MANUSCRIPT STATUS: Three weeks delivery
Mentor: Lisa Amowitz
Mentee: Adam Sass
Title: SURRENDER YOUR SONS
Category: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy (Own Voices)
Word Count: 95,000
Pitch:
In this LOST-inspired thriller, sixteen-year-old Marcos Major is spending his summer vacation at camp—one that wants to turn him straight.
Sent to Nightlight, a gay conversion camp on a secluded island, Marcos endures their program in the hopes it will “cure” his real problem: the electricity that shoots from his hand when he’s anxious. Which is basically all of the time.
As Marcos navigates treacherous campers and sadistic staff, dark secrets lurk in the jungle surrounding Nightlight. Someone wants more than to turn Marcos straight. They want his power. Even if it means killing him.
Excerpt:
Chapter 1: Trouble in the Blood
I have to tell my favorite teacher that she’s going to die.
She’s not going to die right away, so I’m not a bad person for finishing my funnel cake first. I’ll let her enjoy the church fair and the sunshine and her granddaughter peeling the cornmeal casing off her corndog. But only for a minute. Her blood whispers to me that there’s not much time left.
Mrs. Penn’s blood isn’t where it’s supposed to be. Her granddaughter’s blood babbles uneventfully through her tiny, overall-clad body. Her husband’s blood rattles like a snare drum, but it still flows in the proper direction. But Mrs. Penn’s blood crashes against the lobes of her brain, flooding all available corners as it hisses in my ears like a tea-kettle.
The blood sound—the invisible electric fingers that send the town’s heartbeats whispering through my skull—finds me even at church.
It always finds me.
I squat on a church pew—the one chucked outside until someone fixes its busted leg. It’s high noon on Saturday during Hometown Days Church Fair and an open seat is worth more than gold.
“Hey, Major, your fat ass crack that pew in half?” somebody snickers.
I’d love to have a look. Please send the manuscript along to me at jmccarthy@dystel.com. Thanks!
I’d love to take a look at the full manuscript. Please send it as a word attachment to querycaitie (at) lizadawson (dot) com with your query in the email, with the PitchWars request in the subject.
I’d love to see this one. Send it over to pam@d4eo.com
I’m so so so excited for this one! Please send it my way: alyssajennette@stonesong.com
I’d love to read more! Please send the full manuscript to hjacobson@icmpartners.com Thank you!!
I’d love to read more of this! Please send the full manuscript to me as an attached word doc: querymandy@emeraldcityliterary.com. Thanks so much!
-M
This sounds fascinating. Could I see the full ms, please, as a PDF, sent to lana@chalbergsussman.com with a synopsis and “Pitch Wars” in the subject line? Really looking forward to reading!
I’d love to read further! Please send the full manuscript as a Word doc or PDF with your query in the body of the email to melissa@rpcontent.com, and be sure to put “Pitch Wars” in the subject line.
Thanks!
Melissa Nasson
Rubin Pfeffer Content
I’d love to see this. Please send the query and full MS to Rebecca@reesagency.com, with PITCH WARS REQUEST in the subject line. I look forward to reading.
Hi Adam! I’m absolutely loving this. Can you please send the full and your query to penelope.gsliterary@gmail.com with “Pitch Wars” in the subject line? Thanks so much!
Penelope
Hi Adam–Great premise, and I love the voice. Please send the manuscript and a synopsis as Word doc attachments to queryroseanne@gmail.com with Pitch Wars and Query + title in the subject line. Can’t wait to read!
Roseanne Wells
The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency
Ninja request! This sounds very intriguing. Please send the query, synopsis, and first 50 pages to amanda@inklingsliterary.com. I look forward to reading it!