Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Mystery Agent: March

UPDATE: CLOSED!! Thanks for all the awesome entries!!


Well, our favorite time on the OA has come once again. I know it's hard to believe because February flew by with oodles of agent events and book giveaways. Oliver, our owl, is especially excited about this particular contest. Even though he can't "hoot" in this one, he appreciates a good "tweet" now and then. 

We are graced with another fantastic mystery agent, one you won't want to miss. So get those tweet-sized pitches ready to roll, for the contest is NOW OPEN!

Here are the rules.


1) Entry limit: 75 entrants.

2) Pitch length: 140 characters. Think Tweet. Since we're talking 140 characters, Title and Genre don't have to be part of the pitch -- add them on to the comment somewhere.

3) Genres: YA (especially thriller, cyberpunk, horror, historical romance); MG; women's fiction; romance (especially with a strong, female heroine). 



4) Novels pitched must be complete. 


5) You may only enter once. If you entered a previous contest, you may also enter this one.

Are you ready to share your fabulous pitch? We're so ready to read them. The first 75 pitches (posted in the comments) will be considered. Last month, we had to disqualify a few for not following the rules. So don't get caught in that situation!

Good luck! May the best pitch win.

Ready...


Set...


Tweet....






91 comments:

Kate said...

Working Title: Stuck
Genre: YA paranormal

Young soul collector finds herself stuck in rich, blonde teen girl. With the help of a wannabe angel she needs to figure out how to unstick.

Unknown said...

Title: Shadow Embraced
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy

To control the creature threatening to take over her, 16-year-old Scar joins an underground fight club of witches, werewolves and vampires.

Jaime Loren said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jeanmarie Anaya said...

Thanks so much for this fun contest!

My novel is a paranormal YA complete at 78,000 words. Title is MAGNETIC.

PITCH:
For Carly Reynolds, being a hero doesn’t automatically get you a gold star. Particularly when the person you need to save is already dead.

Mim said...

Thanks for this contest!

Title: Dreaming Isis
Genre: Contemporary YA Fantasy

Pitch:
Seventeen-year-old Isis must choose between acceptance and embracing who she truly is as she learns to control her newfound magical powers.

Anonymous said...

Title: Nefarious
Genre: Romantic Suspense

Harlie's whirlwind romance with a rock star pisses off a jealous stalker determined to have one of them all to himself.

SM Johnston said...

Title: Mishca
Genre: YA Speculative Fiction (Horror, Science-Fiction, Paranormal and Mystery combined)

Pitch: Stalked while she's awake and haunted in her dreams as she sleeps, Mishca is about to discover finding her birthparents is no fairytale.

Danielle DeVor said...

Title: Riding on the Tail of the Devil
Genre: YA Fantasy

Pitch: A homeless teen, turned vampire, must fight for his "unlife" when the reigning Queen decides to kill him because he's a threat to her rule.

Unknown said...

Yay for the contest! Thanks guys!

Working Title: Cupcake Melody
Genre: Romance

Pitch: Being left at the alter sucks. Melody would know. Swearing off men isn't easy either in a new town with several available bachelors.

Marquita Hockaday said...

Title: The Blues
Genre: Contemporary YA Mystery

Pitch: Sixteen-year-old Blake uncovers a secret high school drug scene when his pill pushing best friend turns up dead.

A. Lockwood said...

Title: Olympus Gate
Genre: YA Fantasy

Pitch: A girl from a broken future travels back to ancient Rome to stop her sister's murder, confront the gods, and prevent the coming apocalypse.

Ruth Donnelly said...

Title: The Shifting Summer of Eleanor Olive
Genre: Middle grade

Ten-year-old Eleanor and her bunkmates are in for an unforgettable summer camp experience, complete with swimming, s’mores, and … shapeshifting?

Jaye Robin Brown said...

Thanks y'all!

The Happy Kind
Upper MG - 54K

2 Moms in Atlanta -normal. 2 Moms in Appalachia -not so normal. Can a horse, a country boy, and a new BFF give Tully the strength to be?

Steph said...

