Tessera

Folgen

Josianne Haag

@jhaag.bsky.social

Aspiring thriller writer

45 Posts47 Follower 34 Folgt

PJ (he/him) is querying...@pjwrites.bsky.social · 2w ago

ROBIN HOOD, but with DEATH MAGIC After being accused of inviting the plague into a royal summit, a necromancer priest has to work with his only alibi, a cagey nobleman, to clear his name. BONE KING'S BLUFF, coming to betas soon, and querying early 2027! #QuestPit #W #A #F #LGBT

Beth “B.R” Smith @brsmithbooks.bsky.social · 2w ago

Kit Raglan’s been running from trouble most of her life. But when she takes a job clearing out a house the locals think is haunted and finds herself implicated in a murder, she decides she’s done running. It’s time to make trouble right back. #QuestPit #AG #T #M #A

A photo of a house in autumn trees with the words: HERE COMES TROUBLE, a thriller.

The pitch: When a young woman takes on a job clearing out a clifftop mansion in coastal Maine, she’s hoping for an easy job this time, a break from a life lived on the run. Instead, on her first night in the house, someone dumps a body by the dock—with her real name carved into it.

The comps: Frankie Elkin meets Veronica Mars meets The Spy Coast.

AMaskley @amaskley.bsky.social · 2w ago

*Natural Neon* // ALTERED CARBON x STATION 11 A nightclub dancer risks an illegal neural implant to pay for her brother's meds, but when it connects her to other lifetimes, she becomes the key to humanity's next evolution—and its extinction. #QuestPit #A #Q #S #D #U

sierramoeykens.bsky.social @sierramoeykens.bsky.social · 2w ago

In an alternate, magical Regency era, Lucy Korvas must hide her "improper" wings from high society while finding a cure for her curse, or she will be transformed into a crow forever. 📖 Pride & Prejudice x 🐦‍⬛ Howl's Moving Castle x 🪷 Graceling #Questpit #Q #YA #HFR #F #RF #HF #R #HR

A woman with large black wings attached to her shoulder blades.
Text: Pluck by Sierra Moeykens. Pride & Prejudice x Howl's Moving Castle x Graceling

An illustrated lady in a Regency era dress with large black wings over a ballroom background.

Text: The Pitch
Nineteen-year-old Lucy Korvas has worse problems than complying with high society’s tedious etiquette — she must steal a diamond necklace from the Duchess of Thistal, or her cursed father will perish.
In an alternate, magical Regency era where ladies and gentlemen with improper magic are shunned from high society, Lucy Korvas has hidden a pair of giant, unladylike crow wings beneath her dresses for years, but tonight she risks exposing them to save her cursed father. She needs that diamond necklace to afford his cure. How dastardly it is, then, when she discovers soft-spoken Lord Simon pilfering his own mother’s jewelry first.
But when Lucy and Simon are cursed while trying to steal the necklace, Lucy slowly transforms into a crow and Simon starts dissolving into flower petals. Lucy must find a cure while posturing as the presentable, composed lady that she isn't before she loses her cursed father, the shy gentleman she's becoming smitten with, and her humanity.

Three transparent symbols, a heart, a scroll, and a banner, with lists in each symbol. The background is a photo of white feathers.

Text: Romance. Slow-burn & Yearning. Cinnamon Roll x Chaotic Flirt. Touch-Starved. He Falls First. Historical. Witty Regency banter. Literal Ladybird (she's transforming into a crow). Dukes, Duchesses, and Pirates. Fantasy. Repressed Magic. Curses. Magical flowers with restorative properties.

Three book covers with an arrow under each of them describing their properties. The background is a photo of a lotus.

Text: Comps. A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting by Sophie Irwin. Dry humor and witty voice. Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater. Accessible, creative world-building & magic. A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft. Regency romance with an abundance of yearning.

