Friday, July 1, 2011

July Mystery Agent Contest!

CONTEST is now CLOSED! 
THANKS to all participants, and good luck!


WE HAVE A MYSTERY AGENT!! 


This is the day and here is the post with the rules! Yay!!

It's a one-sentence pitch contest in the comments with a maximum of 50 entrants. We'll close comments when the max is reached, so don't assume 50+ comments means we've reached the limit. It's always worth a try.

1) One sentence pitches only. I check every one, so don't try to be sneaky. :)
2) You must have a completed manuscript, ready to send upon request
3) One pitch per person per contest, please
4) Include Title and Genre before your pitch

When our fabulous Mystery Agent makes a decision, we'll host a grand reveal of M.A.'s identity and chosen winner(s). The big winner gets a full manuscript request. 


Here are the preferred genres of July's M.A.:


YA and MG: 
southern gothic 
historical fiction 
magical realism 
science fiction 
supernatural/ paranormal 
ghost stories 
humor 
fantasy 
thriller/ suspense 
edgy YA 
friendship MG


Need a little help or inspiration? 
Query Tracker - the one sentence pitch
QueryTracker Blog - the elevator pitch
Elana Johnson - one-sentence pitching. 

Good luck! And remember, you are all awesome!

49 comments:

Danielle DeVor said...

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

Like many homeless kids, fifteen-year-old Mathias Drvar died on the streets; unlike the rest, he came back-- as a vampire.

Becky Mahoney said...

Title: THE HUNGRY GROUND
Genre: YA Fantasy/Horror

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

Janice Sperry said...

Title: So You Don’t Want to be an Evil Sorceress
Genre: YA Fantasy
Mysty’s parents said her sixteenth birthday would be magical but she didn’t realize they meant literally until she turned dreamy Eric Galante into a frog.

Angelica R. Jackson said...

Thanks for the opportunity once again, OA, and I love reading everyone's entries! Here's mine:

Title: Spirits from the Vasty Deep
Genre: Ghostly historical (1850s)

After a terrifying childhood encounter with a ghost, Olivia rejected her powers to communicate with the dead, but when she inadvertently causes the death of an entire ship's crew she will have to embrace her haunted past or risk unleashing their vengeful spirits on the world of the living.

Jenna Wallace said...

Title: SOMNILOQUY
Genre: YA Ghost Story

When seventeen-year-old Abby moves into an old Scottish house and starts dictating a story in her sleep, she must figure out what the story is and why she’s telling it before she loses both her new boyfriend and the home she loves.

Traci VW said...

Title: Thunderbird Dreams
Genre: MG Historical Fantasy

Found in an old Indian granary, a magic stick drags twelve-year-old Chris into an ancient quest to save a Thunderbird spirit trapped within the mine, but the greedy mine owner has his own plans for the buried Thunderbird.

Marquita Hockaday said...

Title: The Blues
Genre: Contemporary YA (edgy)

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

Hey OpAwesome ladies-thanks for doing this :) I just keep on trying, huh???

Plamena Schmidt said...

Title: The Ivory Promise
Genre: Alternate Reality Historical


Clara, orphan and outcast at school, is violently taken by the Movement to live with a family she can’t remember, and makes a friend and a promise.

Lisa B. said...

Thanks for opportunity, ladies!

Title: ANGEL SIGHT
Genre: Paranormal YA

Fresh from a sanitarium, sixteen-year-old Rayna would give anything to be sane, but when two angels emerge the same day her classmate allegedly commits suicide, Ray has to embrace the crazy, work with the terrifying angels, and save her school.

Alexandra said...

Title: CRY HAVOC
Genre: Science Fiction

On twin sky planets in the far future, young pilots known as Dogs of War are bred in facilities called Kennels to fight each time their planets swing into close orbit.

Jenilyn Collings said...

Title: My Stepsister is a Succubus
Genre: YA paranormal

When stepsisters Natalie and Olivia fall for the same guy and he chooses Natalie, Olivia makes a deal to become a succubus in order to steal him back.

Unknown said...