Title: The Matter of Souls
Genre: YA paranormal

When Riley dies and refuses to go into the light, she must let go of her grieving family…or she’ll find there are worse things than death.

Jess said...

Title: Waiting For Augusta
Genre: Contemporary Middle Grade

A runaway Alabama boy takes his dad’s cremation urn on an adventurous father-son trip to scatter the ashes in a special (& illegal) spot.

Jaime Loren said...

Title: WAITING FOR APRIL
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Twenty-one-year-old April is unaware she is living her 15th life, and that her best friend, Scott, has been trying to save her since 1730.

Unknown said...

Title: BLACKBIRD
Genre: YA Fantasy Technothriller

Spy chick bypasses a top-of-the line security system to steal an object before the sorcerers do in this "Mission:Impossible w/ magic" tale.

Sarah Nicolas said...

Title: The Demons You Know
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy

Pitch: When demons kidnap her mom, Fire Mage Miranda partners with a young Holy Knight to battle a seductive ancient knowledge & rescue the Mages.

E. Arroyo said...

SOME KIND OF TROUBLE
YA Contemporary

When Arianna decides to accept tutoring from bad-boy Marcus falling in love was the easy part, keeping him alive will take more than just love.

Holly Hill said...

Title: Happily Never After
Genre: YA fantasy

Sixteen-year-old Kate is trapped in a fairy tale, and if she doesn’t escape soon, she’ll lose all her memories. Or worse, she’ll get killed.

Erinn said...

New York Karma
Romance 70K


24 hours, a 52 block trek, 2 struggling artists, 2 muggings, 2 states, 2 exs, and a 1 secret poker game = Nick and Norah for grown ups.

Sheila JG said...

Title: A Crack In The Dam
Genre: Upper MG speculative

When a rich boy is exposed as an illegal mixed-breed he must flee The Rulers who want him dead because he disproves their oppressive lies.

Margay Leah Justice said...

A Demon's Redemption
Paranormal Romance

Lorelei is your typical college student - who happens to have a talent for sniffing out demons and sending them back to hell, kind of like a psychic bloodhound. But once a year, she is charged with the task of helping one of the fallen on their quest to earn their way back into heaven. How do they do that? By atoning for their sins. And so far, everything is working out for her - until she meets Az, son of Azazel. Does the demon fall far from the seed?

Michael Di Gesu said...

TITLE: Amber and the Whispering Willows

Genre: M/G Fantasy

A plague threatens Amber's willow grove. Her unique power is the key to stop an evil force from destroying both the human and fairy realms. 



PK HREZO said...

Title: Starsong
Genre: YA Contemporary

Being an all American girl has its perks for Wynonna Pinks, but falling in love with the Muslim kid from down the street will put her in an awkward situation. She’ll have to choose between facing her parents’ wrath by staying with him, or enduring the heartbreak of separation from the one guy who really gets her

Bluestocking said...

Title: Siege of the Heart
Historical Romance

Pitch:
English-born but Norman-blooded, Isobel struggles to keep her home and heart intact when Sir Alexandre must claim what's his after Hastings

Amparo Ortiz said...

@Margay and PkHrezo: Your pitches should be 140 characters long, like the messages you'd publish on Twitter. If you'd like to participate in the contest, please submit shorter versions. Thanks!

Lori M. Lee said...

Title: Soul Without a Boy
Genre: YA urban fantasy

To save his dad from magi, London must uncover the truth about his family and the odd girl claiming he created her before it's too late.

Janet Johnson said...

Title: The Peanut Butter and Jelly Friendship
Genre: MG Contemporary

When selling her appendix on e-bay doesn’t work, ten-year-old Annie seeks other ways to save her best friend’s house from foreclosure.

Francesca said...

Working title: The Missing Bedouin Necklace
Genre: MG mystery

Accused of stealing a valuable Bedouin necklace, a U.S. diplomat's kid and his Egyptian best friend set out to find the real thief.

Chersti Nieveen said...

Title: The Last Onset
Genre: YA Dystopia

This time Armageddon was planned - a form of Eugenics, where only the government's elected survive.

Christine L. Arnold said...

