Saturday, February 1, 2014

SVS AGENT Round Entry 5: ABOVE EDEN, YA Science Fiction

Title: ABOVE EDEN
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Word Count: 91,000

My main character is most uncomfortable with:
In Eden’s Underground, the temperature is strictly controlled. She isn’t used to discomfort of any sort. Any extreme, either warm or cold, would both fascinate and terrify her. Eden prefers simulations with lots of sun and warmth, however, so the introduction of real snow would freak her out. She would still want to explore it, of course, but it wouldn’t take much time for her to long for warmth again. 
Query:
Dear Agents Extraordinaire,

In a society deep beneath the Earth’s ruined surface, Eden’s illusions of safety are shattered when she witnesses the abduction of her brother by men who look and act nothing like citizens of the Underground.

If seventeen-year-old Eden Quinn isn’t chatting with her friends through her virtual reality halo, fighting with her mother over control of the technology in her room, or messing with her preppy younger brother, she’s probably sealed inside one of the Underground’s individual safety hatches, watching vids and waiting impatiently for another false alarm to pass. Intruders aren’t likely. Even if anything could survive Above, the Underground is well-protected.

When her brother is taken, Eden turns to an unlikely source for help. Kalon Fitch has never been one of Eden’s favorite people. Eden finds him arrogant and infuriating, and his recent increased interest in her is baffling. She has kept her distance, but now it appears that Kalon knows more about the strange men than he should, and Eden decides to trust him for the chance to save her brother. 

To her surprise, Kalon leads Eden to the surface. In a world reclaimed by nature, Eden discovers that not only have people survived, but they have flourished in the technologically barren world Above. Welcomed into the small village of Heaven, Eden begins to question what she has been taught about the history of the Underground. She also realizes that there may be a connection between her brother’s abduction and a mysterious illness that has been striking down the surface population for years. Worse, it appears that Kalon’s father may be involved. Faced with this new reality, Eden must find her brother and figure out if Kalon is trying to help her, or if she will be the next to disappear.




First 250 Words:


Screaming alarms pierced Eden’s ear drums, yanking her from the fuzzy edge of a dream. When the emergency lights in her bedroom blinked on, washing everything in pale orange, reflexes born from years of emergency drills kicked in. Heart racing, adrenaline coursing through her system, she threw off her covers and ran for the door.

Eden pounded through the dwelling, heedless of her bare feet on the cold surface. Underground, all floors were cold. She wound through the living room, leeched of color but for the orange lights, and into her mother’s study. At the back of the room, she punched a button that revealed four individual safety hatches. Two were already occupied, and Eden forced her trembling fingers to punch in the code on the third one. With a hiss, the door popped open, and Eden scrambled inside.

When she was in place, the door automatically shut and latched. As Eden expected, Ilaria’s voice came over the com.

“Eden. You’re safe.”

“Yes, Ilaria,” Eden replied, rolling her eyes at her mother’s brisk and unconcerned tone.

“Good.”

“Cal?”

“He’s here,” Illaria said. “Probably sleeping. Your father is with the patrols. You should try to sleep as well.”

Eden didn’t reply. She wasn’t likely to get sleep here, but the doors wouldn’t open until the source of the alarm was established. Now that the adrenaline had passed, Eden felt only annoyance at a night spent in the small space. Grasping for the controls, she wrapped her hand around the knob that would connect her to the hatch’s internal systems.

4 comments:

  1. Is it just me, or does your query sound like a blizzard threatening to uproot our cabin in the woods? Please send a query, a full synopsis, and the first 50 pages to gpanettieri@talcottnotch.net

    Don't forget to include "Sun Vs. Snow" in the subject field!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm calling for an arctic wind to blow the query, synopsis and first 50 pages to me at sarah@corvisieroagency.com. Please use Sun vs Snow in the subject line.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Looks like I'm gonna need my bathing suit and a beach towel! Please do send me a query and the first 30 pages (with sunvssnow in the subject) to jordy@thebookeralbertagency.com. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  4. You gave me chills! Send a query and 50 pages to laura@redsofaliterary.com!

    ReplyDelete