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Pitch Wars Showcase

Please note: These are the entries for the Pitch Wars season beginning in 2021 and continuing through 2022. Please note that our Agent Showcase ends at 9:00 p.m. ET on Monday, February 14, 2022. Agents will not be able to leave comments requesting material after that time.

PW2021 YA #01: THE LIBRARY OF LOST GIRLS (Horror – #OwnVoices LGBT, Neurodiverse)

When sixteen-year-old Gwen’s sister returns from the Delphi School for Girls an eldritch, hollow husk, Gwen is desperate to reverse whatever sapped her sister’s soul. She manipulates her way into the Antarctic subterranean school for “troubled” girls filled with books written in blood and classmates brimming with magic. As she uncovers the truth, ghosts haunting the halls violently lash out; Gwen must find the strength to solve her sister’s mystery and save her first-ever friends… before the ghosts kill them all. WILDER GIRLS + A DEADLY EDUCATION

PW2021 YA #02: A WHISPER OF MOTHS (Romantic fantasy)

Fantasy PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

Zaea dreams of running her family's magic bookshop, but she's never wanted the burden of magic herself—much less the gruesome vision it brings of her father committing an impossible murder. Desperate to prove his innocence, she grudgingly allies with the cold, scrupulous investigator whose magic links with her own. When they uncover a dark bargain, Zaea must accept their bond and her own power to save her family, her freedom, and her heart.

PW2021 YA #03: THE ETERNAL LIBRARY (Contemporary Fantasy)

THE STARLESS SEA x STRANGE THE DREAMER

Starry-eyed, autistic October runs from foster parents in search of home, and The Eternal Library listens. Within its boundless walls he finds a furious girl and a soft-hearted boy, who quickly become home—a home threatened by a war between the Librarians and an exile hellbent on destroying them. October would do anything to save his beloveds. Even if it means following the dark voice of the Library to a door meant to remain shut. Even if it means unleashing the chaos that lies behind it.

PW2021 YA #04: A TRAVELER’S GUIDE TO PIRATES (Contemporary Fantasy)

THIS POISON HEART meets PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN with Black girls in STEM, ghosts, and a splash of Caribbean history.

Avery’s summer in the Bahamas is not going as planned.

Escape her overbearing cousin? Fail.

Ghost-free adventures? Fail.

First-hand historical accounts to boost her research project? Unexpected win. Thank you, ghosts.

But when Avery stumbles on a cursed dagger, things take a dangerous turn—and if she doesn’t figure out how to dispose of it, more than just her summer plans are at risk.

PW2021 YA #05: THESE GIRLS LIE (Thriller – Epilepsy #OwnVoices)

Seventeen-year-old Ally is thrilled to spend her summer lifeguarding at the prestigious Camp Fireside—until her epilepsy labels her a liability and she's assigned a counselor position instead. When one of her campers disappears and she becomes a suspect, Ally digs for answers, revealing dark secrets lurking beneath the camp’s picture-perfect facade.

PW2021 YA #06: WHEN THE SKY IS DEEPEST BLUE (#OwnVoices Contemporary)

Seventeen-year-old Deedee’s relationship with her strict Filipino single mom changes when she investigates the past her mom never talks about — with the help of the boy who’s teaching her how to drive in secret. 

Family dynamics of YOLK x Olivia Rodrigo’s “drivers license.”

PW2021 YA #07: ALSO STARRING (Contemporary Rom-Com – #OwnVoices LGBTQ+)

Kenny Deluca may have a center-stage ego, but even he didn’t expect to be making his Broadway debut at sixteen.

And he definitely didn’t expect to be understudying Hugo Fuente, the youngest (and most charming) member of pop sensation The Fuente Brothers.

When something sparks between the two boys, Kenny must decide: his name in lights, or the boy who lights up his heart? Because on Broadway, nothing is certain – and the spotlight shines brightest just before a blackout.

