YA Contemporary Fantasy: In Lyres and Lies


35 word Pitch: Siren-blood McKenna breaks the most sacred laws of her kind; binding her song to one Siren, her soul to another, while discovering that being heard, being obeyed, is much more satisfying than being silenced.

Genre: YA Contemporary Fantasy


Title: IN LYRES AND LIES (A Siren's Lament)

Word Count: 70,000

If you're main character could be any Star Wars character, who would they choose and why? Honestly? McKenna won't get likability points for this, but she'd choose someone like Mother Talzin. Sure, she's evil as hell itself, but Talzin knows exactly what she's capable of. She knows her power inside and out, and isn't above using it for her own personal gain. McKenna has always been too afraid of herself to explore her True potential. At least Talzin dies defending her son though, right?

First 250 Words:

A familiar pressure lives in the gap between my collarbones. I rub at it absently, trying to banish the thought that it hurts worse than yesterday. Every day it builds and festers, and every day I’m sure there’s nothing I can do to hold it any longer. I imagine myself breaking apart, right down the center, and letting that viral pain leak out into the world because skin isn't strong enough to contain it.

“Is it bothering you again?” Mother asks from the hallway.

I drop my hands, but it’s too late. She’s already crossing my bedroom to lay the back of her cool hand against the base of my burning throat, checking for heat in the way a normal mother might inspect for fever.

I shrug away her question, hoping she’ll leave it at that. She doesn’t.

“You’ll learn to ignore it,” she says like she does every time we discuss my pain. When she speaks again, Mother addresses my demon spot instead of me. “I’ll be working through the night, so call Charly to come sit with you. Remember the rules.”

Her message delivered, she checks the heat at my throat once more before her usual absence replaces her in the doorway. I stay right where I am until the front door closes, count to one-hundred, then peek through the pink curtains to make sure she’s gone.

A strangled sigh aggravates the pressure building in my throat. Twenty more seconds, I promise myself, then the rule-breaking can begin.

10 comments:

  1. You have the reflexes of a Jedi: Query and first 50 pages

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Force is strong with this one. I'm intrigued- can't wait to read more!

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  3. You have the reflexes of a Jedi! Please send your query and first 50 pages to lauren@triadaus.com, and include "Query" an "Pitchslam" in the subj line. I look forward to reading! - Lauren Spieller / TriadaUS

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  4. Disciplined, you are! Please send me the first 100 pages as a Word doc or PDF at melissa@rpcontent.com. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Disciplined, you are.

    ReplyDelete
  6. You have the reflexes of a Jedi!

    Please send your materials to phelanqueries[@]thebentagency[.]com with "Pitchslam Request" in the subject line and everything pasted into the email. Just ignore the closed-to-queries auto-response, since this is solicited. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. You have the reflexes of a Jedi: Query and first 50 pages attached as a word doc
    To: rena (at) thedeborahharrisagency (dot) com
    Thanks!
    - Rena

    ReplyDelete
  8. You have the reflexes of a Jedi!

    ReplyDelete

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