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An agent's guide to Killer Summer by Bookbabewriting YA horror romance selected for 2024 SmoochPit Mentorship program.

Pitch : Boys start to disappear in Lyric's backwoods backwards hometown and the last person they were seen is her best friend and unrequited crush, Eleanor. After a bloody encounter Lyric questions if the connection is all in her head but as the boys start to turn up dead, Lyric must investigate the cultish town Eleanor calls home and if there is something monstrously wrong with her best friend.

For fans of: Jennifer's Body poster, Devil in Ohio poster, Together We Rot cover, This Delicious Death cover, The River Has Teeth cover.

Cult town in Canadian Prairies, cannibalism as a metaphor for love, friends to lovers bubblegum horror vibes, sapphic pining, toxic codependent friendship, touch her and die, monstrous romance, black cat x golden retriever vibes, #ownvoices queer and Indigenous rep

Jennifer's Body x Together We Rot
Here is my #agentguide for my SmoochPit story that has now hit the trenches. If any #litagents are interested in seeing this in their inbox let me know!
#WSPitQ #YA #H #R #LGBT #BIOC #Own

Agent's Guide to The Jinxborough Vampires, YA Paranormal Romance, 95,000 words. (Image description: character art of a witch girl and vampire boy, embracing and smiling at one another)

PITCH: Eighteen-year-old Laurie Loveday is having a rough night—apparently, she’s a witch, vampires are real, and they’re in Jinxborough. Oh, and their bites freakin’ hurt. Trying to connect with locals doesn’t mean having someone’s teeth at her neck. Unable to sass her way out of the predicament, she breaks free with her latent magic but is pushed to the ground. Right before she becomes human à la mode, Vincent, her coworker from the bookstore, appears and kills the attacker.   Vincent Fraley hates being a newbie vampire, but he’s grateful his sharp instincts saved Laurie. The transition from rebellious mortal to upstanding bloodsucker has been difficult. What’s more challenging is hiding the murder—and shielding Laurie from his obtrusive, anti-witch mother. Falling for his natural enemy is a big blunder, but Laurie makes Vincent feel human again.   They can’t get too distracted by their mutual attraction, since the slain foe’s family, House Greaves, will seek vengeance if the murder comes to light. Just when they think they’re in the clear, a ne'er-do-well vampire comes forth with photographic evidence of their transgression. Juggling their growing connection and a dwindling deadline, they must steal and destroy the images before they’re forcibly initiated into the blackmailer’s unruly clan—and a surprise guest from House Greaves has a front row seat to the “party.” Workplace love / friends to lovers / against the odds

COMPS & VIBES: In Nightfall by Suzanne Young (suspense & action, evil vampire gang), Spells for Lost Things by Jenna Evans Welch (eccentric setting in MA, heartwarming romance, generational family secrets), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (teen angst & sass, antics & mischief, early 00s nostalgia), Practical Magic (murder cover-up, magical mishaps)

MOODBOARD: image collage of a cobblestone Salem sidewalk with fall foliage, fanged mouth dripping blood, ouija planchette, sheet ghost chilling with sunglasses and a cat, white rose splattered with blood, a couple kissing on a dark snowy night, blue and green spellbooks, a blue neon bookstore sign, and a bedazzled flip phone next to a tube of lip gloss Bsky & Insta @maisiebannion / maisiebannion.com

IN NIGHTFALL x SPELLS FOR LOST THINGS x BUFFY

💜 friends to lovers
💼 workplace romance
💀 bookstore / oddities shop
🌙 witches vs vampires
🔮 salem vibes
👫 short king mmc + tall fmc
📟 00s nostalgia
🩸 got blood?

#WSPitQ #YA #P #R #agentsguide

Thank you!!!☺️

An agent's guide to BRIDGES OF MAGPIES by Chezza Lee

Pitch: In a feminist reimagining of a Chinese folktale, rebellious Shizhi runs away with the farmer she’s forbidden to marry, but when a jealous Celestial Empress forces her to relive a past life that spans three realms, Shizhi must confront madness, tragedy, and hell itself to reclaim her freedom and save the man she loves.

Snippet: “He swiftly pulled the needle from my palm and the sharp pain bit me again. But as I winced, a bright light flashed behind my eyes—a roiling pink gap in the stars. A glimpse of feathers tinged with blood. The heat of cracked lips against mine. The pain of my hand was lost in a wave of agony surging deep inside, from a part of myself I hadn’t known existed. Swells of bliss tainted by brokenness. The duality of joy and sorrow. I felt it all, as if I’d always been one with these feelings. I knew I should be afraid, but instead I lingered in the raw grasp of these emotions.”

