Guest post by Mandy Hubbard

Hi Everyone!

Wow! So many amazing pitches. Y’all worked hard! (I grew up on a farm, so I’m allowed to say Y’all.)

Anyway, I wanted to drop in and announce the winners, but before I do, please note that there were SO many really good ones that it was hard to choose just one. If I did not select your pitch, please do still consider querying me via my normal submission guidelines. I would be happy to consider your work that way if you are not the winner. Many times projects just sound more intriguing in a full length query where you have the luxury of a few more sentences.

Also, sometimes I do pass on projects, not because the pitch isn’t good, but because it would conflict with something on my list—for instance, I already represent an Angels/Demons book. I can’t take another one on, so if that was in your pitch, I’m sorry to say that I couldn’t choose it as a winner.

In any case, these were my “top pitches”

Jen Corkill’s pitch: 17 year old Amelia Holloway prepares for her debut in Victorian society while a vampire killer with aspirations prepares for her, whether she's willing or not

Comments: I have never even requested a vampire manuscript. But I LOVE the Victorian Era, so it caught my eye. 

Heather Smith’s pitch: Fourteen-year-old Sarah Whitman has never wanted the life or marriage her parents have planned for her, wanting instead to be a sea captain in 18th century Hansa. When her parents are murdered, Sarah becomes a captive aboard the most dangerous pirate ship of the decade and must escape before her captain kills her when she becomes a woman on her sixteenth birthday.

Comments: I am a *HUGE* fan of THE TRUE CONFESSIONS OF CHARLOTTE DOYLE, and this sounds like it could have some overlap with that book.

Ryan Kereke’s pitch: A failed ballerina joins the circus and falls for a knife-thrower with a troubled past.

Comments: It was one of the shortest pitches in the competition, but it packs some punch. Plus, I secretly wish I was a ballerina. So there’s that. 

Linsey Miller’s pitch: Adalmund Port will do anything to save her country—she’s gone to war, been an assassin, and sacrificed her arm for the princess. Now, her country needs her to work with a masked and misguided revolutionary in a neighboring country to stop a war, but at this point she’d rather take another arrow to the arm if it meant he’d stop talking.

Comments: Man, those last four words totally got me! It’s so dark and serious, and then that bit of humor at the end cemented it for me. Plus, there’s something insanely interesting about the idea that she’d sacrificed her arm for the princess. A one-armed MC? Intriguing!

Joy Given’s Pitch: Seventeen-year-old April Somerfield is a shy, self-loathing misfit who would blend in with the wallpaper, if only the wallpaper were a little less attractive. When she discovers the family curse that made her who she is, April must decide if becoming beautiful on the outside is worth giving up the truly beautiful person she would otherwise become.

Comments: Again, the humorous snark here “If only the wallpaper were a little less attractive” really got me. Then with the curse and internal conflict, you sealed the deal. Really well done. 

Gillian Speace’s pitch: Ten-year-old Gideon, one of eight rambunctious siblings, describes the funny-yet-spooky events that unfold when a mysterious Ninth Child shows up, claiming to be part of the family. Gideon quickly realizes that the Ninth Child is determined to be included--even if that means taking someone's place.

Comments: There’s something super psychologically creepy about that last line. I totally want to read this. 

So, who is the official winner? It’s so hard to choose, but I’m going to go with Linsey Miller’s pitch—I am really hoping that unexpected humor shines through! Linsey, please send your full manuscript to: mandy.hubbard.queries@gmail.com, with a full-length pitch pasted into the first page of the document.

For the other “top pitches” I am still very eager to see more of your work—please do send your full-length query with the customary 5 pages pasted in so that I can further consider your material.

And of course, to everyone, please do query me, even if I did not select your pitch!

Thanks so much,

Mandy Hubbard

www.MandyHubbard.com

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