Friday, September 6, 2013

Pitch Madness SJ-10: ARROWS


Genre:  YA Myth Adaptation

Word Count:  64,000

Pitch: Aaryn wants to become the next great cupid. His mistake? Shooting Karma, a ballet prodigy who’s traded her future for the love of a selfish jerk. Now, Aaryn’s been banished to Earth as a human.

Excerpt:  
I saved my arrows for last.

It was a warm night on Earth for my first assignment. Phoebe, my mentor, worked from the shadows, her slender body appearing indestructible as she lifted her bow, her skin like milk.

“Aaryn,” Phoebe said. “Those two.” Golden shivers of light passed through the arrow she notched into her bow, and when she retracted, the fletching made a dent against the apple of her cheek. Her coal-lined eyes focused on two teens standing by the door of the high school.

Even though we were invisible, the teens seemed nervous. The girl cast little glances at her date, who was busy wiping his palms down his suit pants.

Phoebe paused.

Narrowed her gaze.

With a snap, a glittery path tore through the air, the arrow disintegrating with a burst of light through the boy’s tie.

Phoebe slid a cool glance in my direction. I’d never experienced the arrows like that. I’d devoured the class material and studied more than I would ever admit. Now, right before my eyes, love was beginning to unfold. The punch of my heart seemed to chase the next shot.

Phoebe placed a second arrow against the silver wire and brought the girl into her sights. The arrow flew and disappeared. Wow.

The teens held each other for a long time. They kissed. The whole thing was amazing, really. Two humans who hadn’t even reached adulthood, who’d barely started to learn about life, and they’d already found their soul mate.

“You’re up,” Phoebe said.

12 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. I will be sending pages, but Jessica gets a head start. :)

      Thank you for your bid!
      Melissa

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  2. One house (with arrow-proof windows), please.

    Thank you.

    --The Iron

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for your bid! I've sent my submission and look forward to hearing from you.

      Sincerely,
      Melissa Gorzelanczyk

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  3. So much awesome here. The concept, the voice, the writing! I totally want to read more of this one!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Kimberly! I love how supportive this contest has been. I hope you can read more of my book in the near future!

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  4. If I saw this on the shelves at B&N, I'd totally pick this up! I fell in love with it last night and still love it this morning. It sounds like the Cupid and Psyche story completely flipped on its head, which is awesome.

    Congrats and good luck!

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    Replies
    1. This is one of the best compliments I could ever dream of. I hope you find it on a shelf someday. Thank you for your kind words!

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  5. I love new takes on mythology and I love Cupid. The fact I've got a Cupid short story coming out in an anthology later this year may have swayed me a little. But what really sold me was the writing. So strong, such a great voice and such vivid imagery. Love it. Perfect to come out for V'Day 2015 :D

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for picking my entry! You were an amazing host for TeamAwesome. I love your release timeline, too. :)

      You have to let me know when the anthology publishes. I'm dying to read your story.

      Sincerely,
      Melissa

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  6. Nice to see how popular your entry and pitch was, Melissa. Congratulations!

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  7. Adorable concept! Love this line, "Two humans who hadn’t even reached adulthood, who’d barely started to learn about life, and they’d already found their soul mate." =)

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