PW2021 YA #08: THE MACHINISTS (Contemporary Fantasy)

After her twin’s death, Cadence is determined to honor his memory by winning a place among the tech-magic prodigies of the Machinist Institute. But when she discovers her brother’s fate wasn’t an accident, she follows his killer into a world of dangerous, magical street races—where one wrong turn means she’ll be next.

The high-octane racing of FAST & FURIOUS meets the scandalous loves and lives of LA’s elite ala GOSSIP GIRL.

PW2021 YA #09: VILLAVIVOS (alt-historical dystopian)

Dominican WARM BODIES

Marisol lives in Villavivos, a town where humans and undead Vivos live together in harmony—supposedly. But when the local all-Vivo theatre troupe is poisoned and descends into a feeding frenzy during a performance, tensions between Vivo and human grow. After receiving an encoded letter from her scientist mother, Marisol must make the dangerous trek across the wild west to find a cure, with nothing but a gun and the Vivo boy who makes her heart flutter.

PW2021 YA #10: CRUEL IS THE LIGHT (Romantic Fantasy)

Exorcist Selene's determined to prove herself by protecting the Vatican against a powerful demon. Jules, a charming deserter on the run, is perfect bait.

It's loathe at first sight, but when she blackmails him into a fake engagement to smuggle him past security, sparks—and knives—fly. Now, Jules’ true identity threatens the Vatican and her heart.

Every holy war demands a sacrifice: Her world... or his life?

SERPENT & DOVE x WITHIN THESE WICKED WALLS

PW2021 YA #11: BEETLE KEEPER (Speculative, Black #OwnVoices)

As extraterrestrials deteriorate the personalities of her loved ones, sixteen-year-old Jurnee discovers she can use her mystical influence over beetles to restore them. The catch? It could cost her every memory she has.

PW2021 YA #12: THE CROWN BENEATH THE WAVES (Fantasy: Latinx #OwnVoices)

Venezuelan ATLANTIS meets SERPENT & DOVE

Kaira wants nothing to do with her magic-wielding family’s political duties—including an arranged marriage to the enemy usurper king. When her escape attempt fails, King Ion promises to release her if she helps him heal the magical dome protecting their underwater land. But as they untangle the lies haunting both their families—and grow dangerously close—the price to save the world becomes painfully clear: the death of thousands and King Ion’s life … or hers.

PW2021 YA #13: BALLAD OF THE GODS’ BLESSED (Afrofantasy – #OwnVoices)

When Dido, a Black princess blessed with magic by the gods, learns her brother killed her lover, she flees home and builds a sparkling kingdom with her powers. With a broken heart and lust for vengeance, Dido prepares to reconquer her homeland. But when colonizers invade her new kingdom, she must decide what’s worth saving: her motherland or her newly-crafted legacy.

This Aeneid reimagining is The Gilded Ones meets Daenerys Targaryen, inspired by African-American folklore. It features power-hungry girls who will burn down kingdoms to avenge the ones they’ve lost.

PW2021 YA #14: CHURCH OF SCARS (#OwnVoices Contemporary Fantasy with horror elements)

CRUEL PRINCE with Scandinavian vampires 

Astrid Skarsgård never believed the frozen woods were as monstrous as everyone said–until her grandmother disappeared in them. To find her, Astrid must team up with the bloodthirsty beast her grandmother warned her about. But as she unravels her family’s grim legacy, Astrid discovers the actual monsters were never in the woods.

PW2021 YA #15: YOUR BETTER HALF (#OwnVoices Diabetic Rom-Com)

Central High’s half-marathon fundraiser for diabetes is floundering without sign-ups, and newly diagnosed Avery is determined to save it. It’s the perfect opportunity to prove to her classmates—including the ex who dumped her because he has “enough to worry about”—that she’s still the girl who can do anything. Her plan to increase registration: matchmake every runner, including the race’s stubbornly single, immensely desirable founder. But finding his soulmate is even harder than running 13.1 miles when she falls for him herself.