Wednesday, July 20, 2016

PBParty 8: Knights of the Neighborhood, CB

Title: KNIGHTS OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Genre: Chapter Book with series potential, adventure mystery with touch of magical realism
Word Count: 5,300

Query:

Dear Michelle and Sharon,

I am thrilled to have found #PBParty. Many thanks for your efforts to make this happen. For this party, I would like to offer a chapter book for your consideration called KNIGHTS OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD – MISSION #1: YARD ANTICS, for children ages 7-10. KNIGHTS OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD is an adventurous mystery with a touch of magical realism and can be compared to a modern mash-up of ENCYCLOPEDIA BROWN meets THE MAGIC TREE HOUSE with a dash of FUDGE. I've approached the story as a series and have books two and three in draft form.

Mars Keller, a know-it-all nine-and-a half-year-old, and his younger lead-with-his-face brother, Levi, have unexpectedly found themselves the protectors of their small neighborhood of Hazeltown. The boys' current mission is to figure out who or what is trampling lawns, tearing shrubs, and rooting up flowers in everyone’s yard. A mysterious double-decker bus the boys come to depend on leads them to the backyard of Ms. Flinish, an eccentric, old neighbor with a love of wiener dogs and all things pink. It’s up to the brothers to discover whether Ms. Flinish and her yippy dogs have their paws in the dirt or if something greater and stranger is in the works. KNIGHTS OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD explores the many facets of brotherhood and the serendipitous possibilities that can unfold when making connections to people within a community.

Currently, I have my own mysteries to solve involving two little boys in my household, such as who left the milk out or who “Sharpied” the walls. Beyond that, I am a current member of SCBWI and the social media coordinator for the Austin chapter. I have more than 15 years of writing experience creating and pitching stories for clients of one of the largest PR firms in the world, FleishmanHillard, as well as working as an independent marketing/PR consultant. I have a Bachelor of Journalism degree and continue my writing education with Writer's Digest boot camps, the Austin SCBWI conferences, and various SCBWI webinars and meet-ups.

Again, thank you for your time and the opportunity to present my work to you.

First 100 Words:

The front wall of my room scrolls up and away like a garage door. This happens every time my brother and I spend the night together. Then come the bright flashing lights and the loud honking of the bus. It sits at the curb waiting for my seven-year-old brother Levi and me.

The first time the bus appeared, I couldn't find the scream to scream. Levi didn't have the same reaction. He was still asleep, which is typical. I had to give him a good shake or two to wake him. Once he opened his eyes, I think he was in shock.

4 comments:

  1. Andrea Cascardi would like you to send the full to andrea@transatlanticagency.com – include pitch and a little info about yourselves. Put PBParty Request in the subject line along with the title.

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  2. I'd love to take a look at this! Please send the full manuscript to: rena (at) thedeborahharrisagency (dot) com

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  3. I'm intrigued by this concept! I'd love to see more. Please send the full manuscript and query to LBiagi (at) jvnla (dot) com and include PBParty in the subject line. Looking forward to reading!

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  4. I'd love to see the full manuscript! Please send to bjohnsonsubmissions@writershouse.com

    ReplyDelete