UPDATE:
I’VE HEARD BACK FROM RHONDA AND I’LL BE E-MAILING THE AUTHORS THAT RHONDA MADE REQUESTS FROM THROUGHOUT THE DAY! WE’RE HAVING WEATHER UP IN MY NECK OF THE WOODS, SO IT MAY TAKE ME SOME TIME TO GET EMAILS OUT TO EVERYONE.
SHE EXPRESSED INTEREST IN ELEVEN PITCHES, AND OFFERED TO SEE MORE INFO ON A COUPLE SHE WASN’T CERTAIN WERE ROMANCE.
GOOD JOB EVERYONE!
Good morning everyone and a huge welcome to Rhonda Penders with The Wild Rose Press.
It’s interesting…
I’ll give the stats below, as I usually do, but this time I had a lot of pitches from authors/writers who haven’t been to Agent/Editor Shop before. Many of them didn’t make it in today. It’s too bad too! We didn’t even fill up all the slots because so many of the pitches didn’t follow the rules.
Here’s the thing, and I say this every week. Agent/Editor Shop is an opportunity to get your work in front of an ACQUIRING agent or editor. Preparing and learning and doing research is vital at any stage of a writer’s career. Following submission guidelines, whether it’s for a pitch or query or full submission, is almost as important as the time you invest in your writing.
A good story will always shine through… Maybe, maybe not. But why would you sabotage your chances by not following the rules?
Okay, now onto the pitch stats.
Pitches received:44
Pitches accepted:18
Pitches deleted:26!!!
- 15 – Too long
- 5 – Missing contact or story info
- 6 – Not romance
I have to tell you, doing these Agent/Editor Shops has given me a whole new perspective in what agents and editors go through on a daily basis with hundreds more submissions than I receive. The time I use for one shop is a fraction of the time they have to spend every day weeding through hundreds of queries and submissions. There’s a very good reason they have guidelines and by not following them, you’re doing yourself a disservice. For those of you who read, re-read, and followed the pitching rules – KUDOS! You’ve taken one huge hurdle and demolished it.
So, now that we have that out of the way… Welcome Rhonda. I hope you’ll find something that interests you. If you do, please email me at dancillaw@yahoo.com with the pitch number, title and of course, what you’d like to see from the author and how they should send it.
We’re grateful for having you with us today and for taking the time to look at the pitches.
Out top pitch slot winner is: PURE AS SNOW
And ELLIE HELLER is the lucky winner of the ARC of PRIMITIVE NIGHTS. (E-mail me and I’ll get you your copy.)
ON TO THE PITCHES! Good luck everyone and thanks for joining us!
***
TOP PITCH SLOT WINNER
#1
PURE AS SNOW
Paranormal/Shifter
20,000 words
Lynka a tri-shifter is one of the Sisters of the Earth and a spirit of the Tundra region. Her domain is the ice and snow. She meets Igor a guardian who is sent to protect Lynka’s mother (an earth goddess) while she gives birth. Unfortunately for Lynka, her uncle (a warlock) is determined to capture Lynka’s baby sister Estelle and steal her powers for himself.
Lynka and Igor must combine their skills of strength and wisdom in order to deflect the evil and allow this child to be born in a pure and untouched place. Can Lynka combat the fear she has of being with others to protect her mother and sister? or will the need to flee and be isolated be her undoing and place the innocents in the path of evil.
This is the first of the Sisters of Earth series.
***
#2
DON’T FALL FOR THE PUNK
Contemporary Romance
55,000 words
He works in the Comic bookstore and he plays music.
She is a Pastors daughter, they come from two totally different worlds and now they are fighting for their love. Can he find the strength to stand up for his love of her and do what he believes is right?
Its do or die for him.
***
#3
SIXTH SENSE
Romantic Suspense with a Paranormal Twist
65,000 words
Reluctant psychic Katherine Crystal, dubbed “Crystal Ball Kate,” is thrust into the national spotlight when she accurately predicts that the young son of movie actor Vince Rivers will die in a private plane crash. Skeptical Atlanta police detective Jack Hale—who harbors a deep-seated distrust of psychics—is the by-the-book officer who ignores Katherine’s warnings when she calls to report her premonition. Jack is forced to partner with Kate, who uses her eerie sensitivity to evil to help him catch a serial killer. Their investigation into a mystery surrounding Kate’s birth leads to murder and romance among a secret society of psychics in the quaint spiritualist community of Casa Spirito, Florida.
Sixth Sense just won the Georgia Romance Writers 2012 Unpublished Maggie Award of Excellence in the Paranormal/Fantasy category.
