PW #355: Young Adult Mystery (Own Voices): A TASTE OF DARKNESS

Manuscript Status: Finished Mentor: Stephanie Scott Mentee: Sarena and Sasha Nanua Title: A TASTE OF DARKNESS Category/Genre: Young Adult Mystery (Own Voices) Word Count: 67,000 Pitch: When seventeen-year-old Tessa Gill is chosen to compete in Bite Size—the televised teen cooking competition—she’s set on fighting for a scholarship her family could never afford. As the competition begins, she discovers cryptic letters written by her late chef grandfather hidden throughout the culinary institute. Tessa must now uncover the truth behind Read more…

PW #356: Young Adult Contemporary Fantasy: SALTWATER BLOOD

Manuscript Status: Finished Mentor: Chelsea Bobulski Mentee: Laura Robson Title: SALTWATER BLOOD Category/Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Fantasy Word Count: 82,000 Pitch: Sixteen-year-old Astrid Stroud is cursed with magic she can’t control. When she gets hurt, her body heals itself—by taking someone else’s life. Astrid’s brother Liam fears her grisly abilities, but when he finds himself tangled in a plot to kill her, both Strouds begin to wonder what exactly makes someone a monster. THE SCORPIO Read more…

PW #357: Young Adult Fantasy: ALL OUR VILLAINY LAID BARE

Manuscript Status: Finished Mentor: Sharon M. Johnston Mentee: Rosanne Rivers Title: ALL OUR VILLAINY LAID BARE Category/Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Word Count: 99,000 Pitch: Lucks only slides her blade into the duke on instinct, hoping to protect her sister. But her action sees the young, sly, and rather dashing, Seaborne, rise to power, putting her gang at risk. To atone, Lucks enters court to find leverage on the new duke. While they play their game Read more…

PW #358: Young Adult Contemporary, Own Voices: WE ARE NOT ALONE

Manuscript Status: Finished Mentor: Tabitha Martin Mentee: Lisa Moore Ramee Title: WE ARE NOT ALONE Category/Genre: Young Adult Contemporary, Own Voices Word Count: 69,000 Pitch: THE BREAKFAST CLUB meets THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW – When a sinkhole traps sixteen-year-old Nia and her classmates, they must fight to survive against hunger, paranoia, and the serial killer trapped with them. Excerpt: The hardest part wasn’t sneaking out, it was stealing back in. That’s when you’d get busted. That’s Read more…

PW #359: Young Adult Historical Fantasy: FAMINELAND

Manuscript Status: Finished Mentor Names: Katie Bucklein and Megan Lally Mentee Name: Julia Darcey Title: FAMINELAND Category: Young Adult Genre: Historical Fantasy Word Count: 105,000 Pitch: In an England where World War I never ended, chemical weapons have created an army of mutant cannibals fighting to enslave humanity. Cannibal hunter Kimae is determined to defeat them with her father’s weapon: a poison that kills maneaters, and leaves humans alive. But to find it, she must unite with the one “person” who Read more…

PW #360: Young Adult Historical: DANGEROUS ALLIANCE

Manuscript Status: Three weeks delivery Mentor: Tobie Easton Mentee: Jennieke Cohen Title: DANGEROUS ALLIANCE Category/Genre: Young Adult Historical Word Count: 99,000 Pitch: Impetuous seventeen-year-old Victoria Aston wants nothing more than to live a pastoral existence on her family estate in Hampshire. But when her sister escapes an abusive husband, Vicky has no choice but to find a husband of her own who will keep her brother-in-law from laying claim to their lands. Amidst the glittering ballrooms Read more…

PW #361: Young Adult Contemporary LGBT: EVERYTHING IS EPHEMERAL

Manuscript Status: Finished Mentor: Judi Lauren Mentee: Alice Reeds Title: EVERYTHING IS EPHEMERAL Category/Genre:  Young Adult Contemporary LGBT Word Count: 87,000 words Pitch: When boyfriends Joey and Benji embark on their first European tour promoting their debut album, Joey’s happiness slowly begins faltering as he struggles with inexplicable sadness and negativity. Insecure, he keeps it hidden from Benji, until Joey passes out on stage during their London gig. Now he must face his diagnosis—severe depression—and learn Read more…

PW #362: Young Adult Historical Fantasy: SONG OF SULEIMAN

Manuscript Status: Finished Mentor: Charlie Holmberg Mentee: Heather Elliott Title: SONG OF SULEIMAN Category/Genre: Young Adult Historical Fantasy Word Count: 93,000 Pitch: NATIONAL TREASURE meets ALADDIN when sixteen-year-old Israelite Peni discovers an ancient mystery hidden in the Song of Solomon. Desperate to escape her abusive betrothed, she disguises herself as a leper and travels the Persian Empire hunting King Solomon’s magic ring. Succeed, and she’ll win her freedom. Fail, and evil fire spirits only the Read more…

PW #363: Young Adult Contemporary: NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Manuscript Status: Six Weeks, Maximum Mentor: Dionne McCulloch & Fiona McLaren Mentee: Megan Peterson Title: NO PLACE LIKE HOME Category/Genre: Young AdultContemporary Word Count: 72,000 Pitch: 17-year-old Piper isn’t just the beloved daughter of a freak show family; she also wants to be its main attraction. When she’s kidnapped and held prisoner by a woman who insists Piper call her “Mom,” her world shifts. Imagined and repressed memories surface and she must untangle them or risk Read more…

PW #364: Young Adult Fantasy: STARS AND REEDS

Manuscript Status: Finished Mentor Name: Kip Wilson Mentee Name: Sam Taylor Title: STARS AND REEDS Category: Young Adult Genre: Fantasy Word Count: 82,000 Pitch: Falsely accused of killing a wealthy merchant, Jameelah faces life in bondage unless she clears her name with star magic, a power inaccessible to Marsh Dwellers like herself. Her only hope of acquiring magic is to escape prison and ally with her childhood enemy Rashida, a star magician—and the merchant’s real Read more…