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PW #344: Young Adult Alternate History Fantasy (LGBTQ, #ownvoices): THE FEVER KING

Thursday, 2 November 2017  |  Posted by Brenda Drake

Manuscript Status: Finished

Mentor Name: Emily Martin

Mentee Name: Victoria Lee

Title: THE FEVER KING

Category: Young Adult

Genre: Alternate History Fantasy (LGBTQ, #ownvoices)

Word Count: 109,000

Pitch:

After viral magic kills Noam’s father and infects him with technopathy, his new abilities capture the attention of a dangerously powerful general. Noam agrees to join his elite military unit—but he’s not interested in playing tin soldier. Not for the same government that slapped him with cyberterrorism charges, that tried to deport his undocumented parents and let the virus kill thousands of refugees.

Instead, he’ll infiltrate high command.

He’ll betray the boy he loves.

He’ll become the villain.

SHADOW AND BONE meets Antifa.

Excerpt:

Outbreaks of magic started in all kinds of ways. Maybe a tank coming in from the quarantined zone didn’t get hosed down properly. Maybe, like some people said, the refugees brought it up with them from Atlantia, the virus hiding in someone’s blood or in a juicy peach pie.

But when magic infected the slums of west Durham, in the proud sovereign nation of Carolinia, it didn’t matter how it got there.

Everybody still died.

#

Noam was ringing up Mrs. Ellis’ snuff tins when he nearly toppled into the cash register.

He all but had to fight her off as she tried to force him down into a folding chair, swore he just got a touch dizzy but he’d be fine, really. Go on home. She left eventually and he went to stand in front of the window fan for a while, holding his shirt off his sweat-sticky back and trying not to pass out.

He spent the rest of his shift reading Bulgakov under the counter. He felt just fine.

That evening he locked the doors, pulled chicken wire over the windows, and took a new route to the Migrant Center. In this neighborhood, you had to if you didn’t want to get robbed.

 

Filed: PW Entries

7 Comments
  • Hi Victoria,

    I would love to read more! Please send your query, 1-2 page synopsis, and first 100 pages (in an attached word doc.) to queries at azantianlitagency dot com with “PitchWars: TITLE by Name” in the subject line. Thanks!

    I look forward to reading on!

    Jennifer Azantian
    Azantian Literary Agency

  • Rena Rossner says:

    Oh my I’m loving this. Please send the full manuscript attached as a word document to: rena@thedeborahharrisagency.com

    I will just bite my fingernails until then!

    – Rena

  • Penelope Burns says:

    Hi Victoria,

    I would love to see this! Can you send the full to penelope@gelfmanschneider.com, with your query in the body of the email and #PitchWars and title in the subject line? Thanks so much!

    Penelope

  • Quressa Robinson says:

    I am intrigued! I may not be the only agent here at Nelson Literary Agency who wants to read your amazing work! So, please send just one email to query@nelsonagency.com with PITCH WARS UPLOAD in the subject line. We will reply with our upload instructions, and then all the interested NLA agents will read and consider your manuscript. Thank you!”

  • Jim McCarthy says:

    I would love to have a look at this! Kindly send the manuscript along for my prompt review at jmccarthy@dystel.com. A Word attachment is most preferable if possible.

    Best,
    Jim

  • Kiana Nguyen says:

    I’ve been salivating to read your book since that first aesthetic made me swoon, Victoria! Please send your full manuscript to knguyen@maassagency.com attached as a Word document with the query on the first page of the doc. PitchWars Req + THE FEVER KING in subj. line, please. – Kiana

  • Roseanne Wells says:

    I’d love to read more! Please use the guidelines on jdlit.com to send 30pp (instead of the normal 20), and include #Pitchwars in the subject line. I can’t wait to dive in!

    Roseanne Wells
    The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency

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