PW #127: Adult Mystery with Speculative Elements #ownvoices: INTO THE FIRE

Manuscript Status: 1 month delivery

Mentor Name: Katrina Carrasco

Mentee Name: Robin St. Clare

Title: INTO THE FIRE

Category: Adult

Genre: Mystery with Speculative Elements #ownvoices

Word Count: 80,000 words

Pitch:

Lady GHOSTBUSTERS x CASTLE with Ecuadorian-American MC. When harrowing serial killings in Philadelphia are linked to a bygone Incan god, paranormal P.I. Maddy teams with cop nemesis O’Neill. Something’s hunting for a victim, and Maddy just got in the way.

Excerpt:

The last thing I thought I’d be doing after getting my bachelor’s in biology was staking out ghosts.

But there I was, crouched in a tiny closet. I stifled a groan as my quads started to cramp. Hands steady, I refocused the camera between the slats of the closet door.

As I watched, a stooped old woman inched an armchair across the floor of the adjoining library. It was incredible—our poltergeist was next-door neighbor Mrs. Pevington, and I’d caught her in the act. On video! Unlike the average apparition, living people show up brilliantly on digital tape. Mrs. Pevington was going down.

Not literally! I cringed as she stumbled, picturing a swarm of medical and police personnel questioning me and my not-a-real-P.I. license. But she righted herself, continuing on.

The armchair’s legs scraped over the hardwood, smudging the chalked-on arcane symbols. The most elaborate sigil, to ward against evil spirits, was distorted beyond recognition as Mrs. Pevington trod on it without a care. I winced. Fiona, my partner, would be crushed when she heard her hard work was ruined, and not even by a ghost.

Mrs. Pevington gazed around the room, evaluating her handiwork—furniture in disarray, paintings off-kilter, books tossed around with reckless disregard. She shuffled towards the door, but bent down before exiting.

An unearthly howl arose.

I twisted to get a better view. The motion upset my balance, already precarious on numbed legs. Tilting sideways, I pinwheeled my arms, but it was no good. I fell into the wall with a thump and a smothered curse.