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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 YA #27: QUICKSILVER HARVEST (Contemporary Dark Fantasy / Horror)
Mentee:
Ann Fraistat
Mentored by:
Kylie Schachte and Aty S. Behsam
Book Title:
QUICKSILVER HARVEST
Category:
2019 Entries
Genre:
Contemporary Dark Fantasy / Horror
Word Count:
70,000

Pitch:

WILDER GIRLS x THE DEVOURING GRAY

Sixteen-year-old Wren never questions the magic of her family farm—famous for its miraculous, rainbow-hued wheat—not until a black blight slithers up from the soil. Now, people are disappearing into the woods, coming back feral with rotting bodies. Wren's own parents are missing, and she's coughing black mold. As a dark whisper beckons from the forest, Wren must team up with her boy-next-door ex to stop the blight, even if that means losing everything she holds dear—including her mind.

 

Excerpt:

So, it had finally come to kill us, too.

The sickest part was, I’d started to believe we were invincible—that the miracle of our farm might protect us. I’d seen Rainbow Fields survive crackling lightning, hail, devouring armyworms, eyespot fungus. Whatever came from sky or earth, the field behind our house still swayed with towering wheat, each vibrant wave like a stripe of the rainbow: crimson, orange, yellow, all the way to my twilight-blazed favorite—hot, violent violet. 

My whole life, the wheat lulled me to sleep through my bedroom window with its whispering rustles, sweeter than any lullaby. Or at least any my mom knew.

My whole life, until now. When I realized even rainbows could rot.

I stood before the violet stalks, their heads bowed in a broken sigh. Sickly black mercury crept from their roots, wound up their bodies, and dripped from their tips. So far, only six plants had fallen victim. The ones at the back of the field, closest to the shivering forest.

The rot in those woods had slithered toward us for months. Every day, noxious quicksilver devoured more of our neighbors’ crops. Every night, grim white eyes rose like restless stars, watching us from behind the silver-slicked trees.

And no one knew the worst part: it was all my fault.

31 responses to “PW2019 YA #27: QUICKSILVER HARVEST (Contemporary Dark Fantasy / Horror)”

  1. Emmy Nordstrom Higdon says:

    Hello! My name is Emmy Nordstrom-Higdon, and I am an agent in training with The Rights Factory! I just started building my list, and I’m so lucky to have Sam Hiyate as my mentor. If we end up working together, you’ll get the best of both worlds – the wisdom of an agent with 16 years in the biz, and my enthusiasm and attention as a new agent with just a handful of select clients so far. Part of why your manuscript caught my eye is because I was a HUGE fan of your comps, and if this story can stand on its own merit, I not only think it’s marketable, but I’d also just be dying to read it myself. Also? Zombie dog buddy? Amazing. I am thrilled to request a full manuscript from you, which you can send to assistant@therightsfactory.com. Please include a query letter and write PITCH WARS in the subject line. In the meantime, you can check out my bio and what I’m most interested in at https://www.therightsfactory.com/about-us, and my blog at http://www.booksbeyondbinaries.blog, if you want to know a little more about me. Really hoping to hear from you soon, and congratulations on participating in Pitch Wars!!

  2. Megan Manzano says:

    I’d love to see more! Please send your query, synopsis, and first 30 pages to https://querymanager.com/query/MeganManzano/PitchWars

  3. Sarah Landis says:

    I’d love to read the full manuscript! Could you email it to me at slandis@sll.com? Thanks!

  4. Hannah VanVels says:

    This sounds great, and I’d love to take a look at a partial. Please send the first 50 pages to: QueryMe.online/MarisaCorvisiero/PitchWars

    Thanks,
    Hannah

  5. Tara Gonzalez says:

    Hi Ann,

    I would absolutely love to read this – will you send me your query and first 20 pages to tara@emliterary.com at your convenience, and mention Pitch Wars in the subject? There’s no timeline on my end, just whenever you feel ready!