Title: Myself in the Mirror
Genre: YA Magical Realism

Aria loves her twin sister, Echo, but will both of them survive when they find out that they not only share a birthday but a soul?

Lori M. Lee said...

Title: Soul Without a Boy
Genre: YA urban fantasy

When 17-year-old London Howell inadvertently "creates" a girl, drawing the attention of the city's ruling magus family, he must decide if the answers to newly raised questions about himself and his family are worth the price of the girl's soul.

Kim said...

Title: TRUSTING TRINITY
Genre: MG science fiction

Pitch:

A thirteen-year-old girl lies about being abducted by aliens, but when it actually happens to her best friend, no one believes her.

Jenn said...

Thanks so much for this you guys!

Title: JUST A CON
Genre: YA contemporary romance

16-year-old con artist, Megan Benson lands a place living in the wealthy Keller mansion only to realize too late this is the one family she doesn't want to pull a heist on.

Alicia Gregoire said...

Title: Phoenix Rising
Genre: Upper YA urban fantasy

With the help of a fellow student, Kyla seeks to free her father from the lock that has him and the earth’s magic trapped below ground.

Kendall said...

Title: Wandering Star
Genre: YA sci fi

The universe is hunting for Evee Ciboure, and as she planet-hops in search of answers, she has to figure out what's so special about her and decide if her pursuers are trying to save her--or stop her.

Rebecca said...

Title: Truthfully Yours...
Genre: YA Humor

With an obsessive dream to run the metaphorical bases with her best friend Conner, 17-year-old Sydney rushes out of her comfort zone and joins the running for Student Council President against Conner's brand new, hot-as-heck girlfriend.

E. Arroyo said...

Title: Some Kind of Trouble
Genre: YA Edgy Romance

After surviving a drive-by shooting with annoyingly smart Marcus, Arianna is determined not to lose him to the streets, but finds that love may not be enough.

Danyelle L. said...

Title: BITTEN
Genre: Upper MG

Fourteen-year-old girl + fairy venom (squared) = a chance to save both the mortal and the faerie worlds from colliding and destroying each other.

RaShelle Workman said...

Title: CONNECTED: THE KELVIERI'S BOOTS
Genre: YA science fiction

Framed for blasphemous crimes, sixteen-year-old Princess Venus is commanded to help a heartless human find his true love and she only has one week or Earth's air will kill her.

Nicole Settle said...

Title: The Reluctant Assassin
Genre: YA Fantasy

When the boy she loves gets injected with a deadly virus, sixteen-year-old Kella has to decide whether to kill the hundreds of soldiers guarding the only antidote, including her father.

Laura Barnes said...

Title: S.P.Y. MISSION: PRINCESS PROTECTION
Genger: MG Adventure

A twelve-year-old super spy-in-training must befriend a bratty teenage princess in order to protect her from an impending kidnapping threat.

Gemma Cooper said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Title: Blackbird
Genre: YA Fantasy Thriller

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

Michael Di Gesu said...

Title: BLINDED

Genre: Y/A Contemporary (Edgy)


With each blow of his father’s fist, Aidan wonders if he’ll survive, and then unlikely source comes to his rescue — a blind student.

Sharon Bayliss said...

Title: Stormland
Genre: YA Fantasy

A teenage pop star’s love triangle between the son of the President and a genetically engineered Prince could literally be the end of the world.

Nicole Zoltack said...

Title: Riona's Pen
Genre: YA Fantasy

Fifteen-year-old aspiring novelist Riona loves that whatever she writes with her magical pen comes true until she learns that each time she uses the pen, someone turn into a demon.

Theresa Milstein said...

Yay! Thanks for another pitch contest!

Title: Naked Eye
Genre: YA Fantasy

When Lucienne's prosthetic eye magically begins to see people's lies, she searches for the truth about the magic and her missing father, putting herself and those she loves in danger.

theartgirl said...

Title: The Tweed Coat Mystery
Genre: MG
Maggie McConnell is drawn to a second hand tweed coat and is soon being haunted by a ghost, but this ghost is closer to her than she thinks; it's the ghost of herself in a past life triggered by the coat she'd previously owned.

