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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.
PW2020 Adult #07: SEA OF BONES AND FIRE (Historical Adventure Fiction)
Mentee:
M.J. Cassell
Mentored by:
Paris Wynters
Book Title:
SEA OF BONES AND FIRE
Category:
2020 Adult Entries
Genre:
Historical Adventure Fiction
Word Count:
95,000

Pitch:

In 1698, infamous pirate queen Evangeline will do anything for vengeance against Admiral Lovell of the Royal Navy after he slaughtered her beloved uncle years ago. But when Lovell builds a special ship to eliminate pirates, Evangeline must destroy it or become his next victim. BLACK SAILS meets GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO.

 

Excerpt:

Prey.

It glittered like a jewel in the rough sea. Tempting. Enticing. Arousing her hunger…her longing for blood.

Captain Evangeline Grey stood on the Archangel’s deck and surveyed the ship on the horizon. A merchantman heavy with goods. A tantalizing prize.

Her skin prickled. Greed shone in her men’s eyes, wicked grins on their faces. Their desire to strike was palpable, but she still needed to ask.

“What say you, men? Shall we attack?”

One hundred fists rose. “Aye!”

Blood rushed in Evangeline’s ears, and she bared her teeth like a shark stalking a wounded quarry. It had been weeks since they had a rich plunder. “Beat to quarters!”

The men loaded pistols and muskets, then yanked on boots for protection against spiked caltrops and broken glass possibly strewn across the enemy’s deck.

A steady, cool breeze swelled the brigantine’s sails and launched them forward—directly into an oncoming wave.

Evangeline gripped the larboard rail, the force jarring her and sending a shard of pain into her abdomen. Stifling a grimace, she rubbed the area two inches below her ribcage. She pinched her lips together as her fingers fell upon the circular scar beneath her white linen shirt—a bullet wound received ten years ago today. The same day her beloved uncle Jacob was slaughtered.

Her vision flashed red.

If only this battle was against the English Royal Navy instead of merchants. Even if the bastard admiral who killed Jacob wasn’t aboard, any navy death would offer satisfaction today.

4 responses to “PW2020 Adult #07: SEA OF BONES AND FIRE (Historical Adventure Fiction)”

  1. Kelly Peterson says:

    Hi MJ!

    I’d LOVE to see this in my box!!! I’m a bit of a pirate fiend. 😀 Please feel free to send me your query, synopsis, and full manuscript at http://QueryManager.com/KellyPeterson/PitchWars

    I’m SO EXCITED to read it! 🙂

    -Kelly

  2. Haley Casey says:

    Dear M.J.,

    This description of your work immediately had me hooked. I would love to read more!

    Would you please send your full manuscript, a synopsis of the project, and a short bio about what you do and any of your previous publications to Haley@CMALit.com? Each should be a separate attachment in Microsoft Word or PDF format. To ensure your email doesn’t get lost in the shuffle, please include “Pitch Wars” in your subject line.

    The two other agents at Creative Media Agency, Paige Wheeler and Shannon Snow, are participating in Pitch Wars with me. Should one of them also request your manuscript, we would appreciate it if you would choose the agent you’d most prefer to work with and only send them the requested materials. Should they pass on the project for any reason, and you find yourself still seeking an agent, then you are of course free to resubmit to another member of CMA.

    Thank you for taking the time to send me more of what you’ve written!

    Sincerely,
    Haley Casey

  3. Renae Moore says:

    Please send your query, synopsis, and first two chapters of your book using the following link: QueryManager.com/renae/PitchWars
    Please feel free to apply to more than one agent at Tobias simultaneously. We will handle multiple submissions on our end.

  4. Jolene Haley says:

    Hi there! Jolene from Marsal Lyon Literary Agency here. I love the voice and I am a huge fan of pirates and nautical history so this was a fun submission to see!

    I would absolutely love to see this submission, if you’d like to send it to me. Please send your query, synopsis, and full manuscript as a Word doc or PDF to jolene @ marsallyonliteraryagency.com. Please make sure the subject is Pitch Wars Request: Manuscript Title.

    If you receive another request from our agency, feel free to review the agents on our agency website and choose one of us to submit to: https://www.marsallyonliteraryagency.com.