    Thanks so much!

    Tara Gonzalez
    Associate Agent
    Erin Murphy Literary Agency
    http://emliterary.com/

  6. Hi, Ann,

    This pitch gave me the chills!!! *Grabby hands* Can you send me the full and a synopsis (2-4 pages)? Please use Times New Roman, size 12, black, double-spaced text, 1” margins all around, and ½” paragraph indents. Paste your pitch in the body of the email and attach the manuscript and synopsis as two separate Word documents (docx). Sent to: lynnette (at) theseymouragency (dot) com and add “Pitch Wars Request” along with your title in the subject line. Thanks.

    If more than one agent from The Seymour Agency likes your entry, please send requested material to the agent you feel will be the best fit. #OneAgentAtATime

    Looking forward to reading more.

    Best,

    Lynnette

  7. Tara Gilbert says:

    DEVOURING GRAY was one of my favorite reads last year! I’d love to see this. Please use the link below to submit the full along with a synopsis and query letter.

    Thank you for considering me! If more than one Corvisiero agent shows interest, please choose one of us to submit to and let them know who else liked the pitch, so that we can share it with each other.

    QueryMe.online/TaraGilbert/Requested

  8. Erin Clyburn says:

    I’m so intrigued by your pitch and excerpt, and I’d love to see your full manuscript! If you’d like to submit to me, you can do so through this link: QueryMe.online/ErinClyburn/PitchWars.

  9. Marlo Berliner says:

    Creepy! I’d love to read more! Please send the full with Pitchwars YA in the subject line to marlo.jdlit@gmail.com. Looking forward to reading!

  10. Natascha Morris says:

    I’m intrigued. I’m curious to know more. If you want, please query me at QueryMe.online/natascha/PitchWars. Thank you, Ann!

    Best,
    Natascha Morris
    BookEnds Literary

  11. Hillary Jacobson says:

    Hi Ann,

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

    Thank you!

    My best,
    Hillary

  12. Adriann Ranta Zurhellen says:

    Hi Ann,

    Am loving what I’ve read so far! Please submit the first 50 pages and a 1-2 page synopsis to arsubmissions@foundrymedia.com, cc’ing in flmasst@foundrymedia.com, with the subject line “Pitch Wars: QUICKSILVER HARVEST.” Thanks so much, and looking forward to diving in further!

    Adriann

  13. Patricia Nelson says:

    Hi Ann,

    I would love to take a look at this! Could you please send me your query + the full manuscript as a Word doc attachment to patricia@marsallyonliteraryagency.com? Please make sure to put “PitchWars Request” in the subject line.

    I’m looking forward to reading!
    Patricia

  14. John Cusick says:

    I’m really intrigued by this! I’d love to see more. Could you please send your query and first three chapters to john [@] foliolit.com?

  15. Carlisle Webber says:

    I’d like to see this! Please send 10 pages and a query letter to carlisle @ fuseliterary .com with the subject PItch Wars – TITLE. Thanks!

  16. Alexandra Levick says:

    Hi Ann,

    I would love to take a closer look at this! Could you send the query and first 50 pages to me at alevick(at)writershouse.com? Please label your email with ‘PITCH WARS’ if you wouldn’t mind!

    So excited to dive in!
    Alexandra

    Alexandra Levick
    Literary Agent, Writers House, LLC.
    http://www.writershouse.com

  17. Penelope Burns says:

    Hi Ann,

    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

  18. Laura Bradford says:

    I love how visual and atmospheric this is–I can totally picture it! I’d love to see more! Please email me the full ms + synopsis and make a note in the subject line that this is a Pitch Wars entry. laura at bradfordlit dot com.

    Laura Bradford
    Bradford Literary Agency

  19. Cortney Radocaj says:

    Hi Ann,

    I adore your premise and your first pages and would love to see more!!