Josianne Haag @jhaag.bsky.social · 2w ago

HIDDEN MONSTERS, 99k psychological thriller 🌊 Survival ❤️ Forbidden romance 🎬 Story within a story Imagine the immersive roleplay of Westworld colliding with the underwater isolation of Michael Crichton's Sphere and the struggle for power of Black Mirror's USS Callister. #QuestPit #Q #T #RF #A

HIDDEN MONSTERS combines the escalating power struggle of USS Callister, the deep-sea exploration of Michael Crichton's Sphere, and the immersive roleplay of Westworld.

Josianne Haag @jhaag.bsky.social · 2w ago

Excited to pitch HIDDEN MONSTERS, my 99k psychological thriller about a desperate actress aboard a billionaire’s private submarine, where the scripted adventure begins to feel less like entertainment and more like a carefully orchestrated trap. DEADLINE X ONE PERFECT COUPLE #QuestPit #Q #T #RF #A

A mock book cover of HIDDEN MONSTERS. The image if of a wave washing up against the shore.

B. R. Fontenot is querying 📚☀️🌷🦊@brfontenotwrites.bsky.social · 2w ago

WOLF WORM x DON'T LET THE FOREST IN THE TREES HAVE TEETH - An Appalachian Folkhorror "Olive is eight the first time Death comes for her." 🌲 Nature and rot 💀 Death as an entity 🍄 Botanical Horror ⛰️ Set in the mountains 🐇 Eerie folklore 🍂 Isolated setting #QuestPit #A #H #W

PITCH

Olive is eight the first time Death comes for her. She’s nineteen the second time. And Olive knows Death always comes in threes.

In the heart of the Appalachian mountains, something wicked lingers in the woods. Olive grew up running barefoot through the trees without fear of what might be lurking. But when the woods begin to devour anything that encroaches with ruthless hunger, and a mysterious man who claims to know both the cause and the cure appears at Olive’s door, she may have to face Death for the third (and final) time. If she doesn’t, the town and the boy she loves will be eaten whole.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

COMPS
Wolf Worm, Don't Let the Forest In, Hazelthorn, Morsel, Hollow

Botanical Horror, Appalachian Mountain Setting, Nature & Rot, Isolated Setting, Eerie Folklore

moodboard featuring mountains, eerie woods, and trees

Jules @julesanew.bsky.social · 2w ago

THE SHADOWS (WIP in 3rd Draft) #W #F #A #QuestPit A middle-aged shopkeeper & retired magical con artist takes one last job to save store & family. She could end the corrupt power of the Skyborn mages. She could end up losing herself, her magic & all she holds dear. Talk about a midlife crisis.

Moodboard for The Shadows WIP. Upper left: Illustration of a crowded, cramped city alley. Upper mid: Four black-clad people with face masks in a warehouse. Upper right: Shadowed cobblestone alley with someone at the mouth sweeping. Mid left. Two memes. "A niche character trope I like is the person who is nice, a good person and acts well-adjusted, then they do something where it's like oh you're secretly a little bit insane actually. Middle: A shadowed portrait of a woman with sparks coming out of her hands. Mid right: A meme: Original poster: "80% exhaustion 10% sarcasm %20 don't care" Reply poster: "that's 110 percent". OP: "20% of me doesn't care." RP: "should've seen that coming." Bottom left: Warmly lit storefront doorway on a cobblestone street. Bottom mid: Painting of fancy buildings on islands floating well above the ground. Bottom right: Cramped thrift store with shopkeeper.

The Shadows: The Pitch

The worst day of Ania’s life was when her beloved cousin Piren was dragged off to the floating towers of the Above to serve as a source to the Skyborn mages. The second worst day was when he was returned. Discarded. Drained of his magic and broken in spirit.

Ania left behind her rebellious past to support her cousin as he once
supported her. In a city where any display of magic makes you a target
of the Skyborn, keeping your head down and your magic a secret, taking care of your friends, your family and your neighborhood is the only safe way to survive.

But now, everything she’s built over twenty years of safe, carefully
constructed life is falling apart. To recover what she’s lost, Ania takes on one last dangerous heist that strikes at the heart of the Skyborn’s power. She may end up losing herself. She may just bring the entire system crashing down.

