NAME: Cate Hart
MENTOR: Stacey H. Lee
TITLE: BAD COMPANY
GENRE: YA Historical Fantasy
WORD COUNT: 88K
PITCH: When President Cleveland sends top spy seventeen-year-old Jesse Whitedove to recover a weapon capable of vaporizing Chicago, Jesse sees a chance to catch his father’s killer until a foxy detective ensnares him instead.
A slice of light from the setting sun glinted off the bow in Henri’s trembling hands. I focused on the smooth curves and willed my top disguise artist to stop shaking. “Shoot me.”
Henri bumped against the stable wall, twenty paces away, making the harnesses jangle. From the middle stall, Thundercloud stuck out his muzzle and snorted, like the horse found this amusing.
“Not a good idea,” he said.
I grabbed an apple from the bin and balanced it on my head. A watermelon would have been better. “Just aim for the apple.”
“You sure Katya fixed the power increments, non?” he asked, his knobby throat bobbing as he swallowed.
“I’m sure,” I coaxed.
He drew the elektrum string taut. I flexed my fingers, feigning ease. If he didn’t pass this test before our next mission he faced disavowment. His arms dropped and the strap of the quiver slipped down his scrawny shoulders. The Akasha powering the bow whined as if begging for release.
“Jesse.” He shook his head. “I have a better idea. We trade places.”
“I passed all the tests the first time.” My breath rattled out when he eased the string to resting position. The more he stalled, the more I began to think this was a bad idea. “I swear the kinks have been ironed out.”
“Well, I…Are you absolutely…you know?”
“Henri.”
His gaze drifted over the bull’s-eye with its scorched edges and large holes everywhere but the center mark. “What if I miss?”
3 Comments
karen Y. bynum · January 24, 2013 at 9:44 am
Ooo, sounds intriguing, Cate!
Pam van Hylckama Vlieg · January 24, 2013 at 12:00 pm
I’d like to see the first six chapters, a synopsis and a query to querypamvhv@gmail.com.
Louise Fury · January 24, 2013 at 3:59 pm
Would love to read 3 chapters. Please send it to me in a WORD DOC with the pitch/query letter in the body of the email AND as page 1 of the manuscript. Email: louise@lperkinsagency.com
Thanks!
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