Comps: IMMORTAL, A SONG TO DROWN RIVERS, THE NIGHT ENDS WITH FIRE. Tropes/themes: Female agency vs. internalized misogyny; Star-crossed lovers; Morally grey FMC + MMC; Celestial immortals; Three realms / past lives; Female friendship; Diyu and the eighteen levels of hell

“I will always be destined to love you, in every life.”

🕊️Feminist reimagining of Cowherd + Weaver myth
❤️Past lives
🌹Mortal-immortal love
⛓️Social expectations of women
🧧Epic/historical Asian-insp. fantasy
🧵Red threads of fate
👹Diyu/spirit world

#YouDeservepIt #Q (after SmoochPit) #A #RF #OwnVoices

Against a reddish, purple sky, a dark haired woman in a plum dress stares at a smirking blond man. Text reads: an agent's guid to Enchantments & Adversaries, adult fantasy rom-com complete at 95k words, selected for the 2024 SmoochPit Mentorship Program.

Text, left: After her latest protection charm prototype fails, Cecilia Thornhill is desperate enough for additional funding she considers a partnership from Caspian Wolfe, the founder of her province’s most-successful magical engineering firm, and her former college rival. He offers full use of his firm in exchange for co-credit and she agrees, knowing it’s her best shot at making a safer world for the magicless. After weeks of blazing chemistry in the lab and the bedroom, she realizes he’s no longer the man she once knew, but getting close to him puts everything at risk—if only her research would ward her traitorous heart. Photo, right: A dark haired woman in a green dress sits in a blond man's lap.

For readers who enjoy: - stem based magic system - love on the brain by ali hazelwood - refuse to use first names - a witch's guide to fake dating a demon by sarah hawley - grounded fantasy - plus-sized fmc - "it was always you" - "slut!" (taylor's version) + the alchemy - do your worst by rosie danan - magical met gala - rivals with benefits - finding your power - the very secret society of irregular witches by sangu mandanna - complicated family dynamics/found family Center; photo of a brunette woman scowling at a blond man

photo, right: brunette woman kissing a blond man in a lab text, left: “Cecily,” he rasps. “We started work a few minutes ago and you’re already trying to increase the tension between us.” I stare back at him, brows furrowing. “Do you have a weird lab kink I don’t know about? Is there something sexualized about mugwort I’m horribly naive to?” “Mugwort is probably the least sexy ingredient you could use.” He leans over the table and brushes his thumb gently over my bottom lip. I swallow. “But that,” he murmurs. “We may need to switch the order of research if you keep it up.” “Go grab the ingredient, Wolfe.” He chuckles and removes his hand from my face. My skin tingles in the wake of his touch, my pulse thrumming with magic. The itch starts again, the one I don’t know how to scratch. A simple touch has no right to feel that way. That good. Wolfe returns with the Mugwort, handing it over rather than disturb my collection of vials. “Behave,” I hiss. His eyes dance with mirth. The dimple is ever present on his cheek. “No promises.”

An #AgentGuide for my fantasy rom-com, Enchantments & Adversaries. This novel was selected for the 2024 #SmoochPit mentorship program and was revised with my mentor--now featuring more banter, more spice, and more pining! 💗

#amquerying #agentsguide #cozyfantasyromance

An Agent's guide to Killer Summer by Bookbabewriting. Below says it is a YA Horror Romance selected for 2024 SmoochPit Mentorship Program.

Pitch Boys start to disappear in Lyric's backwards backwoods hometown and the last person they were seen with is her best friend Eleanor. After a bloody encounter Lyric questions of the connection is all in her head but as the boys start to turn up dead, Lyric must investigate the cultish town Eleanor calls home and if there is something monstrously wrong with her best friend.

For fans of Jennifer's Body, Devil in Ohio, Together We Rot, This Delicious Death, and The River Has Teeth.

Tropes and vibes around a spooky rural moodboard. Cult town in Canadian prairies, cannibalism as a metaphor for love, friends to lovers, bubblegum horror vibes, sapphic pining, toxic, codependent friendship, touch her and die, monstrous romance, black cat x golden retriever vibes, #ownvoices queer and Indigenous rep

Here is an updated agent guide for my #ownvoices YA Horror Romance I am going to be #amquerying after the SmoochPit showcase in a couple weeks. If you are interested in seeing this in your inbox, let me know!

Agents guide to RUBY RED, an adult romantasy
👄Revised through the SmoochPit mentorship program
✏️95,000 words
👠Inspired by Wizard of Oz
💕Enemies to lovers
⛺Only one tent
💊Chronic illness rep
🏳️‍🌈Queernorm world / bi rep