Pitch:
Maya has seen ghosts her whole life, but she never imagined she’d be haunted by the ghost of her toxic ex-girlfriend, Alana. Desperate to come back to life, Alana blackmails Maya: help her possess another girl, or she’ll frame Maya for her murder. But when Maya falls for the girl she’s supposed to be dooming, she must choose between saving her new love and proving she’s innocent. THE DEAD AND THE DARK meets BLY MANOR.
Excerpt:
No one knows Alana Murray like I do.
I was the one who held her hand on the first day of sixth grade, secret, so no one would know she was nervous. I was the one who rewrote her English papers for her. I was the one who kissed her behind a palm tree when we were fifteen, my heart cracking out of my ribcage.
I’ll be the last person to touch her casket before it’s lowered into the ground.
Funeral day dawns dark and cold and wrong, the Los Angeles sky clogged with watercolor gray. It won’t rain, and I won’t let myself cry. I practice in front of my bathroom mirror.
Alana died alone, I think, staring at my reflection until my eyes burn. She thought of you every second. How she hated you. How she loved you.
I sob until my throat goes dry, until I gag into the sink, fingernails digging into the marble countertop. Then I wipe my makeup off with a warm washcloth, reapply my mascara, start all over. Alana always thought I cried too much, so today, I won’t let the tears come. Even though I know what people will say about a girl who doesn’t cry at her own girlfriend’s funeral.
Monster. Heartless.
I am. But not for the reasons they think.
I would love you to submit your Pitch Wars entry to me, using my Query Manager form: QueryManager.com/Amanda_Rutter/PitchWars Please send through the query letter and the full manuscript. If more than one Azantian agent requests materials, please pick the one you feel would fit you best.
Hi Kara! Yay, congrats on completing Pitch Wars! I very much absolutely want to read THE MOST BREAKABLE THING. If you’re interested in submitting to me, I’d love for you to send me your query and the full manuscript to tara@emliterary.com. Just mention Pitch Wars in the subject. Thanks so much! Tara Gonzalez (Agent at Erin Murphy Literary Agency)
Hi Kara!
I love the sound of this and would love to see more. Can you please submit your query, synopsis, and first 30 pages here?
QueryMe.Online/CortneyRadocaj/PitchContests
If another Belcastro agent requests as well, please choose one of us to send to and mention in your query who else has requested; we’ll be sure to pass the submission along to the other agent if it ends up being a pass 🙂
Looking forward to reading more!
-Cortney Radocaj, Belcastro Agency
Hi Kara!
I’m such a sucker for hauntings and ghost stories, and this sounds amazing. Your voice is solid, and the emotional (and partially terrifying) pull is already there! I adore it! I’d love to read your full manuscript, if you wouldn’t mind sending it to me. This link will lead you to my Query Manager, where you can upload your query, synopsis, and full manuscript: QueryManager.com/KellyPeterson/PitchWars
Wishing you the best of luck, and hoping to see your manuscript! =)
Warm Regards,
Kelly Peterson
Rees Literary Agency
Hi Kara. Congrats on PitchWars. I love anything to do with toxic relationships and so love the idea of being haunted by a toxic ex. I’d love to read the full of The Most Breakable Thing. Please use this link to upload your manuscript: QueryManager.com/1353/PW2022
Thanks,
Joanna
I would love to read more of this! Please send your full my way, as an attached document, to Mandy @ emerald city literary dot com.
Looking forward to reading!
I’d love to see this! If you’d like, can you send your query and full manuscript to penelope@gelfmanschneider.com with #PitchWars in the subject line? Thanks so much!
All best,
Penelope
Hi Kara!
Wow, this premise sounds excellent and I’m already hooked with this excerpt; I’d love to see more of this! Please send the query and full ms to amanda@transatlanticagency.com with “Pitch Wars” somewhere in the subject line.
Feel free to submit to other agents at the Transatlantic Agency if they also request; please just let me know so we can coordinate our responses.
