but his work was just beginning. His brothers were waiting for him.
The younger man walked away in the direction from which he came.
Forty-two blocks away, a girl slept soundly for the last time. Her brother’s bed was empty.
And somewhere on a street corner in Lower Manhattan, the Sons of St. Druon felt the magic stirring.
23 Comments
Lauren Spieller · November 2, 2017 at 10:13 pm
This sounds great 🙂 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
Roseanne Wells · November 2, 2017 at 10:48 pm
Holy shizz, this is good. 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
Kira Watson · November 2, 2017 at 10:53 pm
Hi Sasha,
This looks fantastic! 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
Jennifer Azantian · November 3, 2017 at 1:55 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 3:06 am
Hi Sasha,
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
Katie Grimm · November 3, 2017 at 9:23 am
Hi Sasha – I’ve been itching to see this one ever since I saw your novel aesthetics on twitter because I love anything witchy, historical and set in New York (and these first lines don’t disappoint)! When it’s ready, please email your query with full ms attached as a Word doc to dca@doncongdon.com with PitchWars Request + HAXAHAVEN in the subject line. Thanks and I look forward to reading more! – Katie Grimm, Don Congdon Associates
Caitie Flum · November 3, 2017 at 9:32 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.
Melissa Edwards · November 3, 2017 at 9:46 am
I’d love to see more! Please email the first 50 pp. as a .doc to medwards@stonesong.com. Thank you!
Rena Rossner · November 3, 2017 at 10:19 am
Wow! I love this voice! I would absolutely love to read this! Please send the full manuscript attached as a word document to: rena@thedeborahharrisagency.com
– Rena
Sarah Landis · November 3, 2017 at 10:37 am
I would love to read this one! Please send the full ms as a word doc to slandis@sll.com
Carrie Pestritto · November 3, 2017 at 10:49 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!
Carrie Hannigan · November 3, 2017 at 10:56 am
Hi Sasha,
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
Hillary Jacobson · November 3, 2017 at 10:58 am
A magic school?! NEED. Always. Please send the full manuscript as a word document to hjacobson@icmpartners.com. Thank you!!
Peter Knapp · November 3, 2017 at 11:29 am
A historical witch fantasy!? I can’t wait to read! 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!
Brooks Sherman · November 3, 2017 at 11:45 am
Witches in Gilded Age New York? I AM IN! Please email the full manuscript, along with your query letter and a synopsis (if you have one) to bsherman@janklow.com, with the subject line “Pitch Wars: HAXAHAVEN.” I’m so excited to dive into this!
Best,
Brooks Sherman
Janklow & Nesbit Associates
Kathleen Rushall · November 3, 2017 at 1:45 pm
I would love to read this! Can you please send me the full as a Word doc attachment to Kathleen@AndreaBrownLit.com? Looking forward to it!
Blair Wilson · November 3, 2017 at 4:49 pm
This sounds so amazing–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!
Christa Heschke · November 4, 2017 at 2:45 pm
Ooo I’d love to read on! 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
Heather Flaherty · November 4, 2017 at 6:44 pm
Hey Sasha, this sounds incredible! Would 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)
Steven Salpeter · November 5, 2017 at 11:44 am
Hello, Sasha,
It’s been a few days and I still can’t get the images in this excerpt out of my head. Would you please submit your full manuscript to me via this form?
https://www.literaryagents.io/pitch-wars-submission-form/
I would love to keep reading HAXAHAVEN.
All my best,
Steven
Steven Salpeter | Curtis Brown, Ltd. | Ten Astor Place | New York, NY 100
Laura Zats · November 5, 2017 at 6:26 pm
!!! 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 4:11 pm
Sasha, I would 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 4:36 pm
Hi Sasha,
I love this idea and can’t wait to read more! 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
Comments are closed.