Tessera

via madigan

@lvmadigan.bsky.social

via madigan @lvmadigan.bsky.social · 4mo ago

New FREE contest for writers of Young Adult Fantasy, Sci-Fi, and Horror — tinyurl.com/wdwcon10 — Judged by Agent Keir Alekseii of Azantian Literary, via @writingdayworkshops. Winners get an agent critique of their work.

First Page Contest #10: Young Adult Fantasy, Sci-Fi, and Horror -- Judged by Agent Keir Alekseii of Azantian Literary

FREE CONTEST FOR WRITERS! Welcome to a First Page Contest . Contest #10 is for writers of Young Adult Fiction in the areas of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and speculative . If you write in...

tinyurl.com

via madigan @lvmadigan.bsky.social · 9mo ago

SCYTHE x BLOOD OVER BRIGHT HAVEN -second chance romance reapers -manipulation rituals to destroy ghosts -they kill instead of guide -employed at a government in the afterlife, associates of death -everybody scream meets evermore if they were books #questpit #YA #A #FA #Q

via madigan @lvmadigan.bsky.social · 9mo ago

EVERYBODY SCREAM x EVERMORE if they were books. 🕯️reapers who kill 🕸️important friendships and history 🪦second chance romance 🕰️a government in the afterlife 🐈‍⬛ghosts that haunt #questpit #A #YA #FA #PR #Q

Debby ✨ A MOST DECADENT CURSE (Jan. ‘27)✨ 🌊👻🖤@aventurinedebby.bsky.social · 9mo ago

GOTHIC BRIDGERTON (Winter 2027) When an unleashed magic brings the ghosts of Evermore castle back to life during their weeklong ball, sisters Annabel Lee & Lenore Evermore must unravel the truth behind their family’s curse before their castle becomes their tomb #questpit #ya #p #f

Sally Bromley @sallybromley.bsky.social · 9mo ago

Presenting my #agentsguide for 'Beauty is a Brittle Glass' BLUE SISTERS X THE PUSH X THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY. 🪞 Adult 82k 🪞 Dual POV 🪞 Speculative Elements 🪞 Beauty & Fashion 🪞 LGBTQ 🪞 Friends to Lovers 🪞 Disability Rep #questpit #A #Q

Green background. Images of a woman's face in a gold picture frame. Splashes of gold.

A woman with long dark hair turning sideways, hair blowing in the wind, eyes closed. Splashes of gold paint. A gold handprint.

Background is the close up of a woman's face, splashed with gold paint. Three bookcovers. Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors, a young woman's sad face, The Push by Ashley Audrain and The Picture of Dorian Gray and a young handsome man with a partially diseased face.

Green background splashed with gold paint. Images of a model on a Catwalk, a woman having injections in her face, a group of spooky trees, a photographer and an evil hand reaching out for a pale woman's hand.

Catherine Winters @catherinewinters.com · 9mo ago

F/NB WAYFARERS x MURDERBOT x SOMEONE YOU CAN BUILD A NEST IN Everything fell apart when the human came aboard. Instead of nice meals and quiet cargo runs, Tai's stuck with bickering crewmates, sinister criminals, explosions, and worse, a human who wants to be friends. #QuestPit #SF #A #Q #R #LGBT

Mood board/Agent's guide for my novel CARGO - a queer SF/heist/romance - 113,000 words

"Did you hear? There's a human on board."
A graphic of the wall of a spaceship with sticky notes and polaroid photos taped up. There are twinkle lights hanging from the ceiling.
alien ship's cook (fussy, anxious) + terrifying monster (ordinary human)

PITCH:
Tai’s terrified of humans. Everyone is. Violent pack hunters, humans are notorious for their strength, sharp teeth, and carnivorous appetites. But the ship’s cook is safe among the multispecies crew of the cargo hauler Coreward Baker: everyone knows the warrior species rarely leave their own space. Then Captain Raz hires Clarke, a human horticulturist.
Even after Tai overcomes their fear, they can’t stand Clarke. She’s bossy. Annoying. Useless in the galley, bad in a space suit. She might as well be cargo. Worse, she’s intent on befriending Tai—and why can’t they stop thinking about her, anyway?
That’s when things go wrong. As Tai starts to realize their feelings for Clarke, they’re horrified to learn that nobody on their crew of dropouts and runaways is quite who they seem, least of all Clarke. And it’s no coincidence. Raz reveals they’ve each been handpicked for a heist he’s spent years planning—and no one’s allowed to say no.

