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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 YA #04: SAFE HEX (Contemporary)
Mentee:
Erinn Salge
Mentored by:
Andrea Contos
Book Title:
SAFE HEX
Category:
2020 Entries
Genre:
Contemporary
Word Count:
70,000
Manuscript Content Warning(s):
Brief depiction of assault

Pitch:

TEEN WITCH X #MeToo

Struggling scholarship student Charlotte is determined to graduate from her elite Catholic school and escape her troubled family life. When she’s assaulted by her privileged and well-connected boyfriend, she finds a new goal--revenge. Armed with a few spells--including a DIY groin hex--Charlotte’s life improves. But when her witchcraft works too well and she faces expulsion for her dark arts extracurriculars, she’ll have to choose: graduation or vengeance.

 

Excerpt:

Before starting school at Xavier Prep, I never would’ve imagined a nun’s funeral would be the place to see and be seen. 

But that’s how it is for me this morning.

 It’s not every day Sister Mary Rita shuffles off the ancient mortal coil and your personal hero shows up to deliver the eulogy.

Bridget Sampson doesn’t know it yet, but as she ascends the pulpit of the school chapel, incense hanging heavy in the air, my brain pings mercilessly between the words I want to say to her today and the ones she said seven years ago. The ones that changed my life. 

Saved my life.

Roman’s hand covers mine and I squirm in my tartan kilt, the comfort I should feel drowned by even more pressure. To him, she’s Aunt Bridget–his godmother. She wrote him a check for his First Communion and comes to family dinners. For me, she’s a savior. I just need to show her we’re connected, spiritually, or emotionally, or some other hippie-dippie way I  don’t believe in. But she’s my ticket– away, gone, out.

Bridget stands at the lectern and nods to Father Sean, who’s sitting in funeral robes while the ancient pipe organ sounds wave through the air. On Eagle’s Wings, obviously, the only song you can guarantee to get a funeral going–or introduce your school’s most famous alumna.

 

5 responses to “PW2020 YA #04: SAFE HEX (Contemporary)”

  1. Lauren Spieller says:

    Congratulations on completing Pitch Wars, Erinn! I’d love to see this one again, so please send your query + full manuscript to Lauren@triadaus.com, and put “PW Request” in the subject line. I look forward to hearing from you! ~Lauren

  2. Samantha Fabien says:

    Hi Erinn,

    Congratulations on completing Pitch Wars! You must be thrilled.

    Your pitch, title, and opening pages really caught my attention. I always equate witches to feminism, so this #MeToo era story feels right up my alley. I’d love to request the full manuscript and continue reading.

    If you’d like to share it, please sent the query in the body of an email, with the full manuscript and synopsis attached as a Word doc.

    The subject of the email should be “Pitch Wars Request: SAFE HEX for Root Literary” sent to submissions@rootliterary.com.

    Although not all of Root Literary is participating in Pitch Wars, please feel free to query whoever feels like the best fit! We’re happy to coordinate internally.

    All the best,
    Samantha

  3. Stephanie Winter says:

    This sounds awesome! I’d love to read the full manuscript. If you think we’d be a fit, feel free to email me at query@psliterary.com with the full and a synopsis attached. Please mention Pitch Wars in the subject line and direct it to my attention.

    I’m so looking forward to reading your story!
    Stephanie

  4. Caitlin White says:

    This sounds amazing! I’d love to read the full — if you send your query and first pages to me on QueryManager (link below), I will request the full right away. Please put “Pitch Wars” in the “referred by” space:

    https://querymanager.com/query/caitlinwhite

    I represent projects at Emerald City Literary Agency alongside Mandy Hubbard and Linda Epstein. You can check me out on Twitter @caitforestell.

  5. Jessica Felleman says:

    Hi Erinn! I’d love to take a look at your query letter, synopsis and full manuscript. Please send them over to me at jfsubmissions@jenniferlyonsliteraryagency.com and mention that I made the request via Pitch Wars in the subject line. The query and synopsis can either be attached or in the body of the email, but please send the manuscript as a Word Doc attachment. Looking forward to reading! -Jessica Felleman