71. IOU – Adult Mystery

Mentor Name: Sarah Henning

Mentee Name: Kellye Garrett

Title: IOU

Category: Adult

Genre: Mystery

Word Count: 85,000

Pitch:

Dayna Anderson doesn’t set out to solve a murder, but trying to get the $15,000 reward for a hit-and-run she witnesses definitely isn’t the craziest thing an actress – even a semi-famous, mega-broke black one – has done for some cash. After she links the accident to a rash of celeb home break-ins, Dayna enacts her version of Law & Order: Hollywood featuring paparazzi hotspots, movie premieres…and unscripted death threats.

Excerpt:

He’d introduced himself as Robert Green, Jr., making sure to emphasize the last word. I should have known then I was in trouble.

Junior stared at my résumé like it was an SAT question. One of the hard ones where you just bubbled in C and kept it moving. Then he pulled out another sheet of paper and gave me a tight smile. “What in your previous experience would make you a good fit for this position, Ms. Anderson?”

The voice was young, but so was the rest of him. I pegged him for twenty-two, tops. If he were any paler, he’d make a killing as a Pillsbury Doughboy impersonator. Something told me he didn’t need the money. That something was that he and the company shared a last name. “Dayna,” I said. “Please call me Dayna.”

The request threw him for a loop. He paused ever so slightly, then spoke. “What in your experience would make you a good fit for this position, Dayna . . . Anderson?”

So much for that. “I have absolutely no problem talking on the phone,” I said. “Just ask my mother.”

I smiled. He frowned. He was actually serious. Okay, then. I spoke fast. “This position is tailored to my competencies. I’ve always been a people person and loved answering questions. Working here would allow me to do both. Plus, I answer a mean phone.”