PRIORITIES:
make dinner
remain cozy
haul cargo
go for drinks
pull off one last score
try not to fall in love

FIRST PAGE:

“Did you hear? There’s a Human on board.”
I choked on my noodles and turned to stare at the diners at the next table. Like most of the restaurant’s patrons, the pair had hidden their profiles, a halfhearted attempt at anonymity.
“Gross,” the speaker’s crewmate said, oblivious to my alarm. “I hope it leaves soon.”
“Don’t let it hear you say that,” the first worker laughed. She made a show of looking for Humans, her eyes darting from table to table.
It. I frowned. I knew the workers’ language distinguished between people and things, and ‘it’ was an unkind choice of words at best.
The second worker shuddered. “I don’t know why we let them come here.”
The first laughed. “Are you going to stop them?”

COMPS:
Murderbot by Martha Wells
Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wisewell
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

TROPES:
Non-binary narrator masking anxiety with sarcasm
lying to themselves
non-human perspective (afraid of humans)
neurodivergent main characters
metaphorically disabled protagonist
slow-burn friends-to-lovers and enemies to lovers in the same relationship
disabilitynorm and queernorm setting
found family
loveable pet/terrifying monster

Isabel Grace (is agented)@isabelgraceauthor.bsky.social · 9mo ago

When Annora's betrayed, she enlists the help of criminal Madoc to enact her revenge, but when her quest unravels the truth of a trade in wyvern scale and a long awaited prophecy, she must choose between vengeance and justice. #QuestPit #RF #W soon to be #AG and hopefully #OS in 2026!

Comp titles: House of the Dragon, A Fate Forged in Fire, The Knight and the Moth, Throne of Glass, Six of Crows, A Tempest of Tea

Most brides would think a storm on the eve of their wedding an omen, but for Annora Rainecourt it was the greatest blessing she could receive. Because a storm meant chance of a sighting. And what could be more thrilling than that? She scoured the skies as lightning flashed, illuminating the distant castle and the manor dwellings around it in a shock of monochrome clarity, and there — beyond the turrets — she saw her first of the night. Thin membrane, spindly tendon and bone, that unfathomable combination of sharp claws and curved edges, swiftly flying through slick rain and thick cloud until the darkness crowded in again and she lost it.
Annora smiled to herself. They always liked storms. The wyverns.
“They’re quiet tonight,” she said, staring out of the lancet window as rain lashed against the panes.
Lucan rolled on the bed to face her, the sheets draped between his legs as if she hadn’t been privy to what was beneath them moments ago. “Or perhaps they’re beyond sight,” he said, and ran a hand through long, light hair, pushing it back from his slim face.
“The view from here is perfect,” she murmured, frowning.

Rebeccah Sheridan @rsheridan92.bsky.social · 9mo ago

An agent’s guide to THE SLOW BURN 🚒🎄 She’s an event planner with her promotion on the line. He’s a firefighter, and her dad is his chief. Together, they have to pull off the fire department’s holiday gala 👀 #questpit #r #q #amquerying

An agents guide to THE SLOW BURN
an 82,000 word romcom by Rebeccah Sheridan

The Pitch
She’s an event planner with a promotion on the line.
He’s a firefighter, and her dad is his chief.
Together, they’re planning the fire department’s holiday gala.
When the spark between them fans into a no-strings flung, they’ll find out how complicated “casual” can be.

