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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.
MG #1: SHIMMER IN A BLUE SKY (Fantasy)
Mentee:
Tiffany Liu
Mentored by:
Jessica Vitalis and Julie Artz
Book Title:
SHIMMER IN A BLUE SKY
Category:
2018 Entries
Genre:
Fantasy
Word Count:
69,000

Pitch:

Winning a dragon race is 13yo Lani’s only chance to enter the forbidden land holding her kidnapped father. But to register for the race, she must unravel the curse that stole her magic and turned her beloved dragon, Orys, invisible. #ownvoices Taiwan-inspired Scorpio Races.

 

Excerpt:

Living above a sweets shop had its perks, particularly when Lani had a sugar-obsessed dragon to bribe.

She pushed open the front door of Wickton’s Sweets & Soda. Decadent cakes dotted the shop while mouth-watering candies and chocolates obscured an entire wall. Soda pipes crisscrossed another wall to end in flavored spigots: lemon soda, ginger soda for chilly nights, soda to cure dragon breath, and soda that sparkled like starlight.

“Pick something.” Lani sent the thought through the bond connecting her with Orys. Its tug on her heart told her that her dragon was upstairs, likely curled up on the bed.

He replied primly, his voice only audible to her, “I am a dignified dragon. You cannot bribe me, biped.”

On the central display table, the Weaver whistled merrily, its runework gears spinning sugar into pastel-colored clouds and popping them out a crooked shaft. Bowls clustered around it, filled with sugar-glazed peanut crumbles, moonberry-flecked red bean cakes, chocolate bars carrying a tongue-numbing ice charm, and translucent mochi cakes reflecting the day’s weather.

Shutting her eyes, Lani sent Orys an image of the bowls.

“Mochi!” he squeaked.

“Ha!” Lani shouldered through the kids clustered around the Weaver and swiped the entire bowl of mochi. “Only if you promise you’ll go to practice with me tomorrow.”

Orys grumbled, “I can already hear the other dragons laughing. ‘Look! The invisible runt thinks he can race!’”

Chest aching, Lani wished she could wrap her arms around his neck in a hug. “That’s why you have to prove them wrong.”

20 responses to “MG #1: SHIMMER IN A BLUE SKY (Fantasy)”

  1. Clelia Gore says:

    Hi there! This sounds deliciously fun. I’d love to read more. Can you send me a Word document version of the full manuscript at clelia@martinlit.com. Please put “Pitch Wars” in the subject line. Well done!

  2. You had me at Taiwan-inspired Scorpio Races! I would love to read more! Please send the query and full manuscript as word doc attachments to hilaryquery@ktliterary.com with PitchWars in the subject field!

  3. Sarah Landis says:

    Hi! Dragons!! Please send the full manuscript to slandis@sll.com. Looking forward to reading!

  4. Jim McCarthy says:

    I would love to have a look at this. You can send the manuscript to me at jmccarthy@dystel.com. A Word attachment is preferable if possible.

    Happy Pitch Wars!
    Jim

  5. Kat Enright says:

    Hello Tiffany! I love this concept so much! Curses and invisible dragons and mochi to boot! Can you please send me the query, synopsis, and full to kat@theseymouragency,com?

    P.S. If more than one agent at the Seymour Agency requests this, please only send to one of us! Best of luck.

  6. Lauren Spieller says:

    Congratulations on completing Pitch Wars! I really enjoyed this and I’d love to see more. Please send your query in the body of an email, plus your full manuscript and a synopsis (attached). I look forward to reading!

    Lauren Spieller
    TriadaUS Literary Agency
    lauren@triadaus.com

  7. Elana Roth Parker says:

    Hi! I’d love to read more! Please email me at eparker [at] ldlainc [dot] com:

    * Subject line: PitchWars Submission: YOUR BOOK TITLE
    * Your query letter in the body of the email
    * The full manuscript attached as a Word document

    Thanks!
    Elana Roth Parker
    Laura Dail Literary Agency
    http://www.ldlainc.com

  8. Natascha Morris says:

    Hi Tiffany,

    This looks super cute! I’d love to read more. If you wouldn’t mind sending me the full manuscript, follow the link QueryMe.online/1067/PitchWars2019. I look forward to reading about Lani’s adventure!

    Best,
    Natascha

  9. Penny Moore says:

    Hi Tiffany,

    I’d love to read more of this! Will you please submit your query letter and manuscript at: https://querymanager.com/query/LiteraryPenny/PitchWars

    Thanks!

    All the Best,
    Penny

  10. Ginger Clark says:

    Hi, I would love to see this. Please send the full manuscript as an attachment (a PDF, RTF, or Word Document is fine) to my email address which is gc@cbltd.com . Please include “Pitchwars 2019 Request” in the subject line. Thank you very much.

  11. Melissa Nasson says:

    I’d love to read more of this! Please send the first 50 pages as a Word doc or PDF attachment to melissa@rpcontent.com with “Pitch Wars” in the subject line. Thank you!


    Melissa Nasson, Esq.
    Associate Agent
    Rubin Pfeffer Content, LLC
    https://www.rpcontent.com

  12. Marlo Berliner says:

    The premise is intriguing and I like the voice so far. I’d love to see more! Please submit your query and first 30 pages via my Query Manager: http://QueryMe.Online/marloberliner
    If more than one JDLA agent requests, simply submit to the agent you feel would be the best fit. Be sure to only submit to one JDLA agent at a time. If the first agent passes, you are welcome to try the next.

  13. Heather Cashman says:

    This sounds perfect for me. I love dragons, candy, and cheering for the underdog!
    If you think we’d be a good fit, please send the full to heather.stormliteraryagency@gmail.com with Pitch Wars Query, your name, and the title in the subject line.
    Thank you and good luck!
    Heather Cashman
    Storm Literary Agency

  14. Rena Rossner says:

    I’d love to read this full manuscript. Please send it attached as a word document to: rena@thedeborahharrisagency.com

    Thanks!

    – Rena Rossner
    The Deborah Harris Agency

  15. Christa Heschke says:

    I love this and all things dragons. I’d be excited to see the full manuscript! Please send, along with a synopsis, to chquery [at] mcintoshandotis [dot] com and put Pitch Wars request in the subject line.

  16. Penelope Burns says:

    Hi Tiffany,

    I would love to see this. Can you send your query and full manuscript to penelope@gelfmanschneider.com with #PitchWars in the subject line? Thanks so much!

    All best,
    Penelope

  17. Laura Bradford says:

    The voice here is so adorable! Love it! Please email me the full ms + synopsis at laura@bradfordlit.com and put Pitch Wars in the subject line. Can’t wait to read more of this delightful piece!

  18. Kerstin Wolf says:

    Dragon races? Heck, yes! This excerpt was fantastic! Wickton’s Sweets & Soda made me so jealous that I don’t live above it! I’d be just like Orys with that mochi! I’d be thrilled if you could send me your full manuscript to QueryMe.online/kerstinwolf/Pitch_Wars.

  19. Kari Sutherland says:

    Girl bonded to dragon with hilarious dynamic and an intriguing plot? Yes, please! Can you please send the full as an attachement to me: kari@bradfordlit.com with the subject line containing: Requested PitchWars MG and the title. I’d love to read this one!

  20. Sandy Lu says:

    Hi Tiffany, I was born and raised in Taipei, so you can imagine my excitement at a Taiwan-inspired fantasy! Please send the full manuscript with complete synopsis and author bio (all in one Word document) to sandy@lperkinsagency.com. Looking forward to reading!