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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.
YA #12: COPPER CITY WISHBONES (Speculative Thriller)
Mentee:
L.L. Madrid
Mentored by:
Andrea Contos and Kay L. McCray
Book Title:
Copper City Wishbones
Category:
2018 Entries
Genre:
Speculative Thriller
Word Count:
82,000

Pitch:

Three years ago, Zadie Slade kissed her best friend. A week later, Mara was dead.

But Mara’s spirit lingers after her kidnapping and murder, communicating with Zadie using her cousin’s body. So when another young girl vanishes from their tiny mining town, Zadie knows how to save her.

Zadie forces Mara to recover her fragmented memories. But when reliving her death sparks Mara’s revenge obsession and threatens to destroy both cousins, Zadie must choose: lose them both, or watch another girl die.

THE WALLS AROUND US meets BONE GAP

 

Excerpt:

The sickle moon hangs in the sky like a warning.

My boots clack along the cobblestones, each footstep a death knell as I lead strangers closer to the place where my best friend’s body was discarded.

Mara’s corpse wasn’t the first to wind up in The Devil’s Domain—just the most recent. She always said one day she’d be famous, and she was right. Mara hates that her murder is fodder for amateur psychics and dark tourists. Her life reduced to nothing but her death.

Still, this is Mara’s idea.

The macabre sells, and we need money to get the hell out of Copper City.

I beckon the tour group with a curl of my finger. I’m used to the tight, murky alley, and I know where the trash cans lurk and the stones divot and crack. The visitors stumble and squeal. Most of the pack smells like they’ve had a few drinks. For them, Mara’s murder is a spectacle, a campy photo-op. They are little more than ghouls.

We reach the back entrance of the old saloon. The sightseers gather behind me, and I wait for their whispers to fade. When all is silent, I remove the heavy iron key from my skirt pocket and raise it like a talisman.

18 responses to “YA #12: COPPER CITY WISHBONES (Speculative Thriller)”

  1. Patricia Nelson says:

    Hi L.L.,

    I would love to read more of this! Could you please send your query, along with the full manuscript as a Word doc attachment, to patricia@marsallyonliteraryagency.com? Please make the subject line “PitchWars YA Request: Copper City Wishbones.”

    Thanks so much!
    Patricia

  2. Jim McCarthy says:

    I’d love the chance to read this full manuscript. You can send to me at jmccarthy@dystel.com. Thanks so much.

    Happy Pitch Wars!
    Jim

  3. Sarah Landis says:

    Hi! I’d love to read the full manuscript. Please send to slandis@sll.com. Can’t wait to read more!

  4. Brent Taylor says:

    I’d love to read this. Please send the full manuscript (as a Word doc) to me at brent(at)triadaus(dot)com.

  5. Kat Enright says:

    Oooh, this is so ghostly and atmospheric. I’m hooked! Can you please send me the query, synopsis, and full to kat@theseymouragency.com?

    P.S. If more than one agent at the Seymour Agency requests this, please only send to one of us! Best of luck.

  6. Rena Rossner says:

    Hi there!

    I’d love to take a look at this full manuscript. Can you please send it attached as a word document to: rena@thedeborahharrisagency.com

    Thanks! I can’t wait to read!

    Best,

    Rena Rossner
    The Deborah Harris Agency

  7. Amelia Appel says:

    Dear L.L.,

    I’m super intrigued! Please send me an email at amelia@triadaus.com with PITCH WARS REQUEST – COPPER CITY WISHBONES in the subject line, your query and synopsis in the body of the email, and the full manuscript attached.

    Thanks so much – I can’t wait to read!

    All best,
    Amelia

  8. Zabé Ellor says:

    This looks absolutely fantastic and I can’t wait to see more! Please send the query, synopsis, and first 30 pages to me via QueryManager (http://queryme.online/ZabeEllor)

    If more than one JDLA agent requests your project, please submit to the one you feel will be the best fit!

  9. Joanna Volpe says:

    This sounds awesome–I’d love to see it! Please send the full manuscript to me as a Word document at jvolpe (at) newleafliterary (dot) com.

    Can’t wait to read!

  10. Penelope Burns says:

    Hi L.L,

    I’d 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

  11. Katie Grimm says:

    Dear L.L.,

    The concept for this is so interesting–you had me salivating at THE WALLS AROUND US meets BONE GAP–and I can’t wait to see what happens next to Zadie. Please send your query letter and the full manuscript as a Word doc to dca@doncongdon.com with PITCH WARS REQUEST in the subject line. Thanks and look forward to reading more!

    Best,
    Katie Grimm

  12. Hillary Jacobson says:

    Hi L.L,

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

    My best,
    Hillary

  13. Christa Heschke says:

    What a killer opening! I’d love to see more! Please send the query, synopsis and full manuscript to chquery [at] mcintoshandotis [dot] com with Pitch Wars request in the subject line. –Christa Heschke, McIntosh & Otis

  14. Allison Remcheck says:

    Dear L. L.,

    COPPER CITY WISHBONES sounds so spooky, and I would love the chance to have a look. Please feel free to connect with me via my box at this link:

    http://stimolaliterarystudio.com/#/Submissions

    Also, it would be great if you could use #pitchwars requested materials as the subject.

    Thank you so much!

    Best,

    Allison Remcheck

  15. Rebecca Podos says:

    I love this pitch!! If you’ll send the full to Rebecca@reesagency.com, I would so love to read.

  16. Sandy Lu says:

    Your writing stands out as one of the most polished, like a seasoned pro’s. I am eager to see more. Please send the full manuscript with complete synopsis and author bio (all in one Word document) to sandy@lperkinsagency.com. Looking forward to reading!

  17. Amber Caraveo says:

    I like the sound of this very much. Please see our submission guidelines at http://www.skylark-literary.com and if you’re happy to share the full, send your full manuscript for the attention of ‘Amber’. Thank you!

  18. Abigail Samoun says:

    I’d love to see this. You can email the complete ms as a Word or Pages file to Abigail (at) redfoxliterary (dot) com.