Comps
Just My Type by Falon Ballard: Workplace politics, toxic boss
Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan: From fling to feelings, “no one gets hurt”
Lovelight Farms by BK Borison: small-town, holiday romance, found family

Tropes
Small-town
Slow burn
Holiday romance
“Keep it casual and no one gets hurt”
Found family
MMC in uniform (firefighter)

sherlyn is seeking rep 🖤@sherlynsvault.bsky.social · 9mo ago

an agent's guide for DON'T FORGET ME🕰️☕️🖋️ if you like: - dark academia - second chance - dual POV - dual timeline - hispanic rep - themes of trauma (DV) #questpit #R #Q #NA #amquerying #agentsguide

o.c. umeghalu ✧ is querying @ocumeghalu.bsky.social · 9mo ago

*BIG FIVE EDITOR INTEREST* When a heroic ancestry and truths of an old war surface, a guilt-stricken girl races to free her imprisoned friend and subdue a radical foe while a hesitant prince debates whether remaining loyal to the crown is worth the moral turmoil. #Q #YA #F #questpit

an agent's guide to awakening by o.c. umeghalu

"the pitch" - For Cindren Alacaster, guilt is her anchor as much as it is her jailer. Thrust upon a whirlwind journey to rescue her friend from certain death, she finds that the abnormality of her golden eyes speaks of a heroic ancestry whispered amongst the forsaken. Something once slumbering has manifested within her, forcing her hand in rallying against an emerging threat and painting her destiny as dark as the cloak she was born to wear.

As the country’s prince, Nazar Heiron should know better than looking to follow his own heart. But the stirring of longing he’s hidden deep within forces him to walk the razor-thin line of desire and treachery for the only girl he’s ever loved: his personal sentry. And when the truth of the last war to be fought on his country’s soil emerges, he must decide whether or not to put into practice once empty words that championed justice or finally step into the hypocrisy he’s believed to nurture.

themes/comps - Forged Family (the Gaang, Quil and the others)

Reckoning with Inner Turmoil (guilt, indecision, shame, responsibility)

Ancestral Abilities (think Aang’s/Corayne’s birthrights)

Bloodied Crown (think Zuko grappling with the Fire Nation seeking to conquer the world/Corayne looking to close Spindles opened by her uncle)

Looming Global Threat (ie: Firelord Ozai/Taristan)

Romantic Subplot (different love interest for each MC)

Complicated Sibling Relationship (ie: Azula and Zuko)

Betrayal (ie: Aiz and Quil)

trang ☆ writer @trangnguyenwrites.bsky.social · 9mo ago

ASIAN SIX OF CROWS x MISTBORN Gemma teams up w/ Ren to uncover a plot to eradicate mages…one that involves the emergence of a mysterious stone that mimics their powers. 💥 energy magic ❤️‍🔥 slow burn (reluctant allies to…?) 🏠 found family ⚔️ heists, in a 🀄️ parlor 🧐 research subplot #Questpit #A #F #Q

HK Smith | Writer @thehksmith.bsky.social · 9mo ago

LEGENDBORN x DUNE in a #YA fantasy where humanity survives by surrendering memories to a divine intelligence. To break her family's curse of being sacrificed, Vega must: ⚔️Find her lost brother 💔Ally w/ her first heartbreak 🌑Uncover the truth her world was forced to forget #QuestPit #SFF #F #Q #RF

A dark space fantasy aesthetic mood board with a collage of photos. Vertically down, from the first column:
1. A violet, light-tinged hole framing a violet sky
2. A faint silhouette of a woman beneath colors like the northern lights
3. Two hands reaching towards one another
4. A sci-fi inspired, dark uniform with a high collar
5. A grand stairwell, perhaps a futuristic religious site, with a single silhouette looking up
6. Two romantic silhouettes against a starry night sky
7. A lone figure with a backpack, standing amongst a shroud of sand-colored fog
8. A hand covered in glitter
9. A silhouette standing in front of a blue-lit circular tunnel entrance
10. A black woman with glitter coating her shoulder, just the bottom half of her face is visible, lips tilted slightly up in a smile
11. A black woman screaming
12. A stream of light breaking through dark clouds
13. An eye turned to show only the whites
14. Figures in robes seemingly suspended in mid-air
15. A figure on a black, sleek futuristic looking motorcycle

None of the images are my own. They are all sourced from Pinterest

Caroline is always writing @carolinekwriting.bsky.social · 9mo ago

My current November writing challenge WIP, no pitch, just vibes: 👸Royal fake dating 👑Princess x King ✨Humor (I think?) 💔Hopeless romantic who has given up on love 💚’Party 4 u’ vibes ❤️‍🩹Healing each other 🧚Fairytale vibes #QuestPit #F #R #A #W

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 🍃@charscrawls.bsky.social · 9mo ago

