CAGI Entry #6

Title: WASHED UP

Genre: YA Contemporary

Word Count: 63,000

Query:

Seventeen-year-old Melia Dawson has been in and out of the Royal Alexander Center for Mental Health since she was six years old. Convinced she can breathe underwater, Melia has spent the majority of her young life waiting to complete her transformation into a mermaid. What her parents think are multiple suicide attempts, are actually Melia’s way of trying to begin her life, not end it. When a stunt at the local pool lands her back in the Center, she meets fellow patient Kass Mercer. To Melia, It seems like the stars have finally aligned; not only does Kass believe that she can breathe underwater, Kass thinks he can fly.  Somewhere between broken curfews and lame horror movies, Kass and Melia fall in love. Together they explore the boundaries of their supernatural abilities through skydiving lessons and late night swims, all while appeasing their therapist, Rick.

When a fellow patient dies unexpectedly, Melia begins to question whether she and Kass are special, or just sick.  Meanwhile, in hopes of curing Melia of her delusions, Rick sends her on a surprise trip to the ocean, where she can finally complete her transformation. When the experiment doesn’t go as planned, Melia sinks into depression, dragging Kass down with her. Together they teeter between reality and delusion as they struggle to accept themselves for who they truly are, before one of them pushes their limits too far.

My debut novel, Second Hand Lace, is due for release this April from Turquoise Morning Press.

First 250:

Scaling a chain link fence is a lot harder than the police shows make it out to be, I think as my flip-flop slips out of the narrow diamond gap for the second time. I look down at the ground only a few feet below and contemplate giving up, but the subtle scent of salt keeps me going. Two minute later, I make it to the top of the fence and swing my leg over. I pause, hovering over the twisted points along the top of the fence, and scan the outdoor pool to make sure no one else is around. It’s empty. I bring my other leg over and drop down to the concrete deck.

I peel my t-shirt off as I walk and drape it over the lifeguard tower, followed by my shorts. The second my sandals are off my feet, I sprint toward the pool and dive in.

My legs look better underwater, I think as I float directly in the middle of the McLaren outdoor pool. They swapped out the chlorine for salt water last year, and I haven’t worn goggles since.

I hold my waterproof watch in front of my face. 7:15. I have at least ten minutes before even the earliest of birds arrive at the pool. I break the water’s still surface and look around again, just to be sure. The deck is empty, and the gate is still padlocked. I smile and dive down toward the deep end, the water muffling the sound of a car pulling into the lot. 

CAGI Entry #5

Title: RUNNING FROM SHADOWS

Genre: young adult paranormal

Word Count: 77k words

Query:

Seventeen-year-old Greta Shore is dealing with a lot of crap. Her dad leaves. Her magick is MIA. Her best friend is dead and Greta believes it's all her fault. Oh, and let’s not forget she's forcibly engaged to her ex-crush turned stalker thanks to her Benedict Arnold of a mother.

At the engagement party, fed up and angry, Greta impulsively takes off, blazing a trail straight for the protection of the Red Forest. But before she reaches safety, the bloodcurdling screech of a witch's worst nightmare heralds the impending attack of a shadow demon. Seconds from destruction, she's rescued, scooped into the arms of the hottest guy she's ever seen… Paxton Craig, a unicorn shifter. She knows him—his name caught like a promise on her teeth and tongue—but she’s never met him. Greta’s whole life changes the night Pax saves her.

However, salvation comes with a price… A hefty one. Greta discovers she’s a unicorn shifter with a dark fortune. As she remembers her past life with Pax her love grows, along with the risks. Their passion is forbidden. Dangerous. While Greta struggles to understand her inner beast, find her magick and break the marriage contract, she faces an impossible choice: Kill Pax to keep all shadow demons from feasting on her coven, or sacrifice herself to save him.

RUNNING FROM SHADOWS is a finalist in the Heart of the West 2012 contest (Utah chapter of RWA). I am a PRO member of RWA, YARWA, FF&P and Backspace, as well as being active in my local RWA chapter, Chesapeake Romance Writers. My YA paranormal romance, WITCH WAY TO TURN is published through Lyrical Press.

First 250:

The giant oaks of the Red Forest loomed above me. Unease prickled down my spine. Something else was in the woods. Lurking in the shadows. Watching me. I froze mid-step, ice in my veins. Peered into the darkness with my breath caught in my throat.

Haven slammed into my back. “Greta, seriously?”

A shiver rippled through me. The thing in the shadows had taken my attention so completely I’d forgotten that my two best friends trailed behind me. What was that thing? 

Had I imagined it?

When I didn’t answer she stomped in front of me. “Don’t just stop like that.” Haven smoothed a loose strand of pink hair behind her ear. “Damn. Maybe I should take the lead.”

“Whatever, girl.” I risked a quick glance over Haven’s shoulder toward the shadowy figure.

Gone.

“What are you looking at?” She followed my gaze.

