Dear Ms. Resciniti,

Ana Ruiz gave herself a new name in an effort to create a new identity, to forget who she once was. She sculpted a safe version of her life. This safety involves throwing herself into her work as a high school principal and moving from place to place before her closely guarded secrets can hurt her more than they already have.

Revealing these secrets — her past of childhood sexual abuse and teen prostitution –proved dangerous with those she tried to trust. When she secures an “Actor in the Schools” grant for her school, she does not expect that of all people, visiting high profile television actor Rick Calloran might prove himself the safest and most trustworthy of all.

Rick’s unique blend of charm and sincerity successfully draws her in. But when Ana’s past resurfaces in full force, the line blurs so that Ana is no longer sure who she is protecting, Rick or herself. In spite of Rick’s efforts to win her trust, it will take more than that, more than him, for her to realize that who you are can never escape who you have been.

 Readers who enjoy the relationships crafted by Nicholas Sparks and the emotional themes in Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees will resonate with Ana’s journey in Throwaway Lines, a work of commercial women’s fiction complete at 150,000 words.

 Thank you for your time and consideration,

 Janet Rundquist

Dear Ms. Resciniti –

In researching you, I read you are interested in books with a blend of
action and sexual tension. As such, I am offering my
75,000 word young adult novel, AWAKEN, for your consideration.

Tallulah Marten is a seventeen-year-old girl skilled in hand to hand
fighting, evasion tactics and escaping any restraint. When she begins
to dream of the destruction of Atlantis, Lou is thrown into a
situation she can’t fight, evade or escape.

Lou and her mother, Jenny, have been on the run for fourteen years,
zig-zagging across the country to avoid capture by Lou’s father. What
Lou doesn’t realize is Jenny isn’t protecting her from a legal custody
battle. She’s keeping her from becoming a pawn in an Atlantean civil
war. Lou is a descendent of Poseidon, a demigoddess with the gift of
prophecy. As Lou’s eighteenth birthday approaches, her visions gain
strength, and Jenny can no longer hide the truth.

When Jenny is poisoned and the only cure is to find an ancient
Atlantean crystal, Lou gives up her running shoes and makes nice with
her mother’s family. Once there, she has to learn to control her power
and interpret her visions. If that isn’t enough to deal with, she also
has to put up with the smokin’ hot bodyguard who insists on following
her everywhere, gods who speak in cryptic messages and pop-in visits
by a father who insists he’s not as bad as everyone tells her. Before
time runs out on Jenny’s life, Lou must decide who she can believe.
Because trusting the wrong side could end more than her mother’s life.
It could end the world.

AWAKEN has been a finalist in the Maggie contest for unpublished
writers and received first place in the Molly contest for unpublished
writers. The judge from the Molly, Elizabeth Bistrow from NAL, has
requested the full. I believe AWAKEN will appeal to fans of Rick
Riordan’s PERCY JACKSON series, Diana Peterfreund’s RAMPANT and
ASCENDANT and Meg Cabot’s ABANDON. AWAKEN is intended as the first in
a trilogy but can stand alone. I am an active member of the Romance
Writers of America and the young adult chapter of the RWA. During the
day, I work as a high school counselor trying to keep teenagers in
school and earning credits instead of running off on mythical
adventures.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Tasha Hacaga

Dear Ms. Resciniti:

Sixteen-year-old Kali Addison remembers a past no one else does. And when nukes destroy everyone’s present, she’d better figure out why before there is no future.

Kali wishes her dad never invented time machines. Maybe then the Protectorate would do their job running the country, rather than playing god. The Ripple Effects they cause by travelling back in time to “fix things”, are getting old. She’s tired of them changing people she loves, or worse, making it as if they never existed. Turns out worrying about it isn’t needed, they’re all incinerated when a bomb drops on her seventeenth birthday party–everyone, that is, but herself and the bad-ass vintage time piece her mom gave her as a present.

Completely alone, and her father’s work in ashes, fate would have it that Kali’s now a freakin’ time machine. Or is it the necklace? She’s too busy being catapulted into the past by a power she has no control over, to think about it. Maybe the strange, but oh-so-cute guy who turns up every time she travels, can help her figure it out. But knowing the truth would mean facing the Protectorate and her own forgotten past. Those obstacles may be a way bigger challenge than she’s ready for. And if so, it’s times up. For everyone.

Mystical, mixes with real life fears of love and loss in this time travel dystopian novel for young adults. RIPPLE EFFECT is complete at 97,000 words, and has series potential.

I am a member of SCBWI and David Farland’s Writers Group. More important, I am a seventeen year old, stuck in a thirty-two year old body, writing books to fill the void.

If you would like to consider RIPPLE EFFECT, I will be more than happy to send you the full manuscript.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Deana Barnhart

deanabarnhart@gmail.com

www.deanabarnhart.blogspot.com

Dear Nicole:

I am submitting my book series, Growing with Pinto, to your agency. Growing with Pinto is a series of 5 interactive children’s stories and parents’ manual. The series is designed to help parents teach important life skills to their children with learning challenges.

Working Titles: Growing With Pinto series includes 5 books for children and a companion parents’ manual:

Home Dog ABC 123 (File Attached)

Dog Days

Be Clean Routine

Litter Bug (manuscript below)

Bull Lee (manuscript below)

Parent’s Manual

Content: The 5 books in the Growing With Pinto series allow children to interact with their parents so that they can learn valuable life skills such as:

• · Spelling their name
• · Remembering and reciting their address and telephone number
• · Remembering and reciting the alphabet
• · Knowing the calendar and remembering special dates
• · Creating good hygiene habits – promotes healthy eating – new food pie
• · Respecting the environment
• · Respecting others
• · Recognizing bullying

I wrote these books from my own family’s experience. I am a single parent of a learning-challenged child. When I could not find resources to assist my son, I created my own. In spite of facing many odds in the educational system my son became an Eagle Scout and recently graduated from high school. My goal is to donate a portion of proceeds from this series to a non-profit literacy organization in order to share the gift of reading. There are many low income families that need resources to teach their learning-challenged children so that they can grow up to be productive members of society.