🎸 daisy jones x knives out 🗡️ the songstress, the high-flyer, the gambler, the sweetheart, the watcher, the matriarch and the rogue. seven suspects. one the killer of renowned rockstar sam corvi. but who? only they can tell you #questpit #Q #A #LF #MY

a moodboard detailing nine images related to my book ALL THE DEVILS aka devilswip. in order from right to left they are: london notably the landmark big ben, a band performing on stage, a sheet of music, a record store, the silhouette of a rockstar, some musical instruments scattered on a bed, two men running, a pile of evidence and finally a hand holding a cigarette

B. van Bodegom 📃is AGENTED @bvbodegom.bsky.social · 9mo ago

BLACK MIRROR × SEVERANCE × THE GOOD PLACE Having a happy death is a luxury service for the rich and Wren is the rising top salesman—until a cynical coworker and a depressed billionaire force him to rethink it all in a world where even your last smile has a price tag. #QuestPit #A #S #SF #W

Made from non-AI free stock images.

This image is a book cover design for a novel titled "Happy Death Inc." by B. Van Bodegom. The cover is divided into three distinct horizontal sections:

1. Top Section: Features a cartoonish blue sky with white clouds and a bright sun. At the top, a tagline reads:
"How much would you pay to die with a smile?"
The word "HAPPY" appears in large, playful, hand-drawn-style font, partially overlapping the sky background.

2. Middle Section: A photograph of a deceased man in a suit, lying in a casket. He has an exaggerated smile on his face, almost unnaturally wide and clean, suggesting artificial enhancement or post-mortem alteration. Overlaid on this image is the word "DEATH" in the same large font as the previous word.

3. Bottom Section: A cartoon city skyline in pastel tones, similar in style to the top sky background. The word "INC." is overlaid prominently in the same large font. At the very bottom: A novel by B. van Bodegom

Iris Andersi | Author @goodwords.bsky.social · 9mo ago

POTIONS UNINCORPORATED Think HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE x THE SPELLSHOP 💜 Chronic Illness Rep 🌱 Plant Magic 💚 Bisexual Witches 🐈‍⬛ A Snarky Familiar 😈 Evil Pharmaceutical Potion Company ☀️ Grumpy X Sunshine Romance ☕ Cozy Vibes #QuestPit #Q #A #R #F #chronicillnessrep #ownvoices #LGBTQ #cozyfantasy

Potions Unincorporated is written on a black journal with ivy stems and a mushroom on the cover. The tropes are listed with arrows on the right side: Grumpy x Sunshine, Found Family, Evil Pharma Potion Company, Plant Magic, Chronic Illness Rep, Cozy Vibes

The Pitch is written on a lavender field background: A curmudgeonly witch with a chronic illness must work with a cheerful thief to stand up to a greedy pharmaceutical company

A garden of comps is written on a leaf. The background is brown soil with plants next to comp titles: Legends and Lattes, The Spellshop, Howl's Moving Castle, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, and Under The Whispering Door.

A snippet highlights the main character's relationship with her familiar, Toad. In the snippet they discuss Linatta's ex girlfriend and Toad's hatred of hats. A book is open below the image and has wildflowers growing out of the inside spine.

Tyler Stasi 🍓👒🕰️@tylerstasi.bsky.social · 9mo ago

#QuestPit #S #F #W an adult speculative literary-leaning standalone: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus x THE DOLL PEOPLE x LAPVONA A rare wind-up doll in a traveling oddities show uncovers a dark truth about her troupe's origins. 🚂🗝🫖🕯🎭

moodboard for dark speculative standalone novel wip by tyler stasi

Cassie is drafting/(finally) editing 📚🖊️@cassjackson-22.bsky.social · 9mo ago

EtD #QuestPit #W #Dy #YA THE 5TH WAVE x ALL THE WATER IN THE WORLD (vibes) What if your mom lied to you about her job your entire life, but you didn't find out until you ran away from home? Join Tresa in dual timelines to find out in this adventure with forests, underground, and friendship.