Jill joined us, her blond hair swaying over her shoulders as she bobbed her head up and down. The giddy smile on her face said she might start clapping at any second. “Ooh, I hope it’s something witchy and dangerous.”

Jill was ecstatic to cast a spell with us. Haven hadn’t ever asked her and I’d never been skilled enough to lead a circle. Until now. I took a deep breath. Was I crazy for needing to do this? For wanting answers?

Part of me had always felt carved out. Missing. Today, I was hoping to find a reason.

CAGI Entry #4

Title: INSOLUBLE


Genre: YA, Light SciFi

Word Count: 92,000

Query:

Sixteen-year-old Seneca Harvey is an involuntary superhero who can’t resist punking the bad guys to avenge their victims. But stomping on the manhood of men twice her size and mummifying gas station thieves with duct tape screams ‘I’m powerful and a little off balance. Please strap me in a kryptonite straight jacket.’

Seneca’s daytime role as the rambling girl that even teachers overlook is easy.  Eleven different cities in thirteen years with no one writing to say they miss her is a good sign she’s got the incognito thing down. But on random nights when other people’s Fear transforms her into a spectacle of immeasurable speed, strength and agility, incognito ain’t easy. The media is this close to outing her.

Their spot-on description leads John Randall, the investor whose experiments turned her into a freak, right to her doorstep. He wants a little return on his investment, in the form of Seneca back in his lab with chemical elements racing through her veins.

Next up: Impromptu move #12. And she’ll get right on that. As soon as she convinces herself that the chance to end Randall’s research isn’t worth the risk of becoming his lab rat again.

First 250:

I yank away the screen of my bedroom window, swing my legs over the sill and jump out into the night air. I have no idea where I'm going.

My feet hit the ground. It’s less of a landing and more of a jumping off point for my dash toward wherever the call of fear leads. Every hair on my body feels like a separate nerve. It’s like a tickle on the bottoms of my feet, except all over. With every breath, the familiar taste of metal on my tongue gets stronger.

In seconds, I make it about 30 miles away from my average Detroit suburb to one of those neighborhoods that my aunt and I cruise through trying to claim the best houses before the other one does. My heartbeat is furious as if it’s giving my muscles the strength they need to tear through my skin. I’m getting closer to fear’s call.

By the time I reach a huge lawn with skyscraper-like trees and a hidden drive, running isn’t enough to satisfy the hunger of the energy that rages through me. My feet, my ears, my muscles, my sensitivity to the fear that calls me— are all stronger, better, faster, more. I use the energy to launch myself up and through a second-story window of a city-block sized mansion. I somersault into a dark bedroom. Glass ricochets off my body, generating insect-like annoyances on my skin and then scattering across the hardwood floor.

CAGI Entry #3

Title: WEAVING A NET IS BETTER THAN PRAYING FOR FISH AT THE EDGE OF THE WATER

Genre: Multicultural Middle Grade Mystery

Word Count: 32,000

Query:

Allen Mak is used to hiding. At home, she hides behind her broken

Chinese to avoid her grandmother’s questions. Outside home, she hides

behind a fake address to attend a better school. And when she runs

into a thief outside her uncle’s store, she hides behind a dumpster.

But Allen is enrolled at school legally this year. So even though

she’s on probation for standing up to a school bully and even though

her first crush lands on the school’s dweebiest teacher, Allen’s

determined to quit hiding. And if she can find the thief, expose the

bully, get over her crush, and learn some Chinese, she might even be

able to quit for good.

First, she’ll have to figure out who else is hiding.

WEAVING A NET IS BETTER THAN PRAYING FOR FISH AT THE EDGE OF THE WATER is a multicultural middle grade mystery that will appeal to fans of Wendelin Van Draanen’s SAMMY KEYES series and Lisa Yee’s MILLICENT MIN, GIRL GENIUS.

First 250:

Reena likes Tony Arias, so I’m keeping an eye on him.

“Sure, I can tail him!” I said when she asked me after school. Then I

jumped up, zipped my jacket and flipped its hood over my head.

“Ninja-style!” I shouted. Behind us, the metal double doors of our

school banged open and another wave of kids poured into the yard.

Crouching low on one leg and splaying the other, I grinned at Reena

and raised a finger to my lips.

But she shrieked, “No!” and waved her hands in front of her face. “Get

up,” she whispered urgently. “Come on, Allie. You know that’s not what

I mean.”

“Allen,” I corrected and stood slowly. I was about to fall anyway.

She rolled her eyes. “We’re too old to be acting like tomboys.” That

was generous of her actually. Reena doesn’t usually count herself with

me as a tomboy.

“It’s my name,” I said, but I smiled. I sat down on the brick wall

beside her. Surrounded by the after school bustle and soothed by the

September breeze, we leaned into each other, a kind of sideways hug.

This was going to be the best year. I was in a new school finally, and

my best friend was here with me.

“Anyway, just watch Tony, okay?” she said. “I heard he takes the 17

bus. That’s your bus, right? Be sub- I mean, act normal.”