Manuscript Status: Finished
Mentor Name: K. A. Reynolds
Mentee Name: Melanie Pendleton
Title: A REASON TO STAY
Category: Middle Grade
Genre: Contemporary #GirlsinSTEM
Word Count: 47,000 words
Pitch:
Twelve-year-old future Marine Biologist Rory has always felt like a fish without a school, especially after Mom abandons her with Grams. Drowning in sadness, a summer at the lake brings messages in bottles, a new friend, and rekindled bonds. Just when Rory feels a sense of belonging, Mom resurfaces with an ultimatum: move across country with her or stay with Grams. Either choice leaves someone behind. Whose school does she choose?
Excerpt:
Things That Make Me Sad
1) hurt animals
2) pollution
3) bullies
4) habitat destruction
5) liars
6) my mother abandoning me
The year I was born, scientists discovered a new planet. They named it Eris, which is also the name of a Greek goddess. Jessica used to say it was funny I came into the world the same year as a planet that shares its name with the goddess of chaos and conflict. She’d laugh and say it was a sign because I had a disagreeable nature as a baby. Just like the goddess. I never got why that was funny. Who says that about their kid? Then again, I never understood my mom.
“Rory,” Grams says. Her reflection glances at me in the passenger-side window as the car speeds down the interstate. “Try to keep an open mind, okay?”
I want to tell her to keep her eyes on the road. That’s how accidents happen. But then I’d have to speak to her and I’m not doing that right now. This must be what Jessica meant about my disagreeable nature.
“Rory,” Grams says again, this time more firmly. I still don’t look at her. I fold my arms and shrug. That must be good enough because she turns her attention back to driving. After a few minutes, she sighs. “It’s not forever. It’s just for the summer.”
17 Comments
Patricia Nelson · November 1, 2017 at 11:28 pm
The voice here is wonderful! I’d love to read more. Please send a query (in the body of the email) along with the first 50 pages as a Word doc attachment, subject line “Pitch Wars: [Your Title]” to patricia@marsallyonliteraryagency.com.
Thanks, and looking forward to reading!
Patricia
Heather Flaherty · November 2, 2017 at 6:40 am
Hi there Melanie, I would love to see more of this… such a wonderful story!
Please send:
– Query + 10 pages pasted in the body of the email
– Attach FULL ms as well!
– with subject line: PW MG + Title
to: flahertyqueries@thebentagency.com
Thank you so much!
Heather Flaherty (The Bent Agency)
Elana Roth Parker · November 2, 2017 at 9:06 am
Hi! I’d love to read more! Please email me at eparker [at] ldlainc [dot] com:
* Subject line: PitchWars Submission: YOUR BOOK TITLE
* Your query letter in the body of the email
* The full manuscript attached as a Word document
Thanks!
Elana (LDLA)
Carrie Hannigan · November 2, 2017 at 10:17 am
Hi Melanie,
I would love to read more. Please send your query to channigan@hsgagency.com with the first 100 pages attached as a word document. Also please include “Pitch Wars” someplace in your subject line.
Thanks so much!
Carrie (Hannigan Salky Getzler)
Jennifer Kim · November 2, 2017 at 12:31 pm
Hi Melanie,
I would absolutely love to read this! Would you send the first 50 pages to me, attached as a word doc, to jennifer@dijkstraagency.com? Please also include your query letter and bio in the body of the e-mail, and “Pitch Wars” in the subject line.
So looking forward to reading!
Thanks,
Jennifer (SDLA)
Tracey Adams · November 2, 2017 at 2:40 pm
Hi Melanie!
I love this voice, and I love mother/daughter stories. Please send the full to tracey@adamsliterary.com with your query letter, and the subject line “Pitch Wars – midde grade.”
Thank you!
Tracey
Roseanne Wells · November 2, 2017 at 2:43 pm
What a voice. I’d love to read more! Please use the guidelines on jdlit.com to send 100 pp (instead of the usual 20) and include #Pitchwars in the subject line. I can’t wait to read more!
Roseanne Wells
The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency
Jess Dallow · November 2, 2017 at 2:48 pm
Hi Melanie,
I love the sound of this. Please send the full manuscript attached in a word doc with your query letter in the body of the email to Jess@Browerliterary.com with #PitchWars and your title in the subject. Looking forward to reading!
Jess
Melissa Nasson · November 2, 2017 at 3:53 pm
Melanie, 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
Whitley Abell · November 2, 2017 at 4:10 pm
I’d love to see more! Please submit your query, synopsis, and first 50 pages to https://querymanager.com/query/inklings_whitley/PitchWars. I can’t wait to dive in!
Stephen Barbara · November 2, 2017 at 4:54 pm
Hi Melanie: We’d like to consider this novel. Please send the full manuscript to claire@inkwellmanagement.com with the subject line: “PW #204 for Inkwell.” Thanks and best, Stephen
Sarah Davies · November 4, 2017 at 2:23 pm
Hi there! I’d like to read this. Please send me the query with full manuscript (Word doc) at submissions@greenhouseliterary.com, with PitchWars/Sarah Davies in the email title line. Thanks, Sarah
Kristy Hunter · November 4, 2017 at 9:33 pm
I’d love to see more of this! Please send the full manuscript as an attachment to kristy.hunter@knightagency.net with your query in the body of the email and “Pitch Wars: TITLE” in the subject line. Thanks!!
Brianne Johnson · November 6, 2017 at 4:28 pm
Hi Melanie,
I would love to dig further into Rory’s story! 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!
Warmly,
Bri
Brianne Johnson
Writers House
Christa Heschke · November 6, 2017 at 10:37 pm
I really like the writing–you have a great MG voice! I’d be interested to see more! Please send a query, first 50 pages and synopsis to chquery@mcintoshandotis.com. Look forward to reading!
-Christa Heschke, McIntosh & Otis
Jennifer Rofé · November 7, 2017 at 1:15 am
Dear Melanie,
I enjoyed this excerpt of A REASON TO STAY and would love to read more. Please send a query to jennifer@andreabrownlit.com with the full manuscript attached. In the subject line, write QUERY: REASON TO STAY Pitch Wars.
Best,
Jennifer.
Kari · November 8, 2017 at 1:41 am
Hi Melanie,
This sounds terrific and I’d love the chance to read more. Could you please send me the first 50 pages as an attachment, along with an email query and use REQUESTED: PitchWars in the subject line? kari@bradfordlit.com
Thank you!
Kari
Comments are closed.