Jessica DeLand - Author (is getting published! 😱)@delandjessica.bsky.social · 9mo ago

Wildly reimagined BEAUTY & THE BEAST retelling w/: ~A girl forced to live w/ kidnappers to save family ~Bickering lackey guards ~A beast who isn't a beast, but 2 that are ~& her bonding w/ them & falling for 1 while seeking freedom Coming Spring 2027 #QuestPit #P #YA #F #MY #R

Line drawing of Bell and Beast from the shoulders up back to back from Disney's Beauty and the Beast with Beast holding a rose.

via madigan @lvmadigan.bsky.social · 9mo ago

🕯️Reapers, rituals, and necessary evils. In a government in the afterlife, two reapers kill instead of guide, haunted by the ghosts of their victims. When they’re forced to perform rituals to end the haunting, rotted secrets raise. #Questpit #A #YA #FA #Q

MechaniChris @chrisakins.bsky.social · 9mo ago

GRIM PORTENTS HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE X CONSTANTINE A man is murdered by a hell-beast on his wedding day. Now, with the help of the reaper who collected his soul, he must uncover who is releasing monsters from Hell if he wants to return to the life he was robbed of. #P #F #H #PR #Hu #OWN #questpit

Grim Portents cover featuring a skeleton hand holding a feather and emerging from an open book. The title is on a burning banner that envelops the feather and a large beast looms over it all. At the top, the tagline reads: Welcome to the first day of the end of your life…

Black and white sketch of characters Bill and Sonny. Bill is a dark featured man in a suit and kind of a Mark Ruffalo vibe. Sonny is a rotting corpse man with a cardigan.

"I HAD ALWAYS TOLD MYSELF IT WAS A FIGMENT OF MY IMAGINATION, THE MIND PLAYING TRICKS.
IT WAS JUST A SHADOW. BUT NOW THE MONSTER HAD BEEN GIVEN A NAME, AN IDENTITY.
IT WAS REAL."
Bill Baker wants nothing more than to marry the woman he loves, but when his wedding is interrupted by a rampaging hell-beast, his life is thrown into disarray.
Desperate for a second chance, he will do anything to set his future back on track.
Now, with the help of a soul-collecting reaper named Sonny, he must uncover who is releasing monsters from Hell, in order to earn back the life that was stolen from him and prevent the oncoming end of days.
Faced with the choice between what is right and what is easy, Bill may have to sacrifice all he holds dear for one last shot at life.

Ad for Grim Portents, featuring a print copy of the book and an ebook on an iPhone. A QR code that takes you to my website and the words “Scan to learn more about debut paranormal fantasy novel Grim Portents” below it. Under that, it says “Available online anywhere books are sold!” And above it all is the tagline “Welcome to the first day of the end of your life”

MelonieWithAnO @meloniewithano.bsky.social · 9mo ago

PJO XTrumanShow Being the gods' pawn isn’t new to 15y/o Mia Miller, an anxious girl w/ music magic. But when a quest to Nashville is derailed by a book where she’s the MC, Mia & BFF must find the author & salvage her quest, before Olympus finds out. #QuestPit #Q #YA #F

Moodboard with alternating images between black and white and vivid color. A greek statue, a raven, a girl crying, a girl with hand lifted, an oracle, a light magic, a face statue, Nashville neon lights at night. Text: Music will be the death of me.

BB Lorik (writing SFF 💀📖)@authorbblorik.bsky.social · 9mo ago

#QuestPit #A #S #W If Grey’s Anatomy had magic, merged with Hunger Games, & was written by Mary Shelly: A MALIGNANT GAME

Emilia Young | Author @emiliayoung.bsky.social · 9mo ago

MARK OF A MAGPIE is #OnSubmission! 🐦‍⬛📖 When a small-town thief crosses paths with the kingdom’s big-shot assassin, an unlikely partnership is born; but can their goals align before their egos and secrets land them both a spot on the gallows? #QuestPit #YA #A #F #RF #OS #AG #EditorsGuide #Editors

Editor's Guide To MARK OF A MAGPIE
Crossover Romantic Fantasy
118k Words

Text is on a piece of parchment. Behind the parchment are blue seas and gold flower outlines.