Christine Arnold
YA fantasy
Cloudburst

16-year-old Jemma Stone must harness her water-manipulating talents to defeat the Cardinal Keepers’ Cult before they kill the man she loves.

Jenilyn Collings said...

Title: Slipperage
Genre: YA retold fairytale

Zuku (a boy-king who can talk to machines, but not to girls) has to save 12 princesses from an endless ball after they rip a hole in space.

Kevin said...

Title - JOSHUA FALLEN AND THE MATTER OF DARKNESS
Genre - MG Science Fiction

13-year-old Joshua Fallen awoke with the ability to wield dark matter, and then found out only he could save the universe from destruction.

Chelsey said...

Background Vocals
Contemporary YA
by Chelsey Blair


Cousins, amputations, Paris, guitars, Drag queens, Harvard Square,--not in that order--and a girl named Meridian who wants to escape it all

Anonymous said...

Deb A. Marshall
Middle Grade, Short Story Collection
Mixed Up Ever Afters

Wonder what comes after "The End"? Little Red Hen chasing Gingerbread. Goldi in a hillside rumble with Troll. And more. It's OOPS Upon a time!

Jessica L. Brooks (coffeelvnmom) said...

Title: FLORA
Genre: YA urban fantasy

16 y.o. Dahlia can't tell anyone about the guy she loves, even when he disappears and her own family might be next if she doesn't find him.

Margay Leah Justice said...

Resub:

A Demon's Redemption
Paranormal Romance

Lorelei sniffs out demons and sends them back to hell. Azazel is sent to stop her. But will they be able to do their jobs once they meet?

Norma said...

Title - VEX
Genre - YA Fantasy with a techie twist

Virtual Environment Ten—VEX—turns deadly when Tana, 16, discovers something wants to download itself into her body and take over her life.

Margo Kelly said...

Title: The Education of Thia
Genre: YA Contemporary

Thia loves a boy online. She is shown evidence of who he really is, but she doesn’t believe it, until he shows up on her doorstep. He's 45.

www.margokelly.net

Elena Solodow said...

Title: The Whip-Slip
Genre: YA Fantasy

A teen whose touch heals or infects struggles to unearth her past before the forces of Life and Death deploy her as a weapon.

Courtney Lowe said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Shallee said...

Title: Devolutionaries
Genre: YA dystopian

Ash must sacrifice his ability to talk in order to hone the telepathic skills he needs to rescue his grandad from a Government experiment.

Donea Lee said...

Thanks for the opportunity!! Best of luck to all entrants ~ :)

Title: The Glass Prince
Genre: YA fantasy

An immortal prince drives Utah teen, Clara, to spend summer in New York with indifferent Grandmother. A family curse keeps her there.

Courtney Lowe said...

Title: Shutter
Genre: YA Horror

Valkyrie Mina Flynn’s soulchained: she’s got 7 days to exorcise the demon Zamiel, or she’s dead and damned. She’s in for a hell of a week.

Angelica R. Jackson said...

Once again into the fray!

Title: Spirits from the Vasty Deep
Genre: YA historical/paranormal

Pitch:
Ghostly crew wants revenge for a fire Olivia caused, forcing a reckoning with her haunted past. Blossom Culp meets Pirates of the Caribbean.

Thanks for another contest that makes us think about our books in different ways.

Rebecca said...

Title: Transmigration
Genre: YA Paranormal/Mystery

A murder case turned cold.A reincarnated soul.A second chance for 17-year-old Anna to solve her past,before her killer strikes again.

RaShelle Workman said...

Title: CONNECTED
Genre: YA SF Romance

An alien princess has been cursed to earth with one week to help a hateful boy find true love or she'll die never knowing who framed her.

Tina Moss said...

Title: Blood Bond
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Allowing a fallen angel into her life, isn't easy for a loner like Cassie. Yet, to control her powers, she'll have to first open her heart.

Alicia said...

Title: Quintessence
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy

The estranged Walker sisters are tricked into becoming witches. Now they must decide if they will do a ritual that will kill one of them.

Don McFatridge said...

