Monday, July 27, 2015

New Agent 14: EIDOLON, YA Gaslamp Fantasy

TITLE: Eidolon
GENRE: YA gaslamp fantasy 
WORD COUNT: 95,500

QUERY: 

In the Victorian-esque principality of Thule, crown princess Madeline Usher has committed suicide. Janine Fortunata is a young noble, the heir of her House, groomed since early childhood to one day take the family seat on the Council of the Eight Noble Houses. She was also the late princess's best friend and a member of the Raven Society, a secret vigilante team of nobles organized by Madeline before her death. When a letter proves Madeline's death was no suicide, Janine must uncover a centuries-old conspiracy of dark magic, murder, and the ravenous specter of a long-dead monarch who once ruled all of Thule with an infamous lust for blood and no mercy. A woman whose name was once spoken only in frightened whispers—Ligeia.

In a corrupt city where the police are as cruel as the crime lords, and plagued by strange hallucinations that make her question everything she knows, Janine will need all the help she can get. But the only people she can trust are her cousin and Roderick Montresor: fellow Raven, the sworn enemy of Janine's family, and the man she's secretly loved for years. With fealty and forbidden love on her side, the Raven Society at her back, and a bloodthirsty killer calling themself Red Jack stalking her and her friends, Janine will have to uncover the truth behind what really happened to Princess Madeline and save the people she loves from the ancient shadow of Ligeia's vengeance.


FIRST 250:

Janine couldn't cry here. Her grandfather would kill her.

The Lillias Infernum Masquerade was the beginning of the grandest event of the season, the first in a series of winter masquerades ending on the solstice. At a month shy of eighteen years old, Janine was expected to act the part of a proper Eidolon noble, at least at social events. She didn't dare break down here.

Even if it was rather tacky to host the traditional masquerades with the country’s sovereign dead. Even if Madeline had…even if her best friend had…

Princess Morella Prospero, newly ascended to the Midnight Throne of the principality of Thule, had made it very clear—the Midwinter Masquerades would continue, even while the country mourned her predecessor. So Janine, heir apparent of the House of Fortunata, had no choice but to attend. Refusing would insult the host and irritate the new princess. On any other night, Janine would’ve loved it all—the dancing, the music, the food—but not tonight.

Tonight, she'd received word that Princess Madeline Usher, her best friend since they were little girls, hadn't just died. She'd committed suicide.

The purple silk and silver filigree mask felt cold under Janine's fingertips as she leaned against the stone wall. Her wig felt inexplicably heavy, threatening to crush her skull, and the ball gown's exposed corset felt like any moment it would snap her spine like a twig. Pain pulsed through her temples, matching the hitching staccato of her heart. Her eyes burned with the threat of fresh tears.

6 comments:

  1. Hi! Can I see the first half, please? You can send it to penelope.gsliterary at gmail. Thanks!

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  2. I'd also like to see 50 pages of this. Please send to query(at)corvisieroagency(dot)com and put Attn: Cate #NewAgent request in the subject

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  3. I'm a ninja agent! Would really love to see more of this. Please send query letter with 1 page synopsis and the first 25 pages (all copy and pasted into the body of the email, no attachments) to thao(at)dijkstraagency(dot)com. For the subject line please include #NewAgent and your title.

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