The Shadows: Comp Titles
MA Carrick: Mask of Mirrors. Con artist MC out to save her family (and maybe the world).
Shannon Chakraborty: Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi. I'm retired. Really. Okay, fine, one last job.
Robert Jackson Bennett: Foundryside. Magical technology, a corrupt ruling class and problematic heists.
Fonda Lee: Last Contract of Isako. I'm too old for this shit but no one else can do it.

“Except you can help me without bringing the bluejackets and their hunters down on my head!” Ania yelled, throwing her arms in the air. “All I’m asking you for is money. You’re asking me to risk my life! My family’s life!” She glared at him, grinding out her words through clenched teeth. “You want me to dust off magic I haven’t used in twenty years! How is that fair?” She spat the last word.
“It’s not fair!” Verasi spat back at her. “None of this is fair!” He flung a hand out. “Our people, our friends and family, our neighbors, are ripped from their homes in the middle of the night. They’re enslaved, ridden so hard they break. Maybe it takes a year. Maybe it takes five. Maybe it only takes a couple of months.” He continued in a harsh whisper. “We live in constant fear that it’ll be one of us. If not one of us, someone we know. Someone we love. Their propaganda machine is turning our own people against us. You know they’re not even testing people to see if they have any magical talent now? They’re just rounding people up at random and carting them off Above. None of them come home, not the same way they left.”

Kat is querying!@katgoestoshows.bsky.social · 2w ago

ETERNALLY DEAD explores how an injured musician gets a second shot at stardom--only it's by joining an all-vampire rock band in the dangerous Vampire Realm. When blood shortages hit the Realm, she's forced to confront if living out her rockstar dream is worth dying for🩸🧛‍♂️🎸 #questpit #a #f #pr #rf #q

Background of concert audience with giant vampire fangs floating above alongside the words "An agent's guide to: Eternally Dead, Adult Paranormal Romantic Fantasy, 103k words, by @katgoestoshows." A one sentence pitch is featured on bottom that reads: An injured musician gets a second shot at stardom -- only its by joining an all-vampire rock band in the blood-thirsty vampire realm. A red splatter of blood is splashed is corner.

Josianne Haag @jhaag.bsky.social · 2w ago

When a struggling stage actor joins a billionaire’s immersive submarine adventure designed for his grandson, she must manipulate the increasingly unstable heir to survive after the game turns deadly. HER LAST BREATH X INDIANA JONES #QuestPit #Q #T #RF #A

Mock book cover for HIDDEN MONSTERS by Josianne Haag: dark blue under-the-sea image with bubbles

Josianne Haag @jhaag.bsky.social · 2w ago

Excited to pitch HIDDEN MONSTERS, my 99k psychological thriller about a desperate actress trapped aboard a billionaire's staged submarine adventure where every act of violence could be part of the script... or terrifyingly real 🌊🤿 #agentguide #amquerying #QuestPit #Q #T #RF #A

My agent's guide for HIDDEN MONSTERS, a 99k psychological thriller; title page with waves as the background

The comp titles are One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware and Deadline by Steph McGovern

Photo collage of the themes of HIDDEN MONSTERS which include a lot of ocean imagery, as well as theater and romance.

Kat is querying!@katgoestoshows.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Pumped to pitch ETERNALLY DEAD - my 107k paranormal romantic fantasy that explores what happens when an injured musician gets a second shot at stardom by joining an all-vampire rock band in the dangerous Vampire Realm 🧛‍♂️ 🩸🎸 #questpit #a #f #pr #rf #q #amquerying

Red and black background with red text at the top that reads "the blurb." The text below reads: Celia Sharpe's life-long dream of being a rockstar guitarist ended the day an accident wrecked her hand. Now a New York City concert photographer, she strictly focuses on making deadlines. But when Celia spots a mysterious stranger at a concert she can’t capture on camera, she abandons her job to follow him down an alley—only to be accidentally transported to the Vampire Realm.