***
#4
THE THIRD WIFE
Historical romance with elements of fantasy, set in 16th-Century Tuscany
80,500 words
Aimee is a gifted witch trapped in a marriage as the third wife of Prince Henri and an unwilling participant in a plot to produce an heir. She finds friendship and love with a talking cat and Steven, the guard captain. She spends a lifetime sifting through high court infidelities and atrocities to insure her daughter finds her place assisting the rightful Queen.
King Henri marries the second wife and twins are born. The first born, Carlo, is betrothed to princess Domenica, a gorgeous but spoiled bitch who seduces the brother, Piero, but marries Carlo.
King Henri had another child, Isabella, who helps Carlo as king after Henri is killed. In a murderous fit, Domenica pushes Carlo off a cliff, expecting her son to be king, but Piero is chosen. Piero marries Aimee’s daughter but remains enthralled with Domenica. The kingdom suffers under Piero who sinks into madness. Aimee uses her last strength to summon a storm to end a long drought, and Piero dies in the resulting flood. Aimee dies after Isabella is crowed as the first Queen ever.
***
#5
UNTITLED
Religious Romance
40,000 words
Harlequin Inspire is romance lite for the Christian woman, and Christians are the majority of world population, but what about the rest of us? I have in mind a line of religious based romances that cover other world religions such as Judaism, Budism, Islam, and Wicca to name a few, and how these religions shape the lives of the women who follow them. The first book I see in this set I already have in rough form and am working on polishing. It is about Seraphina Bergman, a late- twenties modern Jewish girl whose best friend is getting married. this is the catalyst for Sera to finally move from her parents’ home to her very first house and make an effort to meet a man. What she would never have guessed is her new next door neighbor is not only drop-dead sexy, but he is also an Israeli Jew. A romance blooms between them and after a single night of passion, Zev, her neighbor is re-activated on a mission for Mossad and must leave immediately. He has been gone for several months when Sera realizes she is pregnant. As well as the romantic aspect of this story, it also informs the reader of modern Jewish (liberal) views and customs. The tale comes to a climax when Zev returns to the United States under deep cover and Sera runs into Zev as her best friend is at a last minute flower consultation.
***
#6
THE MARGUESS AND THE LADY
Historical Regency Romance
94,000 words
HUNTER CRANSTON, MARQUESS OF REDINGCOATE was devastatingly betrayed by his brother with the woman he loved, 7 years ago. Although he has decided to marry, he vows that he will not risk his heart again, only marrying to beget heirs.
LADY AMANDA SEACROFT has loved the Marquess for almost 2 years but as he has yet to offer for her, she has decided to marry Viscount Bensen. The viscount only wants to marry her, as his father will disinherit him should he not marry within the year.
When Amanda is compromised by the Viscount, the Marquess is the only witness. Without admitting he has feelings for her, he cannot let Amanda marry anyone else, whether he loves her or not. As the two marry, they begin to love and learn to trust one another. Hunter’s past catches up with them, however, entangling both the newly wedded pair and their coterie of friends in a murder and kidnapping plot.
Will Hunter put aside his fear and learn to love his wife? Will Amanda learn to put aside her insecurity over Hunter’s past love to trust in him fully?
***
#7
DARKNESS UNDONE
Genre Paranormal Romance
108700 words
After being bound to a vengeful goddess, immortal warrior, Reynner, has little time for the fairer sex. The last thing he wants is to be aligned with another female, even if she is the key to finding an artifact and saving his realm. His stone-cold resistance is tested, his attraction undeniable for the feisty mortal. But she demands the one thing he cannot give her…his trust.
Eve Leighton keeps away from intimacy of any sort after an accident in her teens left her with a painful gift—the ability to see into another’s soul with physical contact. When an ice-cold warrior claims she is his world’s savior, she’s intrigued, until she dares a look into his soul and sees a man who’s been cruelly betrayed. She agrees to help him and loses her heart. But the man is an unassailable fortress.
With quiet determination, she chips away his barriers and a passion darker than night pulls them under.
But Reynner must overcome his own personal demons as battles are fought to claim the woman he loves or lose her to a vicious goddess. And Eve has to face her own mortality and fight for a love of a lifetime.
***
#8
CAPTIVE OF HER HEART
Historical Romance-Regency Period
103,000 words
Everybody has a secret. Some are more dangerous than others.
For Georgina Wilcox, daughter to the traitor known as “The Fox”, there are too many secrets to count. Treated as more of a servant than daughter in her father’s household, she is content to secretly aid the men he imprisons. After her last attempt to free a prisoner resulted in the man’s death and for her, a severe beating she’s forced to accept she cannot free another man. That is until she meets Adam.
Adam Markham, a member of the Brethren of the Lords, an elite group of spies is captured. Adam loses everything: his close-knit family and Grace, the woman he fell in love with. As his days in captivity grow, he finds himself fascinated by Georgina. Her innocence and bravery breathe life into him.
