The Last McNary
Age/Genre: Adult Sci-Fi
Bridie, a 25-year-old struggling to survive on the edge of Zenith—a city where blood is the most valuable currency—prepares to leave the place she begrudgingly calls home. Desperate for a fresh start somewhere she doesn’t have to bleed herself to buy food, Bridie steals a blood card off a corpse and plans to escape.
Across Zenith, 14-year-old Dyanna readies herself for a mission that, if successful, will finally make her father proud. All she has to do is find a redhead suspected of illegal blood trading, turn them over to her father, and avoid being seen.
When Bridie boards a bus and sees a stranger with his knife to Dyanna’s neck, she gives up her chance at freedom to save the girl’s life. Though Dyanna recognizes her savior as her target, Bridie’s selflessness persuades Dyanna to keep her safe. Despite planning to leave the city together before another chance passes them by, Dyanna’s father finds them and banishes Bridie to be bled for her valuable blood, keeping Dyanna under lock and key.
As winter descends, Bridie and Dyanna work from separate ends of the city to reunite and leave Zenith. However, harrowing secrets from Bridie’s past, a festering underground rebellion, and demonic ghosts work to not only keep the girls apart but ensure they both die before the new year dawns. Currently querying.
Comparative Titles: Lifel1k3, The Night Circus, The Bear and the Nightingale, House of Salt and Sorrows, Everything I Never Told You
Tags: retelling, LGBTQ+ main character, paranormal (ghosts), forgotten pasts, speculative fiction, genre-blend, sister stories, slow burn romance
Cooper & Parrish
Age/Genre: Adult Historical Fantasy
Anna Cooper sweeps into her hometown after exploring the world for ten years. The night of her arrival, a mysterious monster from the north threatens Anna while warning more of its kind are coming. When town erudite Dr. James Parrish aids her in killing the monster, the two take an immediate disliking to each other. As more beasts converge on the town the pair argues on the best way to deal with the threat. Anna and James realize they must thrust their differences aside to save the town or work separately and risk their lives—as well as the lives of the townsfolk—in the name of pride. Currently writing.
Comparative Titles: Pride & Prejudice, (adult) Stalking Jack the Ripper, Supernatural
Tags: non-western mythology, LGBTQ+ main character, enemies-to-lovers, found family
33
Age/Genre: Adult Speculative Fiction
In a distant future, humanity has deteriorated to one civilization: The Commune. Citizens work 33 years to secure retirements called Havens—personal utopias created by the number of points earned in a lifetime. 24-year-old Stenne is one of the highest point earners until she meets Stosen, a mesmerizing stranger who insists they’ve known each other since childhood. As they grow closer, the Commune’s leader threatens Stenne with a choice: forfeit her Haven or ignore the mysterious boy who seems to know more about her past than she does.
When Stenne loses her Haven because of their continued fraternization, she demands Stosen answer why their friendship is taboo. He reveals that, 12 years ago, a Commune scientist wiped Stenne’s mind after she and Stosen committed a crime—forcing Stenne to forget their relationship and Stosen to live with their memories alone as punishment. Desperate for more answers, Stenne convinces Stosen to escape with her, track down the scientist, and learn why she suddenly remembers her past.
From the totalitarian confines of the Commune to the empty world outside, Stenne and Stosen navigate their growing chemistry while slowly discovering their most basic human right—choice—may be under someone else’s control. Currently revising.
Comparative Titles: Wool, The Giver, Black Mirror (TV show)
Tags: dystopian, forgotten pasts
mErTAle
Age/Genre: Adult Fantasy
In the fantasy world of Ondur, Pirate Queen Eta retains a commanding hold over the Six Seas with her all-female crew. When a warlock murders most of her fleet, Eta embraces the part of herself she drowned six years ago—tail, scales, and all—to save the lives of those she cares for most. Currently drafting.
iamgirlofwords 