Pitch Wars Blog Archive

THE GIRL WHO CAME HOME by Hazel Gaynor … release day!

Amazon   Brief Synopsis: THE GIRL WHO CAME HOME tells the story of a young Irish woman, Maggie Murphy, who reluctantly leaves her Irish home and her sweetheart, to start a new life in America with her aunt. They travel on RMS Titanic. Seventy years later, Maggie confides in her great-granddaughter, Grace, sharing her experience of the traumatic events of April, 1912. Maggie’s revelations have unexpected repercussions for them both. Inspired by true events, The Girl Read more…

By brendaadmin, ago

TWELVE STEPS by Veronica Bartles … releases today!

  I’m so excited to announce that our very own Pitch Wars mentor and Pitch Madness slush reader, Veronica Bartles, has a book releasing today! I’ve read TWELVE STEPS in its infancy and it is FABULOUS. Pick up a copy today and show your support for all Veronica has done for the writing community. About the book: Sixteen-year-old Andi is tired of being a second-class sibling to perfect sister Laina. The only thing Andi’s sure Read more…

By brendaadmin, ago

PitchMadness Clue Edition … all the numbers by Dan Koboldt!

  A Breakdown of PitchMadness, Clue Edition by Dan Koboldt Brenda Drake’s Pitch Madness contest, Clue Edition, wraps up this week with a Twitter Pitching Party (#PitMad) on Tuesday. Pitching contests are rich with opportunities for aspiring authors: a chance to pitch one’s work in short form, get some feedback, network with other authors, and maybe even win the attention of a literary agent. What distinguishes Pitch Madness from other pitching contests? For one thing, Read more…

By brendaadmin, ago

Pitch Madness Clue Edition … game on!

It’s been a long week of reading through all the amazing pitches. Our wonderful readers have narrowed the slush, and your game hosts have chosen sixty pitches for the game. For those of you not familiar with Pitch Madness, it’s a contest where agents compete in a game against their peers for pitches. This time the game is .  To meet the slush readers, agent insiders, and the blog teams go here. And you can Read more…

By brendaadmin, ago

Pitch Madnes B-1: YA: NOTHING BUT SKY

Genre: YA Historical Word Count: 68,000 Pitch: After WWI, wing walker Grace breaks boundaries as the only female on her barnstorming team. When a stunt goes wrong, she must choose between a future in the sky and her love on the ground. Excerpt: Coins plinked one after the other into a worn fedora passing through the growing crowd. The masses lining the old farm road paid to see a show, and if that meant watching Read more…

By brendaadmin, ago

Pitch Madness B-2: MG: MRS. GRAINGER’S MIDNIGHT PECULIARIUM

Genre: MG Horror Word Count: 48,000 Pitch: Molly Brown soon learns that every item in Mrs Grainger’s shop has a gruesome history. But when her best friend goes missing, she has to uncover the owner’s sinister past before she’s next in line. Excerpt: The hands on the large clock in the town square had only just inched past four o’clock, but the small town of Malreward was already swathed in shadows. The air was heavy Read more…

By brendaadmin, ago

Pitch Madness B-3: YA: THE MADMEN’S CITY

Genre: YA noir Word Count: 78,000 Pitch: In The Dark Knight meets The Sopranos, rivaling teen vigilantes, Gwen Kane and Silas Snow, team up to trap the puppet master behind a string of violent murders before Gwen’s framed father walks death row. Excerpt: It’s strange growing up in a city full of madmen. You start to think you’re one of them, all darkness, deceit and revenge. Instead of presenting me with my coveted Lego set Read more…

By brendaadmin, ago

Pitch Madness B-4: Adult: THE MUSE

Genre: Adult women’s romantic fiction Word Count: 110,000 Pitch: In this modern re-imagining of Pride and Prejudice, a big-shot choreographer and a young dancer in his piece must overcome both dance company politics and their initial dislike of each other to fall in love. Excerpt: A dancer’s life is a series of small routines: the same exercises in the same order: pliés, tendus, battement jetés. Bandages wrapped around the same toes, the ones that, despite dime-sized calluses, Read more…

By brendaadmin, ago

Pitch Madness B-5: YA: THE EXISTENCE OF BEA PEARL

Genre: YA Mystery Word Count: 50,000 Pitch: Sixteen-year-old Bea Pearl is not crazy. She has a brother. But no one—not even her parents—seems to remember him. Excerpt: I haven’t said my brother’s name out loud since Momma hit me with a catfish. I ran out of the kitchen, wide-eyed, holding the dead fish and my bloody arm. When I found Daddy, he rubbed the fish’s slime on the puncture wound to help with the pain. Read more…

By brendaadmin, ago

Pitch Madness B-6: MG: NIKA OF THE EAST

Genre: MG Fantasy Word Count: 45,000 Pitch: Tired of dastardly doings, a young Witched Witch tries to convince her teachers to let her be Good, but they accuse her of stealing. She must quickly prove her innocence, or risk banishment from Oz. Excerpt: Nika of the East was late. The office she needed was at the end of a corridor longer than the Field of Poppies, and Nika winced, knowing she would never make it Read more…

By brendaadmin, ago