Blurb

One for Sorrow, Two for Joy, Three for a Girl, Four for a Boy…

Ryn is a small-town thief who has a knack for being overconfident in her abilities, but by day she’s a beloved tavern girl with the liver of steel that carries her reputation. On her most daring break-in yet, she runs face first into the kingdom’s last living assassin, Seven, and he’s just offered her the opportunity of a century: a ticket of attendance to the King’s upcoming courtship gathering. It’s a partnership she’d be a fool to take up, but with her family scattered across the sea after the draft, a fool is what she’ll need to be to find them.

Five for Silver, Six for Gold…

Seven is set on his own plans, however much they interfere with hers, and they won’t be the only ones in attendance with hidden agendas. Once whispers of the past begin to resurface and nobles begin dying around them, it’s survival of the cunning and silver-tongued. The castle is under lockdown, and all bets for the crown are placed on their capture.

Seven for a Secret, Never to Be Told.

Text is on a piece of parchment. Behind the parchment are blue seas and gold flower outlines.

The Atmosphere:
There is a collage of pictures on a parchment paper. Picture one is of a boy crouched down with his head covered as a fire burns in the background. Picture two is of two hands tied to a pole on the beach. Picture three shows a person wrapping up the wounded hand of another. Picture four shows an old piece of parchment with unreadable script. Picture five is of an island with a castle and small village surrounding it. Picture six is of a girl on the run with a dagger in hand. Picture seven shows a bottle of alcohol. Picture eight has a medieval alleyway. And picture eight shows a ship's crew enjoying a sunset.

There is text below the collage that says: ON SUBMISSION NOW!
Represented by Amanda Wooden at SBR Media, contact information available on my website!

Behind the parchment, with gold flower outlines surrounding it.

Ann Littler @annlittler.bsky.social · 9mo ago

A sneak peek at my new WIP for #QuestPit Rapunzel X Eastern European Folklore #TowerWIP #W #YA #H #R

1) Scottish Highlands
2) Two teens silhouetted
3) A dead body
4) Teens hiking in mist
5) A crumbling Scottish castle
6) A figure with a scythe

Ann Glimmer @annglimmer.bsky.social · 9mo ago

TRUE HATE'S KISS She must trick her enemy into kissing her to break a deadly curse on her family 🐉Viking Vibes & Scandinavian Folklore ⚔️Age-Old Clan Feud ❤️‍🔥Enemies-To-Forbidden-Lovers 🔥Delicious Banter & Yearning 🌶️Hot & Spicy #Questpit #NA #Romantasy #Agented #Editorsguide

Chantal Danieli — is editing! 🕯️@chantaldanieli.bsky.social · 9mo ago

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA x THE VISCOUNT WHO LOVED ME MY SWEET UNBECOMING, an upmarket gothic romance with: 🕯️Forbidden romance 🕯️High Society matchmaking 🕯️Black Swan-esque awakening 🕯️Obsessive yearning 🕯️European setting 🕯️Secret lake meetings #W #A #R #questpit

Jessica DeLand - Author (is getting published! 😱)@delandjessica.bsky.social · 9mo ago

WAKE embodies "Free" from KPOP DEMON HUNTERS w/: ~A FMC tormented by her past that's ruining her mental health ~A LI working for the villain w/ his own troubled past ~a supportive slow burn romance built on understanding inner pain Coming Spring 2027 #QuestPit #P #YA #F #MY #R

Azi is revising a cat POV revenge dark fantasy @aziossman.bsky.social · 9mo ago

HOUSE OF THE BEAST x WILL OF THE MANY Big 5 editor interest 👀 A star in human skin is willing to destroy her body to find her lost friend. Except her friend wants her in cinders. 💥Friends➡️Enemies 💫Gold Age Islamic Astronomy setting 🌊Elemental high-consequence hard magic #Questpit #Q #YA #F #ND #POC

a #questpit moodboard featuring a bracelet, a statue, fingers with gold rings, two people hugging, a streaking comet, and korra lifting a boulder.

Chantal Danieli — is editing! 🕯️@chantaldanieli.bsky.social · 9mo ago

THE GREAT ALONE x LOVE & OTHER WORDS UNDER MY OWN MAKING, an upmarket women’s fiction with: 🌊 a scarred heiress 🌊 estranged childhood friends turned lovers 🌊 hard-earned slow-burn romance 🌊 toxic family 🌊 coastal small town 🌊 found family #questpit #Q #A #R #WF