    Please submit the first 50 pages of QUICKSILVER HARVEST, along with your query and synopsis, here:

    QueryMe.Online/CortneyRadocaj/Requested

    Please also make sure to put “Pitch Wars” in the referral line or mention that I requested here in your query.

    I look forward to reading! 😊

    Warm Regards,

    Cortney Radocaj
    Associate Agent
    Belcastro Agency
    http://www.belcastroagency.com

  20. Sabrina Taitz says:

    Creepy and haunting. Would love to see more – please send the full manuscript in PDF format to staitz@wmeagency.com. Thank you! — Sabrina Taitz @ WME

  21. Kaitlyn Johnson says:

    What a unique plot and voice! I’d love to read the full. Please submit to QueryMe.online/KaitlynJohnson/Contests. Looking forward to diving in!

    Best,
    Kaitlyn Johnson
    Literary Agent
    Belcastro Literary Agency

  22. Andrea Morrison says:

    Dear Ann,
    QUICKSILVER HARVEST sounds SO great, and I really enjoyed your sample. I’d love to read the full MS if you’re interested in sharing – I’m at amorrison@writershouse.com.
    I hope to hear more!
    My best,
    Andrea

  23. Hi Ann,

    QUICKSILVER HARVEST sounds so good! The atmosphere that comes through from just that one excerpt is chilling; I immediately want to know what happens next. If you think we’d be a good fit (you can find more about me and my tastes here: https://www.jdlit.com/savannah-brooks and here: https://www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/savannah-brooks/), head to http://queryme.online/1346 to submit more info and a 20-page sample. Be sure to put Pitch Wars 2020 in the referral section or as part of the title (ex: QUICKSILVER HARVEST: Pitch Wars 2020).

    I’m looking forward to reading more!

    Best,
    Savannah

  24. Colleen Oefelein says:

    Hi Ann,

    I’d love to read this! Please email me directly at colleen@adventurewrite.com. Paste your query and synopsis directly into the body and attach your full. Thanks and looking forward to reading!

    Colleen
    Colleen Oefelein
    Associate Agent
    The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency
    245 Park Avenue
    39th Floor
    New York NY 10167
    212-372-8989
    colleen@adventurewrite.com
    http://www.jdlit.com
    Facebook: Colleen Oefelein
    Twitter: @eerie_o

    Celebrating 19 years of making dreams come true!

  25. Zabé Ellor says:

    Wow! This voice and pitch are absolutely killer! I’d love to read more

    Please send the query and synopsis (in the body of an email), and full manuscript (as an attachment) to zrellor . books @ gmail . com. I’m looking forward to diving in!

  26. Laurel Symonds says:

    Hi! I’d love to see this. Please send a query and 25 pages to symondsqueries@thebentagency.com with “Pitch Wars” in the subject line. I’m looking forward to reading more!

  27. Christa Heschke says:

    Lyrical horror?!!! This sounds so good! I’d love to see this. Please send the full manuscript and query to chquery [at] mcintoshandotis [dot] com. Please put “Pitch Wars request” and the title in the subject line. Can’t wait to read!
    –Christa Heschke, McIntosh & Otis

  28. Bridget Smith says:

    I’d love to take a look! Please send the query and the first twenty pages to querybridget@awfulagent.com. Thanks – can’t wait to read more!

  29. Melissa Nasson says:

    I’d love to see 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, Rubin Pfeffer Content

  30. Kerstin Wolf says:

    You excel in setting the tone! Right off the bat and I already had chills running down my spine! I’d love to see the full manuscript of this. If you think we might be a good match, please submit your full manuscript using this link: QueryMe.online/kerstinwolf/Pitch_Wars

  31. I am obsesssssssed with this one! I love the voice, the concept, the title, and would like to see more! Please send this pitch in the body of an email, synopsis and full manuscript attached as a Word doc, with YA PITCHWARS and your title in the subject, to Jennifer@theseymouragency.com.