Pitch Wars Blog Archive

PW #375: Young Adult Thriller: A SILENT GOODBYE

Manuscript Status: FINISHED Mentor: Trisha Leaver & Kelly Calabrese Mentee: Angela Cappillo Title: A SILENT GOODBYE Category: Young Adult Genre: Thriller Word Count: 70,000 Pitch: Chloe has spent every second of the last three years searching for her mom, but everything she tries leads her nowhere. That is until she receives a mysterious text from someone claiming to know the truth. Now she must decide if she’s willing to risk her life for the answers Read more…

By Heather Cashman, ago

PW #201: Middle Grade Magical Realism: DOPPELGÄNGER

Manuscript Status: Finished Mentor: Jessica Vitalis/Amanda Hill/Cindy Baldwin Mentee: Kit Rosewater Title: DOPPELGÄNGER Category: Middle Grade Genre: Magical Realism Word Count: 48,000 Pitch: The vitiligo on Tami’s skin has always made her lonely. When her new classmates mistake her for their missing friend Renee, Tami’s strange connection to her doppelgänger grants instant popularity—along with access to Renee’s dark secret. If Tami sets things straight, she’ll lose her newfound friends. If she doesn’t, she’ll lose herself. Excerpt: Read more…

By Heather Cashman, ago

PW #202: Middle Grade Contemporary: THE WINDUP

Manuscript Status: Finished Mentor Name: Stefanie Wass Mentee Name: Steven Carman Title: THE WINDUP Category: Middle Grade Genre: Contemporary Word Count: 43,000 Pitch: After losing his twin brother and his right hand in a car crash, thirteen-year-old Kyle struggles to return to baseball and fulfill the dream he and his brother once shared—winning the Brookhaven Invitational Baseball Tournament. Excerpt: I stood atop the pitcher’s mound, baseball in hand. My only hand. Perched over the stub Read more…

By Heather Cashman, ago

PW #203: Middle Grade Contemporary Adventure/Humor: FRANKENUT

Manuscript Status: Finished Mentor Name: Rebecca Petruck Mentee Name: Jennifer Bryson Title: FRANKENUT Category: Middle Grade Genre: Contemporary Adventure/Humor Word Count: 40,000 Pitch: When a downtrodden squirrel meets a talking GMO peanut, rumors of a bagel monster no longer seem far-fetched. Armed with a dollhouse fork and a lot of heart, the unlikely duo must work together to uncover the secrets of a biohacker’s lab before a friend-turned-foe destroys their only chance at solving the Read more…

By Heather Cashman, ago

PW #204: Middle Grade Historical Fantasy: AN IMPOSSIBLE MAGIC

Manuscript Status: Finished Mentor Name: Juliana Brandt Mentee Name: Lacee Little Title: AN IMPOSSIBLE MAGIC Category/Genre: Middle Grade Historical Fantasy Word Count: 62,000 Pitch: Already an expert at manipulating illusions, 13-year-old Verity Ravenwood helps her father’s blackmarket business by stealing a book of impossible spells for a notorious outlaw. But when the book gets stolen from her, she must track it down before the outlaw makes her entire family pay. Excerpt: When Verity Ravenwood pressed Read more…

By Heather Cashman, ago

PW #205: Middle Grade Mystery: THE ORDER OF BLACK HOLLOW LANE

Manuscript Status: Finished Mentor Name: Julie C. Dao Mentee Name: Julia Nobel Title: THE ORDER OF BLACK HOLLOW LANE Category/Genre: Middle Grade Mystery Word Count: 56,000 words Pitch: When her mom dumps her at boarding school, Ginny figures things can’t get much worse. Then a secret society tries to steal her only link to her missing father: a box of strange medallions. Finding out why might unveil painful secrets…and make her their next target. Excerpt: Read more…

By Heather Cashman, ago

PW #206: Middle Grade Contemporary: OLD-FASHIONED NEWFANGLED GIRLS

Manuscript status: Finished Mentor Name: Joy McCullough Mentee Name: Faith Hough Title: OLD-FASHIONED NEWFANGLED GIRLS Category: Middle Grade Genre: Contemporary Word Count: 55,000 Pitch: When their best friend Clara moves to Argentina, sisters Georgie and Penny hope working together to buy the horse the three amigas always wanted will salvage their own friendship—and maybe bring Clara back. Unfortunately, Georgie’s obsession with old-fashioned living clashes with Penny’s taste for technology, turning their mission into all-out war. Read more…

By Heather Cashman, ago

PW #207: Middle Grade Fantasy: THE MIDNIGHT FLIGHT OF THE SALEM MAGI

Manuscript Status: Finished Mentor: G.K. Byrne Mentee: Elliot Smith Title: THE MIDNIGHT FLIGHT OF THE SALEM MAGI Category/Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy Word Count: 57,000 Pitch: Twins, Ark and Swanette, are descendants of the Salem witches. While they admit to causing their share of magical calamities, being chased by the king’s witch hunters seems like an overreaction. When dragons join the hunt, the twins must ally with Abigail Adams, Boston’s Witch-In-Chief, to save the patriots, and Read more…

By Heather Cashman, ago

PW #208: Middle Grade Contemporary: SNOW DAY

Manuscript Status: Finished Mentor: Lisa Lewis Tyre Mentee: David Swindler Title: SNOW DAY Category/Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary Word Count: 40,000 Pitch: There are 38 kid-rumored ways to make it snow, and D.C. has two weeks to try them all.  If one works: the elusive snow day!  If not, an avalanche of a bully named Bosley wins a bet that neither can afford to lose. Excerpt: I couldn’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve wanted Read more…

By Heather Cashman, ago

PW #209: Middle Grade Contemporary Fantasy: THE CURIOUS CURSE OF THE LONELY LIBRARY

Manuscript Status: Finished Mentor: Ashley Martin Mentee: Kaitlin Hundscheid Title: THE CURIOUS CURSE OF THE LONELY LIBRARY Category/Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary Fantasy Word Count: 52,000 Pitch: When twelve-year-old Theodore visits a cursed library where book characters come alive, he thinks he’s stumbled into bookworm heaven. But when the curse lands a demolition notice on the door, Theodore must race to outsmart storybook villains before the library is destroyed. Excerpt: Theodore Plumford didn’t mind staying in Read more…

By Heather Cashman, ago