Stranded and vulnerable in a world of dangerous monsters, Celia has one goal: return home ASAP. But the stranger she followed reveals that he's the bassist of all-vampire rock band Mortuus Aeternum (Eternally Dead), and he offers her a seductive opportunity: if Celia stays, the band's flirty guitarist Caliban will temporarily heal her hand so she can join Mortuus Aeternum. However, she must perform for audiences of blood-thirsty vampires, of course.

Trapped in the Vampire Realm with no way out, Celia is conflicted: she might be willing to sacrifice her freedom for Caliban's healing magic and a second chance at living her rockstar dreams, but she risks death if she doesn't find a way home. Especially when blood shortages are announced across the Vampire Realm. How will she survive?

Red and black background with a bright red title that reads THE COMPS. Below are four book covers and one movie poster that include brief descriptions beside them. The first is Fang Fiction by Kate Stayman-London and it's described as an urban fantasy in a vampire setting. Next is Bride by Ali Hazelwood, described as having a steamy romance and political intrigue. Next is The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent, described as having a human fighting to survive in a vampire world. Next is a movie poster for Almost Famous, described as music journalist + rock band = forced proximity. Last is the cover of Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, described as having a rock band with secrets and love triangles. The tropes and vibes section includes the following text: grounded fantasy, found family, diverse characters, plot twists, chronic illness rep, slow burn yearning, and twist on fated mates.

Red and black background with white text snd large red title that reds THE OPENING. Below the title is the opening of the book, which reads: Celia Sharpe slammed her palm against the closed subway doors, trying to pry open the cool metal with sweaty fingertips. The train had finally – finally – made it to the station, and she needed to get off. Now. When the doors opened at long last, she burst through them like a bat out of hell, charging towards the exit.
She couldn't miss the opening of this show, or it might be her last.

Below the opening is the word EXCERPT in large red letters, and below is text in white font. The following excerpt reads:
Caliban knelt beside her and took her hand, her breath hitching at his touch. A warm sensation transferred between his fingertips and her scar, a tingling feeling moving up her whole arm. She pulled back on instinct.
“What did you do?” she trembled, awestruck. The scar had vanished.
“It’s only temporary. Please play,” he said, his green eyes wanting.
The pain was gone. Gone. As if it had never been there at all. Her left hand curved around the guitar neck, hugging the strings. Overcome by the magic of it, Celia grinned.

Josianne Haag @jhaag.bsky.social · 3mo ago

THE MOUNTAIN'S TOLL, a psychological thriller In a brutal mountaineering competition where climbing teams race for a high-altitude summit, Beth Huxley has a secret strategy: by the end of the expedition, her entire team will be dead. Completed at 96k words. #QuestPit #Q #T #DR #A

wott 🌱@wottenmoss.bsky.social · 3mo ago

The last Conduit is dead—and Magpie of Lornwhen, perpetual troublemaker and incurable dreamer, is thrilled about it. Two clueless lesbians. A forest full of spirits and giant mushrooms. A journey of love and ascension. #agentguide #querying #QuestPit #Q #F #NA #LGBT #ND

Text: An agent’s guide to When the Magpie Flies by M H Wottenmoss. Background of mountains, trees, and giant mushrooms. A magpie flies in the sky.

Pitch: Magpie of Lornwhen, hobbyist scholar and incurable troublemaker, refuses to believe she hasn’t been chosen as a Conduit.

Wild spiritwoods cage the human cities of Iridis, and the Conduits are humanity’s only defense against the monstrous spirits that lurk within. Magpie has always dreamed of becoming one of these elite spirit-whisperers, who never want for anything, never wonder where their next meal is coming from, never have to shelter in a half-crumbled clocktower no one else wants. When Magpie is definitely, absolutely chosen by a spirit, she finally has her chance.

