Manuscript Status: 2 weeks delivery
Mentor Name: Amelinda Bérubé
Mentee Name: Amelia Denyven Ross
Title: THE VALLEY OF DRY BONES
Category: Young Adult
Genre: Southern Gothic
Word Count: 63,000
Pitch:
In Meadowview, bones whisper secrets, lightning conducts magic, and a murderous Shadow stalks the woods. When sixteen-year-old Fern discovers the Shadow is the key to her mother’s mysterious, traumatic past, she must harness the lightning—braving the threshold between life and death—to defeat the Shadow forever.
Excerpt:
A wall of fog looms before us on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Tree shadows stretch the wrong way, towards the setting sun, towering over us in dark gothic spires. Electricity races up and down my arms.
I need to keep Mama grounded, but it’s hard to sound casual through a clenched jaw. “Fog must look different at this elevation.”
“Not like this.” Mama digs her fingernails into the dash and twists to look over her shoulder. “He loves fog,” she whispers. “Wraps it around himself like a cape.”
“Who?”
She tests her seat belt, pulls and lets go. It thwacks against her chest. “Welcome home,” she murmurs.
“What?”
She holds a finger to her lips. “Ssh.”
And it’s happening. No time or way to intercede. Mama stares straight ahead and stills like a doe meeting the eyes of a predator. I pull over on the shoulder. “Mama?”
The cicadas saw out their warning song. Mama’s breath escapes in shallow puffs. I snap my fingers in front of her eyes. She doesn’t move.
I reach over and flip the old-school manual lock. Mama could still escape, but not as easily when she’s immersed in a flashback; and if she bolts, anything to slow her down will help.
Mama’s shoulders shake beside me.
I brace. Let her be angry, not scared. I can handle her lashing out. I can’t handle her running—not in these never-ending woods.
The fog creeps closer and covers the hood of our car and I lock my door, too.
14 Comments
Kaitlyn Johnson · November 2, 2017 at 10:36 pm
I got chills from this! I’d love to see the full. Please send to https://querymanager.com/query/KaitlynJohnson/Contests with synopsis and PitchWars in the referral page.
Hilary Harwell · November 2, 2017 at 11:39 pm
I’ve been dying for a good Southern Gothic story! This sounds amazing! Please kindly send the full manuscript to hilary@ktliterary.com with “PitchWars” in the subject so I may continue reading!!
Cheers!
Hilary
Sarah Landis · November 3, 2017 at 10:21 am
I would love to read this one! Please send the full ms as a word doc to slandis@sll.com
Aimee Ashcraft · November 3, 2017 at 10:25 am
Really enjoyed this pitch and would love to read more. Could you send the full manuscript in Word format to aimee@browerliterary.com, with #pitchwars in the subject line? Thanks so much!
Tracey Adams · November 3, 2017 at 5:34 pm
I’d love to read the full! Please email to tracey@adamsliterary.com with your query letter and “Pitch Wars – YA” in the subject line. Thank you (from the agency in NC)!
Tracey Adams · November 3, 2017 at 5:35 pm
I’d love to read the full! Please email to tracey@adamsliterary.com with your query letter and “Pitch Wars – YA” in the subject line. Thank you, Amelia!
Tracey Adams · November 3, 2017 at 5:35 pm
I’d love to read the full, Amelia! Please email to tracey@adamsliterary.com with your query letter and “Pitch Wars – YA” in the subject line. Thank you!
Amelia Appel · November 3, 2017 at 6:32 pm
Hi Amelia (great name, by the way), this sounds FANTASTIC! Please please please send a query letter, full synopsis, and attached full manuscript to amelia@triadaus.com with “Pitch Wars” in the subject line. Thank you so much – I can’t wait to read!!
Blair Wilson · November 4, 2017 at 1:24 pm
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!
Lynnette Novak · November 4, 2017 at 5:24 pm
Creepy! LOVE this! I’m hooked!!!
Please send the full manuscript to Lynnette@theseymouragency.com, attached as a Word document with the query as the first page. Put “Pitch Wars” and your title in the subject line. Please also include a brief synopsis as a separate document. Thanks! Can’t wait to read!
Lynnette Novak
The Seymour Agency
Tricia Lawrence, Erin Murphy Literary · November 5, 2017 at 8:02 pm
Creepy and delicious. You got me! Please send your query and the first 50 pages to tricia@emliterary.com I can’t wait!
Brianne Johnson · November 6, 2017 at 4:15 pm
Hi Amelia,
I would LOVE 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
Melissa Nasson · November 6, 2017 at 4:48 pm
Amelia, this sounds great! 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
Christa Heschke · November 6, 2017 at 9:34 pm
I have got to read this. Sounds really interesting! Please send a query, first 100 pages and synopsis to chquery@mcintoshandotis.com. Look forward to reading!
-Christa Heschke, McIntosh & Otis
Comments are closed.