When Adam is freed he realizes he cannot live without Georgina. They wed and Georgina has added the most unforgivable lie of all to her mountain of secrets–the truth of her identity. As the carefully crafted lies she’s built their marriage around begin to crumble Georgina realizes she’ll do anything to prove her loyalty—even it means at the expense of her life.
***
#9
HER TIME TO DIE
Romantic Suspense
73,507 words
Sandra Walsh, codename Wraith, was a sniper for a mercenary-style agency. When her bullet misses the target and kills the young girl she’s supposed to save she realizes she can’t stay in this life anymore. But the only way she can quit the agency is to fake her death. Without telling her team her plan, she sabotages a covert meeting and makes it appear as if she was blown up in a bombing.
She establishes a new identity in a small town managing an entertainment center owned by sexy former Marine, Casper Grady. But she gets sucked back into the world she tried to escape when the agency finds out she’s still alive and comes after her.
When they discover Grady’s connection to her, she knows it could jeopardize his life. She’s kicking herself for not leaving town sooner but her heart wouldn’t let her leave him. Now she has to keep them safe while trying to figure out how to get them out of this mess. But Grady doesn’t make it easy when he has his own ideas on what they should do and only complicates things when he takes their attraction to the next level.
***
#10
LOVE & VENGEANCE
Historical Fiction with Romantic Elements
100,000 words
Back during the reign of Trajan, c. 108 AD, at the pinnacle of Rome’s power, Marcus, a fine Roman citizen, is stripped of his position to be condemned as a slave to fight in gladiatorial games. Sentenced to die in the Colosseum, he lives and excels at the blood sport, becoming Champion of Rome, possessed by a demon to win his freedom to exact vengeance against his accusers.
Gustina is a Roman slave, never tasting the joys freedom, serves her owner, her domina, but when she finds the woman dead, poisoned by her husband, Gustina is accused as the killer and sentenced to die in the Colosseum.
Marcus saves her by using the coin he wins to buy her life. He will protect her from death by his status as champion and she will save him from the dark demon of vengeance but together, their love is tested by the very Romans who condemned him to slavery – his family – the same people he must rescue her from before they kill her.
***
#11
AMOROUS
Contemporary/Sci Fi Romance
80,000 words
Sofia was having the worst day. First her car seems to have finally given up the ghost and gasped its final breath. After a grueling commute through slush and frigid temps she walks in on her boyfriend becoming intimately acquainted with Stephanie, her Supervisor. To add insult to injury, Stephanie then explained that she was being downsized. Finally home she finds a large cat-like creature half frozen and injured on her balcony. What else can go wrong?
The people of Felinus are in jeopardy. Havardr is chosen to investigate an uninitiated planet where a comrade had disappeared. Ensnared, he awaits his fate till the most delicious scent empowers him to escape the trap. Severely injured, he follows the scent to a tiny house. There he discovers the most delightful surprise of all……
***
#12
BRIGHT STAR
Historical/paranormal Romance
98,000 words
Pandora Mavros is on the hunt for one of her own. A high ranking Siren has gone rogue, murdering innocent men. Her mission is to locate the rogue and the artifact she has stolen. If she fails; the destruction of her people will follow. The licentious and dashing Alexander is a complication she is definitely not looking for. Could he be working for the rogue?
Alexander Knight is searching for his business partner who mysteriously disappeared and with him the ancient map of the elusive island of Eudora. Alex doesn’t need the impediment of his desire for the mysterious and guarded Pandora, but something or someone is forcing them together. Is she his salvation? Or the destruction of everything he holds dear?
***
#13
ONCE UPON A MASQUERADE
Historical Romance
115,366 words
Cordelia Clarke has waited two years, in vain, for her brother’s best friend to see her as more than a sister to him. The night of his masquerade ball, she produces a false identity, along with a colorful costume and proceeds to show him she is a desirable woman and not a dear girl. Her wildest dreams come true, she leaves him quivering and wanting more.
Andrew Daventry, Viscount Sutton is no usual aristocrat. He is a gentleman in every sense of the word. But, after the night of his family’s masquerade, he becomes very bitter and annoyed. The enchantress he meets and sets him aflame, rejects his offer to become acquainted with one another without costume. Confounded by lust, he sets out to find the beauty that turned his well-ordered life upside down.
His search leads to his one true love, the woman he never knew that he even wanted. Not until they share an unexpected, tender kiss in her parlor.
Their lives become complicated when another suitor vies for Cordelia’s affections and a tremendous secret rips them apart. Nosy relatives and misunderstandings certainly do not help. Yet, they have the most powerful weapon of all, friendship.
