Pitch Wars Blog Archive

PW #210: YA Contemporary: IF ONE OF THEM IS DEAD

Manuscript Status: 2 weeks delivery Mentor Name: Kim Graff Mentee Name: Courtney Gilfillian Title: IF ONE OF THEM IS DEAD Category: YA Genre: Contemporary  Word Count: 50,000 Pitch: After a disastrous hookup leads to vicious gossip, seventeen-year-old Melissa wants revenge. With the help of her bestie, Jack, she creates an app to expose everyone’s secrets. But Melissa doesn’t expect Jack to get revenge on the wrong person—or her conscience to get in the way. Melissa has to stop Jack before Read more…

By brendaadmin, ago

PW #211: YA Contemporary: THE ACCIDENTS

Manuscript Status: Finished Mentor Name: Rachel Lynn Solomon Mentee Name: Tracy C. Gold Title: THE ACCIDENTS Category: YA Genre: Contemporary Word Count: 70,000 Pitch: All Olivia wants is to go to art college. Then boyfriend-stealing Bethany beats her in an art contest, and Olivia starts a fistfight that gets both girls sent to reform school. When the staff’s twisted therapies threaten Olivia’s identity, she must conspire with Bethany to escape. Excerpt:  I draw the cafeteria around Read more…

By brendaadmin, ago

PW #212: YA Contemporary: OUT OF LEFT FIELD

Manuscript Status: Finished. Mentor Name: Lori Goldstein and Chelsea Bobulski Mentee Name: Kris Li Title: OUT OF LEFT FIELD Category: YA Genre: Contemporary Word Count: 67,000 Pitch: A love of baseball has bonded Marnie and Cody since the first grade. But when a 90-MPH pitch sidelines Cody and Marnie takes his place as pitcher in the playoffs, the curveballs—the team’s resentment, the rival pitcher’s support, and Cody’s true feelings—come at her instead of from her. Read more…

By brendaadmin, ago

PW #213: YA Speculative Thriller: THE OUTS

Manuscript Status: Finished Mentor Name: Jessica Souders w/a J.A. Souders Mentee Name: Sean Easley w/a E.S. Wesley Title:THE OUTS Category: Young Adult Genre: Speculative Thriller Word Count: 98,000 Pitch: When global, memory-stealing blackouts turn seventeen-year-old Caleb into a kidnapper with a sadistic voice in his head, it’s up to his aphasic friend Kitzi to save him before the reality-bending freak-child he stole unravels the future. Excerpt: A buzz filled Caleb’s head like a swarm of cicadas Read more…

By brendaadmin, ago

PW #214: YA Contemporary: THE STAGGERING FORCE OF WANT

  Manuscript Status: Finished Mentor Name: Kate Brauning Mentee Name: Ashley D. MacKenzie Title: THE STAGGERING FORCE OF WANT Category: YA Genre: Contemporary Word Count: 82,000  Pitch: The senior trip to Europe isn’t helping Hayley find her passion or fix her friendship with Lexi, so Hayley risks expulsion and ditches the tour for a magnetic boy from Amsterdam who wants her to pick a way of life instead of a career. Excerpt: It’s not that Read more…

By brendaadmin, ago

PW #215: YA Fantasy: THE NAMELESS QUEEN

  Manuscript Status: Finished Mentor Name: Laura Salters Mentee Name: Rebecca McLaughlin Title: THE NAMELESS QUEEN Category: YA Genre: Fantasy Word Count: 105,000 Pitch: Coin is Nameless—no home, no family, no legal rights—but she’s just been named Queen. If she finds her name, the Royals will fit her for a crown. If she fails, they’ll fit her for a noose. And she’s not the only one searching. RED QUEEN meets BOURNE IDENTITY. Excerpt: I wake Read more…

By brendaadmin, ago

PW #216: YA Contemporary: ALL HAPPY FAMILIES

Manuscript Status: Finished Mentor Name: Marieke Nijkamp Mentee Name: Erin Foster Hartley Title: ALL HAPPY FAMILIES Category: YA Genre: Contemporary Word Count: 61,000   Pitch: Sixteen-year-old drag queen Alexander and his half-siblings travel to South America in search of their biological father—a movie star who auctioned his sperm before going into seclusion. But while Alexander hopes his video of the trip will make him internet-famous, his brother is hatching a sinister plan to make sure they never Read more…

By brendaadmin, ago

PW #217: YA Contemporary: GAME FACE

Manuscript Status: Finished Mentor Name: Emily Martin Mentee Name: Taryn Bashford Title: GAME FACE Category: YA Genre: Contemporary Word Count: 82,000 Pitch: When a losing streak shakes her confidence, seventeen-year-old tennis pro Harper clings to something more certain—her sister’s ex. But training with rising star Colt becomes a game-changer, and Harper must let go of her emotional crutches or risk losing her sister, true love, and the US Open. Excerpt: The dining room is where the Read more…

By brendaadmin, ago

PW #218: YA Contemporary: SOMETHING LIKE GRAVITY

Manuscript Status: 2 week delivery Mentor Name: Jeanmarie Anaya Mentee Name: Jessica Fonseca Title: SOMETHING LIKE GRAVITY Category: YA Genre: Contemporary Word Count: 82,000 Pitch: Texting her boyfriend’s best friend Lucas is okay. Sexting him late at night, not so much. As seventeen-year-old Allie’s family life crumbles, she can’t imagine surviving without her perfect-on-paper boyfriend, River. But as the texts keep heating up her heart, a force like Lucas isn’t easy to ignore. Excerpt: Nine Read more…

By brendaadmin, ago

PW #219: YA Contemporary: MARGO TATE’S LIST (Of Things More Important Than Being Skinny)

  Manuscript Status: Finished Mentor Name: Jenni Walsh & Trisha Leaver Mentee Name: Bethany Sampson Title: MARGO TATE’S LIST (Of Things More Important Than Being Skinny) Category: Young Adult Genre: Contemporary Word Count: 69,000 Pitch: After spending three months in treatment for an eating disorder, sixteen-year-old Margo Tate comes home to a life she no longer recognizes. Margo is content to slink back into the shadows of high school until she attracts two unexpected new friends: Read more…

By brendaadmin, ago