Title: THE CANDLE DARK WICKED
Genre: YA Fantasy

To rescue friends from a sister’s comatose dark world, her twin must sacrifice herself, or smother sleeping beauty with love--then a pillow.

Joel said...

Title: Corridors of Ice
Genre: Contemporary YA Fantasy

16-year-old Jason, feeling cold, has visions of the world covered in ice & learns his dad's current skirmishes in Afganistan are connected.

LizG said...

Title: Maria de los Muertos
Genre: MG Fantasy

A dying lab rat named Guapo becomes a research assistant shadowing Death and discovers the secrets to immortality.

Thanks!
Liz Garcia

Marcie A. said...

Title: Among the Shattered Pieces
Genre: YA Contemporary

When Isla's dad drowns, she and her mom move to Thailand to escape their grief. A tsunami brings tragedy, forcing Isla to be strong.

Empress Awesome said...

Title: Tangled
Genre: YA Fantasy

16 yr old Fay is thrust into the world of Spirits, where everyone-- including the living-- want her dead.

Andrea Mack said...

Title: Grand Chef's Apprentice
Genre: MG Dystopian

When Maya sneaks into a forbidden cooking contest, the unexpected revealing of her hidden disability threatens her dream of overcoming her outcast status.

J.L. Campbell said...

Title: On His Own
Genre: YA (Upper Middle Grade)

What’s worse than landing in a place of safety? Sam finds out through sexual abuse and battling evil that comes from being on his own.

Nicole Zoltack said...

Alexia's Pen
YA Fantasy

When fifteen-year-old nerdy Alexia uses a cursed magical pen, her people turn into demons - the very thing she is trying to save them from.

Steven Cordero said...

Title: I, NEMESIS
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy

By day, demonic teen Sofia Sanchez is confined to a children’s psych-ward, by night, she battles the vicious street gang that killed her mom

Meradeth Houston said...

Title: Colors Like Memories
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy

Julia’s secret: she killed the guy she loved. It was an accident—sorta. Now she must save her best friend, but her ghosts won’t make it easy

(Thanks for doing this--I love reading all the entries!)

Katrina L. Lantz said...

These pitches look awesome, guys! There's room for 20 more, so keep spreading the word!

S. A. Joo said...

Working Title: Journey
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy

On her first journey to the human world, a girl finds love and find both world in the brink of a war.

Anonymous said...

Title: IMPRISONED
Genre: YA Contemporary Psychological Issue

Call them obsessions. Call them compulsions. Call them sanity-sucking life-killers. Call them what you want, but whatever they are, they’re taking over 19-year-old Keira Steck’s mind. And they suck big time, especially when she has way more important things to worry about. Like the real-live love triangle sabotaging her social life, for example.

Katrina L. Lantz said...

Too long for a tweet, Jessica. Please resubmit in 140 characters or less if you want to be counted. Thank you! :)

Becky Mahoney said...

Title: THE HUNGRY GROUND
Genre: YA fantasy with an espresso-shot of horror

When the population of a nearby city vanishes overnight, aspiring detective Kalinda joins the search party. But the city isn't empty.

Karen said...

MELISMA
YA Contemporary Fantasy

After a breakdown Tessa gives up singing,but when she enters a world where music is magic she must find her voice if she ever wants to leave

Jared Larson said...

Title: I'm Here to Save Your Day
Genre: MG Adventure/Fantasy

A brazen boy faces a playground bully to reclaim the jungle gym, only to discover the bully's mom– the lunch lady— is a far worse enemy.

Elizabeth Briggs said...

Title: Alternate
Genre: YA Sci-fi

A teen hacker is drawn into a war between parallel universes when she meets an alternate version of herself from another dimension.

Anonymous said...

Title: A LOVE LIKE AUDREY'S
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

A young artist with a penchant for Audrey Hepburn films falls for the mystifying new guy and ends up with her very own Breakfast at Tiffanys

Anne M Leone said...

Title: A Truth I Don't Know
Genre: YA thriller

Mali's classmates say she's a ghetto thug, but she doesn't give a sh*t, as long as she can stop her dream coming true & save her bro's life.