Many thanks and looking forward to reading more!
Amanda Orozco
Hi Kara!
Wow. Ghosts? LGBTQ? Thriller? Anxiety?? Did you write this for me?? And what an opening. I’m dying to read. If you think we might be a fit, please use the following link to submit to me via Query Manager: QueryManager.com/AmeliaLAppel/PitchWars.
Thank you so much and I can’t wait to dive in!
All best wishes,
Amelia Appel
Associate Agent, TriadaUS Literary Agency
This sounds great, and I’d love to take a look! Please send me your query and first 50 pages at QueryManager.com/BridgetSmith/PitchWars2022. Can’t wait to read!
Kara,
Your pitch and pages really caught my attention and I’m excited to see more. If you would like to submit to me, please send the first three chapters, short bio and synopsis in Word format to shannon@cmalit.com. I look forward to hearing from you! Good luck in the Pitch Wars!
Shannon Snow
CMA, Inc. Literary Agent
This sounds great! I would love to read more. Can you please send the full manuscript attached as a Word document to queries@parkfine.com with “Pete Knapp – Pitch Wars – YA” in the subject of your email? Please include the query letter at the start of your Word document, and if available please also send a short synopsis (but no worries if not readily available). Thanks! I look forward to reading.
Pete Knapp / Park & Fine Literary and Media
Hi Kara— This premise! I’m so intrigued. Please send your full manuscript as an attachment with your query letter in the email body to marcy@foliolit.com. Make sure to put Pitch Wars in the subject line so I can find it easily! If you happen to receive requests from my other colleagues, please select the agent you are most interested in working with and send materials only to them.
Hi Kara,
This sounds fantastic! I would love to read your manuscript. Please send to querytamar@contextlit.com, making sure to write Pitch Wars Request in the subject line.
Thanks!
Tamar
I love the writing and the hook is just great! Please send me the full manuscript and synopsis (as attachments) at laura@bradfordlit.com and put Pitch Wars in your subject line.
Can’t Wait!
Laura Bradford
***If you receive a request from more than one agent at Bradford Literary Agency, you are welcome to send to all agents who made the request, but just let us know when you send the material***
I love this excerpt and would be thrilled to read more. Please send your query and the full manuscript to jjspitz@wmeagency.com, and include “Pitch Wars” in the subject line. If multiple people from my agency (WME) request, please only send to one of us. Thank you!
Hi Kara,
I’d love to read this – ghosty thrillers are my jam! Please do query me through my email, becca@darleyanderson.com and include #Pitch Wars in the subject line. Darley Anderson is a well established global agency and I am so pleased to be building a US focussed list in a team that includes a Film and TV agent and a well experienced international rights team.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Becca
I’d be delighted to consider this. Please see submission guidelines here: https://www.contextlit.com/submissions under Kaitlyn Sanchez, and please put PITCH WARS REQUEST and your genre and title in the subject line of the email. Thanks for sharing your work!
Hi Kara! This sounds great, I’d love to read more! If you’re interested, you can send the full manuscript, your query, and a complete synopsis to my Query Manager at this link: QueryManager.com/Chelseahensley/PitchWars2021
Hi Kara, this is such a fun premise! If you could email the first three chapters and a synopsis to childrens@madeleinemilburn.com I’d love to read more.
Thanks,
Chloe
Hi Kara!
My assistant Daniele and I have been hooked on your soul-deep lyricism from your Twitter excerpts, and now that we’ve seen your first page, we want to read your book even more! Please send us your query, synopsis, and full manuscript via Query Manager at this link: QueryManager.com/christa_heschke/PitchWars2122
Thank you!
-Christa Heschke, McIntosh & Otis
I’d love to see this! Please query me at https://querymanager.com/query/kristinostby! If my colleague Chelsea Eberly has also requested it, please choose one of the two of us—whomever you think would be the best fit. Thank you so much!