I am also an Executive Assistant at Comcast Spotlight and volunteer at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society – Western PA Chapter. I was diagnosised with relapsing remitting MS in 1992 and am currently in remission.

Thank you for reading my work. Please feel free to call me on my mobile telephone at (412) 477-1733. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Leslie Moore

When Simon buys his mother a blue hat for her birthday, he asks his friend Malcolm to keep the present hush-hush. But secrets are very difficult to keep quiet. Simon’s Secretis a delightful Rube Goldberg-esque story of what happens when a secret goes awry.

The book is a 32-page, 700-word picture book for young children (ages 3-7).

I know Nicole likes the first five pages of a manuscript pasted into an email, so they are below.

I’ve been a full-time independent journalist for 3 decades. My work has taken me to 40+ countries from Sudan to Zimbabwe writing about human rights and justice. I’ve published more than 1,000 articles, published three children’s books for the Adventures With PawPaw series, and written or ghost-written five published books for adults.

 I’m founder of The Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking, which is being tested in 5 countries (curriculum and companion wordless book). I’m also author of Born to Fly, a published children’s e-novel about what it takes to pursue your dream; proceeds go to the B2F Project. I write two blogs: www.dianascimone.com and www.howtowriteabook.com, and the Huffington Post named me one of the Top 10 Women Warriors of Twitter, an honor I share with Oprah and Queen Rania of Jordan.

Sincerely,

Diana Scimone

diana@peapodpublishing.com

Dear Nicole,

Sixteen-year-old Zadie’s first mistake was telling the boy she liked
she could bring her dead sister back to life. Her second mistake was
actually doing it.

When Zadie accidentally messes with the Reaper’s Rite that should have
claimed her sister Mara, things go horribly wrong. Mara isn’t the same
anymore—Zadie isn’t even sure she’s completely human. And now Zadie
must figure out how to defeat her sister’s Reaper or let Mara die …
this time for good.

My young adult urban fantasy, MY SISTER’S REAPER, is complete at 65,000 words.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Dorothy Dreyer

Duty – a word most women understand.

Honor – a word men strive to attain.

 What happens when a woman, who is supposed to set the example of the word duty, desires more than the life she was pre-ordained? She falls from grace.

 The Forsaken is a 60,000 word upper YA contemporary paranormal novel. The story follows the tale of Isabella, known as Izzy to her fellow angels, who dared to take up arms in a heavenly war. Her punishment – stripped of her wings she is banished to Earth. Worse, the sisters who joined her mantra of freewill have fallen to Earth also. Tasked with surviving in a realm filled with sin, Izzy becomes the leader of this unlikely, untrained group of six. They literally learn to harness their heavenly voice and sing for their supper by forming a band.

 Nathanel was born a warrior angel but the only way to attain his halo is to marry. As luck has it, his pre-ordained wife is The Forsaken. Determined to change things, Nate takes fate into his own hands and falls to Earth. He gets his hide saved by the most beautiful and unconventional angel he has laid eyes on.

 Sparks fly when Nate and Izzy realize they have been set on the path of self-discovery together. Pre-ordained fate is a passionate thrum Izzy must learn to ignore. Nate quickly discovers honor is useless without the woman he loves by his side and he’s willing to sacrifice it all to prove it. Izzy knows all about heavenly sacrifices. She will not abandon her sisters to the Earthly realm and would rather stake demons than admit she has feeling for her soul-mate. Her pride might be the greatest threat to them all. The Forsaken is the first book in a three part series and the manuscript is complete.

Renee Pace

www.reneepace.com

twitter@ReneePaceYA

Dear Ms. Resciniti,

When sixteen-year-old Emma Hawthorne finds the body of her best friend in the river, her hard-fought control of her empathic ability crumbles. Capable of picking up emotions from other people like a radio signal, she is too damaged to tune out the constant static. Emma wants to move beyond her grief and be free from what everyone else is feeling.

When a stranger’s violent emotions trigger a vision of her friend’s tortured soul, Emma is terrified that the drowning wasn’t an accident – and her friend isn’t resting in peace. Emma confides her fears in her childhood friend, Alex. His ready acceptance of her doubts prompts her to search for answers. But as their friendship kindles into something more, Alex pulls away and she is left with more questions.

Emma’s pursuit of the truth catches the attention of Patrick, a man without emotions. He offers to take away her ability and the pain it causes. Despite Alex’s veiled warnings, and a sense that her friend is trying to tell her something from beyond the grave, Emma is enticed. But when she allows Patrick into her life, she discovers he’s more dangerous than she thought possible. Emma must find the strength to fight the supernatural hold Patrick has on her – not only to give her friend the peace she deserves, but to save her sanity and possibly her soul as well. If she can do that, she might survive long enough to have a future with Alex.

THE ALTERAE is a YA urban fantasy with romantic elements, complete at 64,000 words.

After earning my B.S. in journalism, I followed my husband to Los Angeles. Along the way, I have co-written two independently produced short films and published articles in two weekly newspapers. I am active in several online writing communities and workshops, including AgentQuery Connect and WriteOnCon.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,