Manuscript Status: Finished
Mentors Names: Mónica Bustamante Wagner and Kerbie Addis
Mentee Name: Sylvia Pamuk
Title: KINGS OF SAND AND STARLIGHT
Category: Young Adult
Genre: Middle Eastern Fantasy
Word Count: 101,000
Pitch:
Falling in love with the young sultan was the last thing Soukaina expected when she agreed to be his sorcery tutor.
But when the sultan is kidnapped by jinn, only Soukaina—a Veil-walker who can traverse the worlds of jinn—can rescue him.
If she can follow his kidnappers into a bloody war among jinn princes.
If she can conquer her deepest fears before it’s too late.
If falling in love with him was not a mistake.
If.
THE WRATH AND THE DAWN meets SABRIEL.
Excerpt:
In Kairouan, there is coffee for guests, coffee for war, and coffee for marriage.
For centuries, coffee ceremonies have followed strict rules of etiquette. Every step, from how it is prepared to how it is served, is a measured ritual. Coffee spiced with cardamom is poured from slender copper pots as treaties and betrothals are brokered over low, engraved brass tables. Every step is laden with meaning. Imbued with tradition.
None of these steps involve flipping the table.
Which is precisely what I did.
Ceramic cups flew through the air, spilling their scalding contents in arcs before shattering on the tiled floor. In the ensuing chaos, as Mother rushed to help her shrieking guests, I turned on my heel and stormed away.
“Soukaina!” Mother cried.
I ignored her, anger buzzing in my skull.
I had prepared myself for many things as I rode to Kairouan from Alamut, my home in the eastern mountains. It is urgent, Mother wrote. Worry spun webs of nightmares each night on the road. I feared relatives on deathbeds. Natural disasters.
I was not prepared for coffee.
26 Comments
Lauren Spieller · November 2, 2017 at 10:52 pm
This sounds AMAZING. 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
Meg LaTorre-Snyder · November 2, 2017 at 11:17 pm
I adored this excerpt! Could you please send your query, synopsis, and full manuscript using the form below? I can’t wait to check it out!
https://querymanager.com/query/MegLaTorreSnyder/Requests
Penny Moore · November 2, 2017 at 11:36 pm
Hi Sylvia,
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
Hilary Harwell · November 2, 2017 at 11:48 pm
Hi Sylvia! This sounds so culturally rich and I’d love to read more. Please kindly send the full manuscript to hilary@ktliterary.com with “PitchWars” in the subject so I may continue reading!!
Cheers!
Hilary
Jennifer Azantian · November 3, 2017 at 3:03 am
Hi Sylvia,
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
Rena Rossner · November 3, 2017 at 3:53 am
Wow! I would absolutely love to read this! Please send the full manuscript attached as a word document to: rena@thedeborahharrisagency.com
I will just bite my fingernails until then!
– Rena
Ammi-Joan Paquette · November 3, 2017 at 7:16 am
Such great writing – really intrigued! Please do send along your query + first 3 chapters to me at joan at emliterary.com – so look forward 🙂
Caitie Flum · November 3, 2017 at 10:03 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.
Erica Bauman · November 3, 2017 at 10:05 am
Hi Sylvia,
This sounds amazing–I’d love to see more! Please send a query and the full manuscript to ebauman@aevitascreative.com and put “Pitch Wars” in the subject line.
Thanks!
-Erica
Aimee Ashcraft · November 3, 2017 at 10:26 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!
Jenny Bent · November 3, 2017 at 10:33 am
Please email query and full ms (as an attachment) to info@thebentagency.com, PITCHWARS in subject line. Thanks!
Peter Knapp · November 3, 2017 at 11:26 am
I’d love to read this! 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!
Hillary Jacobson · November 3, 2017 at 11:26 am
I am in love with everything about this. I need more! Please send the full manuscript as a word document to hjacobson@icmpartners.com. Thank you!!
Penelope Burns · November 3, 2017 at 12:49 pm
Hi Slyvia,
I laughed out loud at “flipping the table.” 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
Quressa Robinson · November 3, 2017 at 3:22 pm
This sounds so good! I may not be the only agent here at Nelson Literary Agency who wants to read your amazing work! So, 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 3:52 pm
Your comps are my dream comps! (Sabriel is one of my all time favorite books.) I can’t wait to read this! Please send the full. I know I’m not the only agent here at Nelson Literary Agency who is excited to read this one so 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!
Jim McCarthy · November 3, 2017 at 4:47 pm
I would love to have a look at this! Kindly send the manuscript along for my prompt review at jmccarthy@dystel.com. A Word attachment is most preferable if possible.
Best,
Jim
Josh Adams · November 3, 2017 at 5:28 pm
I’d love to read more. Please send the full manuscript, along with your query, to josh@adamsliterary.com under the subject line: Pitch Wars / Kings of Sand and Starlight. Thanks!
Natascha Morris · November 3, 2017 at 5:43 pm
I love the writing! Please send me the full manuscript at QueryMe.online/1067/PitchWars2017.
Thank you!
Natascha Morris
Blair Wilson · November 4, 2017 at 1:30 pm
Hi Sylvia,
This sounds great–I’d love to read! 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!
Roseanne Wells · November 5, 2017 at 5:38 pm
Awesome opener, and great comps. 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
Laura Zats · November 5, 2017 at 6:15 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!
Lynnette Novak · November 6, 2017 at 9:24 am
Love the pitch, and the first page is great. You already made me laugh. 🙂 Soukaina has me hooked. More please!
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
Brianne Johnson · November 6, 2017 at 4:35 pm
Hi Sylvia,
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 4:50 pm
Sylvia, I love this opening! 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 9:40 pm
I would very much like to read on! This sounds right up my alley! Please send a query and full manuscript to chquery@mcintoshandotis.com. Look forward to reading!
-Christa Heschke, McIntosh & Otis
Comments are closed.