Anonymous said...

How far along in the process should the book be to enter the contest? I have two, one is complete and the other is a WIP at about the halfway point.

Katrina L. Lantz said...

tangynt, only pitch completed novels. Thanks for asking!

Anonymous said...

Title: COVETED
Genre: YA urban fantasy

A secret society called Libra has been hunting and killing Sources-human vessels of ancient power-for centuries, and Caleb Dunnelly is next.

Nancy S. Brandt said...

Title: Sword & Illusion
Genre: Epic Fantasy/Strong Female Lead

The leader of a race of warrior women faces the toughest challenge of her life: finding a husband and starting a family.

Becca Birkin said...

Thank you for doing this! Best to everyone.

Title: Night Visions, Daytime Disasters
Genre: YA magical realism

Pitch: Charlotte is ecstatic to find out the guy from her dreams is real. But Micah has a secret that makes him refuse to meet her in daytime.

Anonymous said...

Title: Parallel Earth Genre: MG SF/ Fantasy
Pitch: A brother and sister are transported into another dimension only to discover an enthralling race of aliens is hunting them for their human bone cells.

Rachel Searles said...

Title: Fulcrum
Genre: YA sci-fi

Two boys enter a corrupt interplanetary underworld to seek their missing guardian after their planet is destroyed in a surprise attack.

Stina said...

Title: Still
Genre: YA contemporary


If 17-year-old Calleigh’s secret gets out, her BFF is the serial killer’s next target—too bad her new BF is determined to find the truth.

Steven Brandt said...

Title: Lady and the Necromancer
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Pitch: A young woman becomes apprenticed to a 'reformed' necromancer to stop her dangerous ex-boyfriend, and discovers powers she knew she had.

Stephanie said...

Title: Heart's Reserve
Genre: Contemporary romance

Building a mansion, a hell on wheels masonry artisan finds a home of her own as she chips away her micromanaging foreman's emotional scars.

Steena Holmes said...

Title: Pink Tiger
Genre: Women's Fiction

Can making one wish on her missing daughter's birthday bring her kidnapped daughter home?

Christina Mercer said...

Title: Arrow of the Mist
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy word count 59,000

Lia must decipher an elixir and defeat the demon who poisoned her da via enchanted tree roots, before she’s convinced to serve the demon.

Toni Kerr said...

Title: Secrets of the Makai
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy

A psychic teenager must save a self-proclaimed plant queen and a mythical creature, sealed in emerald, as secret societies plot his demise.

Katrina L. Lantz said...

Yay, Emsky! I'm glad you got your pitch in time!

TWO SPOTS LEFT! Tell your writer friends! :D

Roland D. Yeomans said...

As Hurricane Katrina descends, thirteen year old Victor Standish street orphan finds New Orleans brings "mean" to a new level :

the supernatural level.

A mysterious Jazz club owner takes him in. The Jazz club is the Crossroads of Worlds ... and the owner has the blood of Death in his veins.

Katrina L. Lantz said...

Hi Roland! You need to reduce your pitch to 140 characters to be eligible. It should fit in a tweet, per contest guidelines above. Thanks!

Still two spots open.

Roland D. Yeomans said...

Hurricane Katrina descends. Thirteen year old Victor Standish finds New Orleans brings "mean" to a new level :

the supernatural level.

A mysterious Jazz club owner takes him in. The Jazz club is the Crossroads of Worlds ... and the owner has the blood of Death in his veins

Unknown said...

Title: KINESTHESIA
Genre: YA Alternate History

In an alternate 1961, 17-year-old Meri leaves her fishing town looking for a more exciting life. The chance to fight Nazis? That's a bonus.

Katrina L. Lantz said...

Roland, that's still 277 characters. You need to shoot for 140 characters including spaces. It should look about the size of the other pitches you see here.

Nora, you're in!

One spot left!

Jodi Henry said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Roland D. Yeomans said...

Hurricane Katrina descends. Thirteen year old Victor Standish finds New Orleans brings mean to the supernatural level.

A mysterious Jazz club owner takes him in. Death ensues.