Title: The City With Three Names
Category: Adult
Genre: Literary Historical
Word Count: 116,000
Pitch: When Prince Suleyman declares his love, Iro leaps from harem student to princess. But either she sacrifices freedom for gilded captivity–or perishes in smoke from the fires of war. Ottoman MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
First 250 words of manuscript:
Venezia, October 1500
She battled for every breath.
My grandmother, my yaiyai, lay on her low bed in the darkened room, bedridden since September.
In and out. In and out. A slow rhythm of crackling wheezes slipped from her dry parted lips for the past hour. When the pause between intakes stretched on, I held my breath as well. Sometimes in solidarity, but more often in fearful expectation. I knew either she would inhale–or her lungs would finally capitulate to the exhaustion of living.
Weeks of poor appetite and strained breathing made her ribs and chest protrude, barely concealed by the brown woolen dress she wore. The usual softness in her wrinkled face withered over those several weeks, deepening the lines around her mouth and cheeks.
Before Mother left for Mass at dawn, she demanded my brother Nickolas and I watch over Yaiyai. My eleven-year-old self could manage dabbing her hot brow with a dampened cloth. But while the chores were not physically demanding, my heart grew wearier each passing minute. Every breath brought her closer to death yet prolonged her anguish.
Nikko sat as close to the door as he could, fiddling with the poorly carved wooden sword he never went without.
I resented Mother for forcing me to play nurse. This rasping creature did not resemble my yaiyai. She had an iron will and caustic humor, unafraid to challenge my mother and energetic enough to manage my rambunctious seven-year-old brother.
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Candy Castle please! (Query + full manuscript)
Please send to flahertyqueries@thebentagency.com with PITCH MADNESS + Title in the subject line.
🙂 Thanks so much!
Heather Flaherty
The Bent Agency
Gumdrop Pass! I’d like to see your query + first 50 pages. Please send them as a word doc and include a full synopsis (1-2 pages, single spaced) to thao@dijkstraagency.com. Please use #pitchmadness and your title in the subject line. Looking forward to reading!
Candy Castle for me! Please send to full to query@newleafliterary.com, with PITCH WARS REQ – JAIDA in the subject line.
Gumdrop Pass! (Query + 1st 50 pages) Please email me at LBiagi@jvnla.com with the material as an attachment and Pitch Madness in the subject line. If you’re able to include a synopsis as well, that would be awesome. Looking forward to reading more!