Calladonna, her best friend and partner-in-survival, doesn’t want Mag to be a Conduit. There are rumors about how it changes people, how they don’t come back quite right. More than human — or less. Determined to reassure her friend and keep them together, Mag convinces Calla to follow her in secret, hidden from the other Conduits as they undertake a sacred journey into the heart of the spiritwoods. But Mag’s secrets can’t stay hidden forever, and when the consequences turn deadly, she has to make a decision: abandon her dreams or risk losing Calla forever.

Comps: A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft: clueless lesbians, murder and betrayal, journey of ascension. Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher: found family, humor and darkness, perilous quest.

Also featuring undiscovered magic, monstrous spirits, chaotic academia, ill-advised rituals, haunted forest, queer & autistic ensemble cast, giant mushrooms, original music

Opening lines: The world went dark just after she jumped off the roof. In one moment she could see the clocktower before her, the ledge beneath its defunct face familiar and inviting, and in the next there was nothing. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence, necessarily, but damn if that wasn't inconvenient timing.

Josianne Haag @jhaag.bsky.social · 3mo ago

THE MOUNTAIN'S TOLL, a psychological revenge thriller BREATHLESS X THEY NEVER LEARN ⛰️morally grey FMC ⛰️vigilante justice ⛰️isolated, nature setting ⛰️survival Completed at 96k words. #QuestPit #Q #T #DR #A

Kasy Long @kasylongauthor.bsky.social · 3mo ago

YOU’VE GOT MAIL x THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT Annie thinks no one cares about her poetry on Instagram. Until she meets “@/jaa97” who reads every word. But is he the same man threatening her job at the library? 📚 #QuestPit #W #R #PT #LF #A #WF #WritingCommunity #writers

A collage of photos inside a library or bookshop. Couples are kissing and a woman is looking at a bookshelf. A typewriter is visible in the graphic. “All’s Fair in Love and…Rivalry?” is written in the graphic.

Brayden Russell @braydenrwrites.bsky.social · 3mo ago

When a designer drug that lets the rich edit memories sweeps through a coastal state split between luxury and neglect the poor become its testing ground. #questpit #t #u #d

Josianne Haag @jhaag.bsky.social · 3mo ago

THE MOUNTAIN'S TOLL, a psychological thriller Beth is assembling a kill list of all the climbers that walked away from a deadly “accident” on the mountain. One of those accidents cost her a leg. Another killed her husband. Time for justice. BREATHLESS X THEY NEVER LEARN #QuestPit #Q #T #DR #A

Gert Ramm 🦋@rammwriter.bsky.social · 3mo ago

The Cold War X Time Travel When an intelligence agent is framed for the UK’s role in a temporal disaster, he must clear his name and seal a lethal time rift - before a Russian spy from the future gets everyone killed. #QuestPit #A #Q #SF #T

Josie Lickteig Is Querying!@josie-hundt.bsky.social · 3mo ago

IN THE SHADOWS OF HIGHCLIFFE - dual timeline adult thriller - 75k words Some say Georgia Alderidge ran away. Some say she was killed, and deserved it. 🔥high school party gone wrong 💋toxic friendships 🗝️generational secrets 🤫old money conspiracy #questpit #Q #T #A

Nic Webb @bynicwebb.bsky.social · 3mo ago

THE LONELY WIVES CLUB🍸 contemporary women's fiction An updated #agentsguide for #questpit Martinis and marriage problems. That's what every Monday night is about with this group of friends- except for Jordan. She has no marriage problems. Or, so she long thought. #q #a #wf

Sara Duran ✨is AGENTED✨@saraduran.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Wouldn’t be #QuestPit without a new guide 🤍 • • • ANNIHILATION x BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN 💫two exiled men (and their secrets) 💫one lunar prison (and its horrors) 💫a cosmic entity that wants them dead 💫the love they’ll lose if they don’t survive #SF #H #R #LGBT #AG

James Keller-Am Querying @thekellerverse.bsky.social · 3mo ago

#Questpit Mass effect x Treasure Planet "People of Humanity, we have been observing your Earth..." These are the word that came down from the stars when Humanity stood on the Brink. The words that offered them a Second Chance at life. 6 years later, our story begins. #Q #SF #SFF

In The Service of Gods & Admirals.