A.J. Locke said...

Title: Wasteland Rhapsody
Genre: YA Fantasy

A.J.’s sole concern is crisscrossing the Wasteland searching for the mysterious ‘pieces of nine’ so she can reap the staggering bounty issued for them, so the artificial magicians ruthlessly hunting her for her natural magic are just a minor distraction.

stephanie kuehn said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Shanika L. Bynum said...

Title: Grim Crush
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

Xia, a seventeen-year-old grim reaper, won’t let even Death stand in her way as she breaks the Rules of Reaping by falling for a human boy.

Sophia Chang said...

Title: SWEET AMBROSIA
Genre: YA Fantasy

Ambrosia Wyne: half-nymph, all-nerd…destroyer of Mount Olympus. It was a Really. Bad. Day.

Stephanie S. said...

Title: Born To Die
Genre: Science-Fiction.

Genetically engineered gladiators have no business falling in love with their creator's son.

Candyland said...

Title: 9:59 REWIND
Genre: Edgy YA Urban Fantasy

At 9:58 pm, The Next Big Rock Band airs sixteen-year-old Thursday Night Scum singer, C.J. Vega, catching a bullet to the head but at 9:59 pm, she presses rewind.

Sheila JG said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Don McFatridge said...

Title: THE CANDLE DARK WICKED
Genre: YA Fantasy.

To rescue best friend Rachel and younger wanna-be boyfriend Mike from her comatose twin sister’s dark world, sixteen-year old Teagan must sacrifice herself, or visit sleeping beauty’s bedside, and smother her with love--followed by a pillow.

Magan said...

Title: HOW TO DATE AN ALIEN
Genre: YA Science Fiction

A dark alien prophecy looms over Circe Operations Center, where intern Alex Bianchi learns that falling for an alien is only the beginning of her problems.

Unknown said...

Title: Memoirs of Araboth
Genre: Fantasy

While trying to maintain his righteousness, Daniel teeters between his inherent compassion and the greed that tears his race – his family – apart.

Angie Lockett said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Angie Lockett said...

Title : Scarlet
Genre : YA Historical/Action

Life in 12th century England is rarely easy, even for those of noble blood, as Will and Victoria have come to find out - circumstances has left one an outlaw and the other an orphan, and the only place that either seem to belong now is Sherwood Forest.

David Webb said...

The Baron Planes
Paranormal Romance

When a chance encounter stumbles upon a connection to physically contact the murky world of the undead, Chris opens up his past, present and future to a world he cannot control or comprehend.

Kimberlee Turley said...

Title: NOTE TO SELF
Genre: YA Fantasy

When Gracie Heart finds threatening notes hidden in her circus costume, she doesn’t realize she’s the one trying to warn herself: she’s next.

Mariam MacGregor said...

Daring Ivy
MG Friendship/Adventure

While searching for a missing man in Jolly, Texas, 11-year-old Cotton Dupree and his best friend, Ivy Shoemaker, unexpectedly unravel the mystery of Jesse James’ long-lost fortune, revealing an astonishing cover-up that redefines friendship and changes history.

kbrebes said...

Title: Fireball Canyon
Genre: YA Paranormal

Pitch: Flighty teen moves to Beverly Hills mansion guesthouse only to fall in love with wealthy teen stud with powers whose strange abilities she can heal, and steal, thereby pimping herself out but weakening her lover to the point of death.

Unknown said...

Title: Shadow Embraced
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy

In order to control the demon inside, 16-year-old Scar joins an underground fight club of witches, werewolves and vampires.

Sarah Heacox said...

Title: Snow Big Deal
genre: MG contemporary

No matter how much everyone underestimates the skinny kid in the wheelchair, sixth grader Jackie Weaver is an adventure-loving athlete who can't back down from any challenge.

RAD - Dot Painter said...

Title: The Lion Within
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy

Renna Healy wasn't born part-lion, at the age of sixteen she became one by accident, forcing her to find a way to control her inner-beast before she kills someone.