Title: Forest Lake Genre: YA Fantasy Word Count: 69,000 Hogwarts House: Slytherin, because she aims for better than she has and is willing to be sneaky to get there! Pitch In a land ruled by a sacred lake, where everyone dies at forty, fifteen-year-old Alysis must pick a life-partner among twelve boys she despises, or […]
Title: As Seen on Evie Genre: YA Contemporary Word Count: 81,000 Hogwarts House: Brave and chivalrous? He wishes. Put Justin with the ambitious and cunning Slytherins, except winning the girl (sorry, Snape!). Pitch: Kicked off the reality show chronicling Evie’s life for threatening to clue her in, teen actor Justin vows to win her love and […]
Title: JEREMIAH STROUT AND THE CURSE OF THE GOLDEN HARP Genre: MG Fantasy/Adventure Word Count: 39,000 words Hogwarts House: Jeremiah would be sorted into Slytherin for his ambition and resourcefulness. Though his goofy personality might be deceiving, Jeremiah would stop at nothing to save and protect those he loves. 35 Word Pitch: Twelve-year-old Jeremiah discovers striking the strings of […]
Title: THE OSTRICH AND THE ROSE Genre: Middle-Grade fantasy Word count: 79,000 Hogwarts House: Gryffindor! Maris is a girl of action. While others dither and delay, she seizes the ostrich and rides out to save her father. Fantasy quest with an magic ostrich. What could go wrong? Pitch: When a cranky sorcerer turns Maris’ father […]
“Wit Beyond Measure is Man’s Greatest Treasure” The theme for this fall’s PitchSlam competition is the Hogwarts House Cup, and I couldn’t possibly be more excited to be Head of Ravenclaw. (Seriously. I may have cried.) Never fear: we’re not looking for the smartest authors out there. I really don’t have a way of judging […]
Once upon a time, I was Defender of the Prologue! I was thinking about getting a cape and a badge and everything. I didn’t understand the war on prologues at all. I’d open a book, and go, “LOOK! THIS BOOK GETS A PROLOGUE! WHY CAN’T I HAVE ONE??* Yet, everywhere I looked, agents would say […]
Lights, camera – ACTION! The critics will soon be busy making their selections from the Red-Carpet Premier entries! Remember again that contests are subjective. What tickles one person’s fancy, may do nothing for another. There were tons of excellent entries. Even with five people making selections, that’s nothing compared to the number of literary agents out there. No […]
Title: GOODBYE, GOOD-GOODY GIRL Genre: YA Contemporary Word Count: 68,000 Fav. Movie Genre: Mirella loves “Golden Age” musical movies because they bring the whimsy of the stage a little closer to home. Plus, she wants to star in all of them. Pitch: After landing the lead in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Mirella embraces her character on stage […]
Title: THE WATCHMAN OF ROTHENBURG Genre: Adult historical thriller Word Count: 97,000 MC’s favorite movie genre: Silent films, because after working in the shoe shop most of the day and patrolling the walls at night, he just wants to sleep. Pitch: Autumn, 1631: Tilly’s army advances through Bavaria toward Rothenburg’s centuries-old walls, threatening annihilation. Lowly night watchman […]
Title: THE HEARTBEAT HYPOTHESIS Genre: NA Contemporary Romance Word Count: 64,000 words Movie Genre: Does Disney count as a movie genre? Depends on who you ask – and if you ask Audra, it absolutely does. (Or at least, it should.) Sure, maybe those fairy-tales are riddled with horror, lies, and deceit, but how can you not love all those catchy songs? Pitch: To complete her […]
Name: Gretchen Kaup Genre: MG/Fantasy Title: The Mirage Shifter Word Count: 56,000 MC’s Favorite Movie Genre: Aiden Flanagan loves action adventure, especially if they involve mutants or zombies. He knows how it feels to be a freak with an uncanny ability. Pitch: Aiden, an overzealous twelve-year-old, crosses into a dreamworld, confronting irate dreamers, unseen beings, and multinational law enforcement as he […]
Title: THE OTHER SIDE Genre: Commercial Women’s Fiction Word Count: 78,000 Movie Genre: Summer’s favorite movie genre is drama because she likes to see she’s not the only person living with pain and tragic mistakes. Pitch: Mer lost her first son to foster care and is terrified of failing at motherhood again. Pregnant and broke, she […]