Friday, October 25, 2013

NOQS Minion 7: HOUR OF MISCHIEF, YA Steampunk Fantasy

Title: HOUR OF MISCHIEF
Genre: YA Steampunk Fantasy
Word count: 62,000

My MCs Greatest Fear:

Janet fears intimacy above all else, though she doesn’t even know it. Born in a whorehouse, she has grown accustomed to the sound of her mother’s work, and though her mother moved out of the whorehouse years ago, she has not walked away from the profession itself. Now, Janet can block out the noise, but not her deep rooted inhibitions. This puts her at odds with the God of Love, Meroquio, who gives his blessings to whorehouses. And her newfound feelings for the God of Mischief, Itazura, set her more than a bit on edge.

Query:

Dear Wonderful Agents,

Born in a whorehouse in the slums of Fortuna and burdened with a prosthetic arm, seventeen-year-old Janet Redstone doesn’t think she owes the clockwork gods anything—which is why she makes a living stealing from their temples. But when she lands her team in prison, making a pact with the God of Mischief, Itazura, may be the only way to right her wrongs and free her friends.

Janet doesn’t trust Itazura as far as she can punch him, but with her soul in his hands, she has no choice but to do what he says, and he’s not just asking for menial odd jobs. The clockwork gods and the bad tempered elder gods of the ancient past are locked in a game of cat and mouse and the human realms are caught in the war path. Itazura is the only god left vying for humanity, and the clockwork gods have literally sealed his lips on all things “war” when he is in their presence. If Janet can’t somehow convince the gods to look favorably on the human realms, humanity is in an abyss of trouble. It’s a shame Itazura had to pick someone with all the reverence of… well… himself.

Janet will have to practice her groveling skills because the clock is ticking, and tensions are winding up. If she can’t help Itazura, her friends won’t be on the only ones on the chopping block. Humanity may join them.

HOUR OF MISCHIEF is a YA Steampunk Fantasy complete at 62,000 words. I am currently a student at Coe College, triple majoring in Creative writing, English and Film Studies and an intern for the wonderful Pooja Menon at Kimberley Cameron and Associates. Thank you for your time and consideration.


First 250 Words:

Pre-robbery nerves made buckling things difficult, especially with a limb constructed out of circuits and steel. The promise of the soon-to-come adrenaline rush made my every nerve sing with excitement.

In the evening light, the crumbling red bricks of my team’s favorite clock tower glowed crimson. Minutes ago, thousands of clocks around Fortuna tolled 8:00 PM, but the rusted silver bells just behind me remained silent as a grave. They hadn’t rung in years. Only the sounds of my team fiddling with their equipment and the gentle whirring of gears beneath the plates of my right arm filled the room.

Of course, Parker could be counted upon to break the pleasant silence.

“Hey, Sid, what do you think?” Parker asked, holding up two different types of bombs, one a pocket watch altered to create a smoke screen at the touch of a button, the other a chaser beetle, meant to pursue moving targets until it exploded. Both were low grade devices. Murder wasn’t our agenda and I’d never paid much tribute to the Goddess of Death. I hadn’t met her, but based on the stories I imagined her as a dreary and unlikeable individual.

Sid shrugged, storing a pair of silver-lined revolvers in his jacket.

“The pocket watch,” I answered, since Sid wasn’t one for audible feedback.

Parker frowned. “No one asked you.”
                                  
“I know, but I’m the team leader and I reserve the right to trump all other members of the team.” I smirked, flicking my red-brown hair out of my eyes. 

7 comments:

  1. What an intriguing concept! (Please sent pages/synopsis/pitch to pooja@kimberleycameron.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. SHRIEK :) Please send query and pages to jordy@thebookeralbertagency.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Shriek. Please send query, pages, and synopsis to Sarah@Corvisieroagency.com. Use "nightmare query" in the subject line.

    ReplyDelete
  4. SHRIEK!

    Please send 50 pages to query@dunhamlit.com with REQUESTED MATERIAL: NIGHTMARE QUERY in the subject line, your query in the body of the email, and the material and a one-page synopsis attached.

    Can’t wait to read it!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Shriek! Please send pages to queryroseanne@gmail.com with Nightmare Query in the subject of your email. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm late to the game, but I'd love to take a look. Shriek! Please send a query, synopsis and first pages to: chquery@mcintoshandotis.com

    ReplyDelete