Have questions about submitting to Pitch Wars or just want to know what it is? Start here!

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.
PW2021 YA #38: PANIC ATTACKS FOR GOD (LGBTQ Historical)
Mentee:
Micah Killjoy
Mentored by:
Carly Heath
Book Title:
PANIC ATTACKS FOR GOD
Category:
Young Adult
Genre:
YA LGBTQ Historical
Word Count:
78,000
Manuscript Content Warning(s):
Mentions of off-page child abuse/child sex assault, A few mentions of period-relevant queerphobia, Racial microaggressions, Triggering talk regarding pronouns, Deadnaming, Panic attacks, Death and dying, Cults/religious indoctrination

Pitch:

It’s 2005 in Portland and seventeen-year-old Sarah Flanders, a loyal Christian servant of Jehovah God, finds herself questioning faith, sexuality, and gender in the wake of her blossoming closeness with a genderweird actor. As her religious family and friends question Sarah’s association with such a “worldly” individual, Sarah realizes she must choose between the only community she’s ever known and the only love that’s ever felt real. HERETICS ANONYMOUS meets ORPHEUS GIRL.

 

Excerpt:

“What are you doing here?” Aubrey asked.

I grimaced a smile at the Watchtower and Awake! Magazines fanned out in my hand. If I placed them with her they’d be my two literature placements for the morning. She might never let me forget about it, but it was for Jehovah. And to help her find the truth. Of course. “We’re out in your neighborhood, offering some information that you may be interested in.”

Aubrey looked at the magazines and back to me. “Are you—”

The volume of my voice increased. “The question we’re asking today is: ‘Where do loved ones go when they die?’ I’d like to ask you a question, Aubrey.” I had to stop and cough. We were supposed to use their names if we could get them but in that moment I nearly choked on hers. “Do you believe in Heaven and Hell?”

Aubrey’s glance slid between me and the magazines one more time, then she shook her head. “No.”

They usually never answered so simply. “W­–­what do you think happens after we die?”

Aubrey shrugged.

I swallowed once more, my mouth parched enough to strike a match on my tongue. “How would you feel if I told you that your dead loved ones could live again?”

“I’d be horrified because they’d be zombies,” Aubrey deadpanned.

5 responses to “PW2021 YA #38: PANIC ATTACKS FOR GOD (LGBTQ Historical)”

  1. Penelope Burns says:

    I’d love to see this! If you’d like, can you send your query and full manuscript to penelope@gelfmanschneider.com with #PitchWars in the subject line? Thanks so much!

    All best,
    Penelope

  2. Carlisle Webber says:

    I’d like to see this manuscript! Please submit it along with a query letter here: QueryManager.com/Carlisle/PitchWars2022.

    If more than one agent from Fuse Literary requests your work, please choose one of us to submit to.

    Good luck, and I look forward to reading your work.

  3. D. Ann Williams says:

    Hi Micah,
    Congratulations on completing Pitch Wars! Your excerpt is intriguing, and I would love to read more. Please feel free to send me your query, full manuscript, and synopsis (if you have one) to QueryManager.com/DAnnWilliams/PitchWars2022

    Please let us know if you get multiple requests from ECLA agents, and we will coordinate internally if one (or more!) of us falls in love with your manuscript.

    Have a great showcase!
    D. Ann Williams (she/they), Associate Agent, Emerald City Literary Agency

  4. Dear Micah,

    I’ve reviewed your pitch for PANIC ATTACKS FOR GOD and am intrigued by your excerpt. Please send your full manuscript in Word or PDF format to me at victoria@hgliterary.com and copy my reader at gabry@hgliterary.com. We look forward to reading your work.

    Thank you,
    Victoria Wells Arms

  5. Becca Langton says:

    Hi Micah,
    I’m really interested in reading more of your story. Please do query me through my email, becca@darleyanderson.com and include #Pitch Wars in the subject line. Darley Anderson is a well established global agency and I am so pleased to be building a US focussed list in a team that includes a Film and TV agent and a well experienced international rights team.
    Looking forward to hearing from you!
    Becca