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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.
PW2019 Adult #10: ISLE IN THE FLOOD (Fantasy – High/Romantic)
Mentee:
Amanda Helander
Mentored by:
Ava Reid and Rachel Morris
Book Title:
ISLE IN THE FLOOD
Category:
2019 Adult Entries
Genre:
Fantasy (High/Romantic)
Word Count:
120,000

Pitch:

Seer Mona Arnett—brash, spoiled, and severely agoraphobic—hasn’t gone outside in ten years. When the royal council recruits her to predict the king's future bride, her reading returns the worst name imaginable: her own. 

Opalvale’s vital magic will die without a queen. Now, Mona must decide: how much chaos and ruination will she risk to keep herself off the throne?

 

Excerpt:

The first time I stepped into the Flood, I had just killed my brother. I was twelve years old.

We’d been on our evening walk—we took one every night, in the summer. Patrick said it was time to go home. I never wanted to do what he told me. He wasn’t my father, however much he liked acting like it. So I ran away, along the bluffs that rose like flat white teeth near the sea. He chased me, caught me by my scarf. We wrestled for it by the cliffside.

He wouldn’t let go. He was so much older, and stronger. I asked him, again and again, I screamed at him, but he wouldn’t. He just wouldn’t let go. So, I did.

And that’s when he went over.

I hadn’t meant to do it. Swear upon the seven gods, I hadn’t.

While his body lay broken on the rocks below, I knelt on the clifftop, stared at the sinking white sun. My heart railed against my ribs, so hard they might have cracked. All of me might have cracked. How long I stayed like that, I couldn’t say.

I used that time to pray for my own death. Face hot and slick with tears, I prayed to Eledorr, the moth. I prayed she would deliver me. I needed to die like I’d needed few things in my short, charmed life. 

12 responses to “PW2019 Adult #10: ISLE IN THE FLOOD (Fantasy – High/Romantic)”

  1. Eva Scalzo says:

    Hi, this sounds intriguing. Please submit query + first 3 chapters to QueryMe.online/evascalzo/PitchWars.

  2. REBECCA STRAUSS says:

    What a gripping opening! I’d love to read more. Please put ‘Pitch Wars Requested’ in your subject line and send the full manuscript and query letter to me at rebecca@defliterary.com. Ms can be an attachment. Thanks so much!

  3. Hillary Jacobson says:

    Hi Amanda,

    I would love to read more! Please send the full manuscript as a word document to hjacobson@icmpartners.com

    Thank you!

    My best,
    Hillary

  4. Kristin Nelson says:

    What a lovely opening! I’d be delighted to take a look at your full manuscript. I’ve created a special Pitch Wars link so you can send the manuscript my way.

    Query Manager Event Link
    QueryMe.online/1350/PW20192020

    Pls also include your query letter as the first page of your full manuscript to help orient me when I dive in for the longer read starting on the 11th.

    It’s also okay to send to more than one agent at NLA if you have received multiple requests. We’ll coordinate on our end.

    Congrats on being a part of Pitch Wars. I can’t wait to read.
    Kristin

  5. Ginger Clark says:

    I would love to take a look at this. Can you email me the first fifty pages as either a PDF or DOCX or RTF? Put the words “Pitchwars 2020 request” in your subject line. Thank you so much!

  6. Quressa Robinson says:

    Congrats on making it through the editing rounds with your mentor! I’ve been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to check out everyones showcase samples. Based on what I’ve read so far, I’d love to see more. Please query me at this link (QueryMe.online/QueryQuressa/PW20192020) and follow the directions. If more than one NLA agent requests work from you it is okay to query more than one of us, just give us a heads-up. Good luck!

  7. Penelope Burns says:

    Hi Amanda,

    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

  8. Kerstin Wolf says:

    This sounds amazing! What an amazing hook in the beginning of the excerpt too! I’d love to read the full manuscript. If you think we’d be a good match, please use this specific link to send me the full manuscript: QueryMe.online/kerstinwolf/Pitch_Wars

  9. Rena Rossner says:

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

    Thank you!

    – Rena Rossner

  10. Sabrina Taitz says:

    Would love to read more. Please send the full manuscript to staitz@wmeagency.com – thank you! Sabrina Taitz @ WME

  11. Sandy Lu says:

    Hi Amanda,

    What an opening! Please send the full manuscript with your bio and complete synopsis (all in one Word document) to sandy@lperkinsagency.com. I look forward to read more.

    Best,
    Sandy Lu
    L. Perkins Agency

  12. Bridget Smith says:

    I’d love to take a look! Please send the query (in the body) and the full manuscript (as an attachment) to querybridget@awfulagent.com, with “Pitch Wars” in the subject line. Can’t wait to read!