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PW #136: Adult Fantasy: SHATTERSPELL

Wednesday, 2 November 2016  |  Posted by Brenda Drake

Manuscript Status: Finished

Mentor: Hayley Stone
Mentee: Erin A. Tidwell
Title: SHATTERSPELL
Category/Genre: Adult Fantasy
Word Count: 109,000

Pitch:

When the taboo spells that bind Hulgardt to serve the ruthless Duke of Temborough break, his newfound conscience prompts him to rescue the duke’s heir from her father’s deadly schemes—unaware that Edrienne has a few schemes of her own.

Excerpt:

I arrived at Thasgar Manor near dusk, on horseback and alone.

The manor’s wrought iron gates stood open, crusted in snow, but I didn’t encounter anyone until I passed the nearest outbuildings. Even then it was only a stable boy hauling a rake who froze when he spotted me. His eyes jerked toward the house, no doubt torn between greeting the duke’s castellan and his duty to warn the widowed Lady Thasgar of my arrival. I waited until the boy finally came and took my horse, reaching the conclusion that he feared me more than wrath of his mistress.

Wise choice.

Inside, a maidservant took my gloves and heavy fur-lined cloak with shaking hands. “Please sit, m’lord. I’ll fetch her ladyship.”

I frowned as I surveyed the manor, silent but for the groaning of floorboards as the maid scurried ahead. An estate like this should have had more servants to spend on maintenance, most of them ethnic Lsalfians, but instead, every door pushed aside dead leaves and a cold fireplace lay at the heart of the main hall. The state of the house gave weight to the duke’s suspicions that Fiona Thasgar was using her income to fund some faction against him.

As I was considering my options, Fiona Thasgar swept in. She was dressed in drab, layered wool, and her sharp blue eyes were the only color about her.

“What’s this about, Hulgardt?” she asked, shoulders stiff. “You’re early. I wasn’t expecting you for six weeks or longer.”

“I’ve come to fetch His Grace’s daughter.”

 

Filed: Pitch Wars

7 Comments
  • Jim McCarthy says:

    I’d love to have a look. Send the manuscript along when you have a chance. A Word doc is most preferable if possible.

  • Caitlin says:

    Hmm, I’m intrigued. I’d love to see the full manuscript. Please send as a Word document to cmcdonald (at) maassagency (dot) com, along with the query and synopsis in the body of the email, and include “Pitch Wars” in the subject line. Thanks!

    Caitlin McDonald
    Donald Maass Literary Agency

  • Lisa Rodgers says:

    I’d love to take a look! Can you send along the query (pasted into the body of the email) and the first 50 pages (attached as a .doc) when you have a moment to querylisa [at] awfulagent [dot] com? Also, please include Pitch Wars and the title in the subject line. Thanks!

  • Hi Erin,
    I’d love to see this! Can you please send the full manuscript, as either a word document or PDF to victoria.queries@irenegoodman.com with “Query” and “Pitchwars” both included somewhere in the subject line?

    Thank you so much!

    Victoria

  • I’d love take a look at the full manuscript! Please feel free to send it along as a word document to andrea [at] harveyklinger.com with “PitchWars Requested Manuscript” in the subject line. Thanks! I’m looking forward to reading.
    best,
    Andrea Somberg
    Harvey Klinger Inc.

  • Miranda says:

    This is very educational content and written well for a change. It’s nice to see that some people still understand how to write a quality post.

  • 壯陽藥品 says:

    This is very educational content and written well for a change. It’s nice to see that some people still understand how to write a quality post.

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