***
#14
GUITAR GOD
YA—Contemporary Fantasy
195,000 words
Polly’s moment had finally arrived, and it couldn’t have come at a worse time. Barely a teenager, Polly had reluctantly accepted the role of human guardian of the Green. Now, about to begin college and leave her hometown and all the weirdness behind, fate calls her, except to save the Green she must defeat Isaac, the boy she loves.
Isaac was the kid nobody liked until a mysterious faerie granted him his greatest wish. Now bestowed with incredible musical prowess, Isaac is loved and admired by all. But there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Polly is the only one who can save Isaac’s soul, but her first responsibility is to the Green. Can Polly save the Green and save Isaac as well?
Guitar God is a Jewish, suburban rock and roll fantasy with a 1970s soundtrack. It’s urban fantasy in the suburbs. It’s War For The Oaks meets Portnoy’s Complaint. It’s crossover YA for teens and their parents. It’s a world where the faerie folk walk among us, but we don’t know it. It’s about the magical places where we grew up. Maybe we knew about them or maybe we walked by them every day without even noticing.
***
#15
IMMORTAL BLOODLINES
Paranormal Romance
88,000 words
Kila’s mother severed their relationship in hopes of keeping her lineage a secret. When Kila meets Ethan, a charming and lethal man from the bayou, things take a passionate but bitter twist. Their illicit love affair acts as a catalyst to her birthright. Bringing her destiny to the forefront awakens the Sepulturans, riling unprecedented anger from shape-shifting clans, and reveals the truth behind the voices in her head. One act of forbidden romance shatters the carefully sculpted facade on reality, one where shape-shifters prey on humans, creatures of the grave distort minds, and an unknowing hunter walks among the immortal bloodlines.
***
#16
WARDER
Contemporary Fantasy Romance
108000 words
Only after she’s chosen to train to keep everyone safe from misused magic does Mona realize her ability to see and manipulate other people’s spells, but not create her own, isn’t a failing, but a rare trait. Her studies go well until she disregards the rule stating Warders never go after a spell’s creator. Hoping to stop more shifters from getting killed, she sets out to track down the person setting death traps.
Cart Dupree is called in by a high-ranking elf to find the magic user behind the killings. Mona dogs his steps, despite the fact that she shouldn’t be involved in his investigation. Reckless and headstrong she plays fast and loose with danger, something no mate of his will ever do, there are too many orphans in his family already.
But it’s not her actions that get shifters killed, it’s the madman who is spelling them to capture Mona or die. With each successive attempt coming closer to succeeding, and the death toll for shifters rising, Mona and Cart use his skills as an investigator and hers as a Warder, to decipher the few clues they have. Before they become the next victims.
***
#17
TRUTH AND HUMILITY
Romance / Suspense
112,000 words
For over a century, two families have fought, shot, kidnapped, hung, burned, stolen from and accused one another. Danny Bennett knows that most of what keeps her family feuding with the Cahill clan is baseless accusations from both parties, but that doesn’t keep her from taking sides. After all, when her fun-loving brother, Derek – the person she idolizes most – has been accused of murder, her loyalties lay solidly with him. Accustomed to living on the edge, Danny welcomes a good challenge… until she unwittingly falls prey to her brother’s accuser.
Driven by hatred, Austin Cahill knows exactly what to do with Danny: use her as a weapon against her brother. Derek must pay for killing Austin’s fiancé, but Austin must coax a confession out of him first. His plan to “own” Derek’s beloved baby sister should break the man, but he soon discovers a much bigger obstacle… his burgeoning desire for Danny. When Derek comes for her, will Austin be prepared to let her go in exchange for the truth? Will his quest for vengeance destroy the woman he’s grown to care for? Or will it be the truth that brings them all down?
***
#18
SWITCH
YA
78,000 words
Becoming a soldier to protect her nation from rebels isn’t the way sixteen-year-old Allesra92 expected to spend her birthday. And doing so while posing as her twin brother borders insanity. But she’ll do anything to keep her mentally challenged brother out of Asylum – a place where those who aren’t ‘normal’ are sent and never return.
Pretending to be part of the boys’ fart-belch-fight club is a piece of cake compared to finding out her entire nation is nothing more than a higher government’s testing dome. Outside the dome isn’t much better when a rebel attack places her in the midst of a bipolar(ish) rebel leader who wants to sacrifice her and her brother to the government authorities to further his own cause.
And the government wants her and her brother – badly. Enough so that anyone she comes in contact becomes a target as well, and she’s faced with the ultimate decision between her brother’s safety and the freedom of a nation. With rebels who lie, authorities who kill, and a boy who steals her heart, any direction she chooses looks like a dead end.