A Novel by

James Keller

People of Humanity,

We have been observing your Earth and know you can not survive. The damage done to your world is too great for any species to recover from. You lack the technology to escape but there is no reason why the Galaxy should have to go on without you.

In the name of our Goddess, the Lady of Crystal, I have declared the Uplift of Humanity from your ruined world. And have bestowed onto you a new planet to call your own. Where you can rebuild yourselves and live on under the light of the stars.

We offer you passage to this new world. To welcome you into the Galactic Community as Citizens of the Jada Empire. Under the protection of my court, the Assembly, and the Admiralty of the Royal Navy.

You will be granted all the rights and privileges as any other Citizen in our domain. We will offer all the assistance you require as you heal and grow on your new Colony. To help you find your place in the Galaxy.

The wars that have ravaged your Earth are not our concern. We seek not to pass judgement, but to offer a chance at peace. To survive as a people and as a culture.

To all who accept this offer, our ships will be arriving to evacuate you. Instructions will be broadcast to lead you to the evacuation zones. To all who refuse, you will be left alone without further interference. We mean no harm but we will protect our new citizens from anyone who seeks to prevent them from traveling to their new home.

I know that you do not know of us, of anyone beyond your Earth. but we do come in peace. We come in peace. All we ask is the opportunity for our people to get to know each other.

(Proclamation of Empress Celestia of House Praven, 2nd Born of Emperor Cerian)

Josianne Haag @jhaag.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Josianne Haag@jhaag.bsky.social · 4mo ago

I’m excited to share my #agentsguide for THE MOUNTAIN’S TOLL which I #amquerying! INTO THIN AIR X THEY NEVER LEARN ⛰️adult psychological thriller ⛰️morally grey FMC ⛰️plotting revenge ⛰️female rage ⛰️isolated setting ⛰️buried secrets ⛰️survival #thriller #suspense

Kayla is 🧜🏼‍♀️revising🧜🏼‍♀️@kaylafoster.bsky.social · 4mo ago

I'm switching it up for my last post of #PosterPit today. Introducing my next project, Dice and Daggers. An adult, dark fantasy set in a fictional Pacific Northwest ghost town. #a #f #h #w

Dark two-story house in the middle of the foggy woods at night with one yellow light on.

Text in red: Dice and Daggers
Text below in white: written by Kayla Martinez Foster

At the bottom in white text: Role the dice if you dare but be ready to play the game until the bitter end. Your soul depends on it

White text below: drafting next

Camille Singer @camillesinger.bsky.social · 4mo ago

When her little sister disappears at a haunted wharf, Everly's sworn enemy is the only person with a lead on her whereabouts. She must dig into the sordid past of her town for answers, but doing so could bury her sister for good. #PosterPit #Q #YA #M #T #R

Jacklyn Sophia @jacksinblack.bsky.social · 4mo ago

What if Percy Jackson met Knives Out? A half-goddess on a fake mission must team up with a girl who just realized her priest-parents are actually divine jailers, all while playing 'house' in a temple that's slowly drowning. #PosterPit #WIP #F #A

Woman in the foreground of a rainy blue landscape.

Anna Metz 💋🔪🖤@annametz.bsky.social · 4mo ago

BUTCHER & BLACKBIRD meets LIGHTS OUT in this toe-curling, spicy dark romcom 🖤 He's afraid of blood and she's afraid of commitment 💋 VIGILANTES ANONYMOUS follows two contract unalivers, Lana and Nic, as they off their targets and get off with each other. 🔪 #posterpit #AG #R #A

Josianne Haag @jhaag.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Beth Huxley is assembling a kill list. Each of the five teammates she recruits for an international mountaineering competition once walked away from a deadly “accident” on the mountain. Beth knows better. AND THEN THERE WERE NONE (POV of killer) x THEY NEVER LEARN #PosterPit #Q #T #A