#PitchWars 2018 -Ā Itās time toĀ #BoostMyBio!
Last year I joined PitchWars for the first time. I didnāt get in. This year Iām back, Iām bold, Iāve got a new manuscript and Iām ready.
SO WHO AM I?
I know my pen name is Eden Summerlee (now you know, too) but Iād much rather you called me Annie, which is technically, legally speaking, not even my name. But who cares. Whichever you prefer.
Iām 24
I have a degree in History of Art and an unfinished master in TESL
Iām queer af
I mainly read lit fiction, magical realism and SFF. Some of my fave books are The Night Circus, everything Deborah Levi has ever written, same goes for Zadie SmithĀ and underrated goddess Clarice Lispector. And a million other amazing books.
BOOK? WHAT BOOK?
(Current) Title: Camera Obscura
Word count: (almost!!)100k words
Genre: Adult Literary FantasyĀ
In a city where every man wears a mask, a lack of horns can be life threatening.Ā The Capri, horned creatures who pull from nature, rule the country of Nairdal. Meanwhile humanity, the flat-scalped hornless, barely manage to evade slaughter.
When Milla, a Capri Queen, wakes in a fountain with cracked horns, and finds both her memories and power have vanished. Married to a man she can't remember, navigating a culture which feeds on the exploitation of humans, she quickly sympathizes with the renegades who fight to overthrow her husbandās totalitarian regime. Hoping to recover her forsaken power, she breaks the mirror of an ancient neutrois vampire called GaĆÆa, who promises her power beyond her wildest dreams.
But everything changes when she discovers her horns are false. Now at the bottom of the food chain, she needs GaĆÆa to survive. But they prove impossible to contain, especially in the company of an old flame, the forgotten princess who trapped them in their mirror in the first place.
Fun facts about Camera Obscura!
Just a month ago it wasnāt called Camera Obscura. I have an issue with titles. But I like this one. It kind of fits Millaās experience.
Milla has amnesia. It affects the plot, obviously, but her having amnesia isnāt a plot device. Able-bodied and neurotypical writers have used this trope again and again, but as someone who has had amnesia and blackouts (because I have this fun thing called epilepsy lol), I feel as though I should be allowed to explore this subject to some extent.
Disability is actually one of the big themes in this novel. My male lead, Wind, is also ill, but heās brave, reckless, and he knows thereās more important things in life that being perceived as strong by his able-bodied peers.Ā Ā
There are quite a few queer characters. A neutrois (non-binary) bisexual vampire who wants to recover their body. A bad-ass pan human called Elizabeth. And Elizabethās lesbian on-and-off girlfriend, Val.
Masks! Loads and loads of masks! Think a Venetian carnival level of masks!
Some plot points have been influenced by Catalan folklore and Guy Fawkes.
If youāre a history nerd you might spot a similarity between a certain anarchist city and the Paris Commune of 1871.
Even though I have a ānewā oppressor-oppressed dialect in this book, I donāt use it as an allegory for current oppressive structures. Racism still exists in this world, misogyny still exists in this world, ableism still exists.
(Also: is secretly a portal fantasy with a subversion of the chosen one trope.)
MENTOR? WHAT MENTOR?
Someone who is alright with dark stuff. I mean. It gets kind of dark. Thereās a TINY instance of cannibalism. Mentions of incest. Domestic violence. Revenge. But magic! Adventure! Psychotic breakdowns? As long as you feel drawn towards these characters, or world, or PLOT-TWISTS GALORE, I think weāll work well together!
Whatever the outcome, prepping this story for Pitch Wars is worth it. Getting to be a part of the community is worth it!
I feel as if my bio might be a little too long. So if youāre still here, Iām sending some virtual hugs and cookies.