GUTGAA'S PITCH POLISH

Hi everyone!

Since my entry didn't make into the pitch polish over at GUTGAA, I thought I'd post it over here and see if I could get your thoughts on my query and first 150 words! Thanks so much and a thousand virtual cookies to everyone!  

Query:

During her coming of age ceremony, sixteen-years-old Daela finds out she's cursed—she has no magic in her. While her friends touched Hel's ancient scroll and received their Gift, Daela's Sigil remained stubbornly blank. Still, she never expected her father to disown her, or her brother to refuse to help her. And in a world that begrudges her the air she breathes, they might as well have signed her death sentence.

When her brother is taken by an enemy long forgotten, she's the only witness—but no one believes her. After all, everyone knows the Daci are imprisoned in a desert realm, and Daela's the cursed girl from the slums no one would touch with a stick. The only one who doesn't dismiss her as a raving maniac is Ash, her brother's favorite smuggler, sometimes friend, and the jerk who'd stolen her first kiss. Ash is reluctant to wade blindly into danger, but living on the street had long since destroyed any qualms Daela had about blackmail.

Now Daela must infiltrate the Daci's world, save her brother's traitorous behind, and find a way to warn her people that the Daci are coming. But when the truth about her stolen Gift comes to light, Daela isn't even sure who the bad guys are anymore.

THE GIRL IN THE MIRROR is a YA fantasy complete at 70,000 words. [Credentials here]

Thank you for your time.


First 150:

"Your roomie looks like she's two minutes away from stabbing that guy."

I fumbled with the glass I was drying. "What?"

"Or puking on him." Kemal cocked his head. "Maybe both."

I followed his gaze to Naji, her tray held precariously on one hand while she tried to fend off the hand pawing at her thigh. Her expression was hard to see through the smoke from the burning mischi, but the brittle line of her shoulders didn't bode well.

"Shit."

"Don't do anything stupid," he said. "She can take care of herself."

While Naji's touch of the Charm Gift wasn't strong enough to force anyone to do her bidding—not even the annoying dog that kept barking under our window at all hours of the day— she normally would have no trouble getting rid of unwanted attention.

"No, she can't," I said. "Not this time."

Meet and Greet for GUTGAA

Hi everyone!

This is my post for the Meet and Greet portion of the Gearing Up to Get An Agent Blogfest. It's basically a way to get to know fellow participants, and I thought it sounded like fun! So here are my answers to the questions Deana posted:



Where do you write? Mainly at my desk, but sometimes I like to write on my bed when I'm working with pen and paper. 

Quick. Go to your writing space, sit down and look to your left. What is the first thing you see? My printed out mss divided in three piles for my upcoming revision. I like to work in chunks as that makes it easy for me to not get overwhelmed.

Favorite time to write? The afternoon. I'm not a morning person (really, really not), and by the end of the day I'm usually too tired to do more than stare longingly at my bed.

Drink of choice while writing? I try not to bring anything liquid near my laptop because I'm sort of a klutz when  I'm writing. After one near disaster with a cup of coffee, I learned my lesson. I eat chocolate instead. Or peanuts. Or both.

When writing , do you listen to music or do you need complete silence? Music is a definite must. Usually something I've already listened to so much the lyrics kind of fade in the background. Or instrumental music from movie scores. I love those too.

What was your inspiration for your latest manuscript and where did you find it? I like to describe my latest manuscript as Veronica Mars meets Doctor Who. I've always wanted to write a time-travel story, even if I don't quite remember how I first got the idea.

What's your most valuable writing tip? Read Save the Cat by Blake Snyder. No, seriously, that stuff is gold. 

And that's it! I can't wait to read what everyone else came up with!