an American Muslim with Sri Lankan and Arab roots. I’m seventeen-years old and fresh out of high school, currently living in the heart of Texas, where I help run IceyDesigns, shipping out orders and coding Wordpress themes. No, I don’t own a ranch, and no, I haven’t seen a cowboy. Yet.
I have a deep love for video games like Assassin’s Creed and Uncharted, and there’s nothing that makes me happier than the fruitful art of baking.
When I’m not squirreled away writing about nontraditional characters in nontraditional settings, you can find me (and my insurmountable supply of gifs) on Twitter as @iceyasma.
I live and breathe fantasy, particularly YA. I’ve been devouring books for as long as I can remember, but not once have I encountered a character with roots from the island of Sri Lanka. I’m hoping to change that.
About my manuscript:
For fans of the dark trials of KINGSMAN and AN EMBER IN THE ASHES, bull-headed heroines like Arya Stark from GAME OF THRONES, lush mythological reimaginings like THE STAR-TOUCHED QUEEN, and for those who want to see themselves represented in sweeping, adventurous stories.
A MURDER OF LIONS is a YA fantasy inspired by the mythology of Sigiriya and set in the lush world of ancient Sri Lanka.
After her father frames her for smuggling, Harshani Lakmal is faced with two choices: execution or go peacefully with the Thehan, a group of legendary warriors residing in the famed capital of Sigiriya. There, she can finally embrace the warrior life she’s always wanted as she partakes in a series of trials—until she learns what happened to the warrior whose position she’s competing to replace.
Complete with: unapologetic heroines + smuggling + warriors + mythology + sapphires + royal drama + betrayal + fierce sibling relationships + lions + vengeance + mythical beasts that turn out to be real + yakkas + nerdy brothers + unlikely heroes + extravagant palace balls + trials + urumis + cardamom tea + falooda (and other scrumptious Sri Lankan food).
My name is Maria José Morillo (but my Friends call me Majo, so feel free to call me that), and this is my first time doing Pitch Wars. Let’s go!
I’m currently revising my YA Fantasy novel THE REIGN OF A RIGHTEOUS PRINCE, which follows reluctant Crown Prince Asa, his twin brother Acel, and very poor decisión making on both their parts.
The fragile peace the kingdom of Thysia—a rich and desirable nation the rest of the world only knows through legends and whispered bedtime stories—has maintained for thousands of years begins to crumble when prince Asa bargains for the throne for the chance to discover who he is away from the confinement of the palace and the burden that comes with being a prince. The charade is simple: his twin brother, Acel becomes Asa, and Asa becomes whoever he wants.
But it’s not as easy as that. Away from the Palace exists a world he’d never seen before, with witches, invisible doors, and a side of Thysia braver than he’d ever known. In order to preserve it, Asa is going to have to overcome his great fear, which is to be a leader to a country that has never wanted him on the throne, while discovering a whole world he thought long extinguished.
I’ve been wrking on this story for almost three years now.
*SHOUT OUT TO MY WONDERFUL, BEAUTIFUL, SUPRA TALENTED, PATIENT CP/SOUL SISTER NESSA FOR PUTTING UP WITH IT*
One of the things I love most about it is Thysia, the kingdom Asa is about to inherit. It is a hidden kingdom, á la Wakanda, but heavily inspired in my own country, Venezuela, and the beautiful landscape and culture of Ireland and Scotland.
Another thing I love are the characters.
Asa, my beloved prince son person.
Darda, my half-dorcha warrior girl
Iris, my dagger-wielder dorcha hunter.
Zetham, my half-dorcha warrior clown (and Darda’s bro)
Mathis, my half-dorcha brooding warrior (you guessed it, they’re triplets!)
Cedric, my royal guard and Asa’s bestie (also Iris’ bro)
Chrissie, Asa’s betrothed and the love of Acel’s life
Acel, my beautiful boy and Asa’s twin/changeling/actual heir to the Dorcha throne. (But don’t tell Asa because he doesn’t know yet)
YOU CAN ALSO EXPECT
Drama!
Magic!
Blood!
Family!
Ugly flying creatures!
Sarcasm courtesy of Asa!
Maybe some tears?
A slow-burn romance?
Similar in tone to Jennifer A. Nielsen’s THE FALSE PRINCE, but targeted to a YA audience, I think it might appeal to fans of V.E Schawbs A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC.
It is the child of my heart, and I’m willing to work as hard and long as possible to make it the absolute best it can be.
The story first came to me as a simple idea of a King named Asa. And then a guidebook on how to be a good King (which he wasn’t, the early drafts are really something). I’ve loved Asa from day one, he’s the only thing that hasn’t changed about this book in the past 3 years of writing, rewriting, rewriting, rewriting, and now revising. I’m so incredibly excited to be doing Pitch Wars because, apart from giving us the chance to get a mentor and possibly an agent later on, it has giving me the chance to share little bits of Asa with the Pitch Wars community, and I’m super grateful for that.
A LITTLE ABOUT ME.
I’m a 25 year old venezuelan girl, still living in Venezuela.
I’m a Christian.
Architecture student (No, I don’t like it very much *sobs*)
Singer, guitar player, bass player, and hopefully soon-to-be drums player *crosses fingers*
I taught myself how to speak english when I was 14 because the Jonas Brothers didn’t speak spanish, and I really, really, really wanted to be able to talk to them. Now I can, but don’t really want to.
Conspiracy theories fan.
Accidental spoiler.
SOME OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS INCLUDE:
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S Lewis
Every book in The Grishaverse by Leigh Bardugo (CAN JANUARY COME SOONER?!)
Anything by Colleen Hoover
Anything by Sarah J. Maas
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Anything by Kasie West
Thank you for making it this far down. The Pitch Wars community has been so great! I can’t wait to read all your books.
So I’m actually not sure if I’ll be done with my editing in time to participate in Pitch Wars, but I wanted to do this anyway, 1. Because it seems really fun and a cool way to connect with people and 2. Because I haven’t posted on my blog in a really long time. I’ve already made some writer friends following along with the #PWPoePrompts this month which has been a great introduction to the twitter writing community. I feel so honored to have been welcomed into the open arms of fellow creatives who understand that writing is hard and sometimes heartbreaking, our characters are our babies, and that there is no “right way” to write.
Good Luck to everyone who enters Pitch Wars this year! I hope the experience is a good one for all of us! Now without further ado, here’s a little bit about my WIP:
The idea for CHILD OF CHAOS sprang into my mind in the 7th grade after reading the Pendragon series. That series is still one of my favorites even after all these years. In its initial form, COC was my own personal adventure where I was the heroine, I had not one, but TWO guys after me, oh and shapeshifting. I still have that original single subject notebook that I completely filled with my story and I also have the file that came from it—a whopping 20k words! I didn’t finish it at the time but I still find that impressive for my 7th grade self.
Through the years I had a few more attempts, two in high school and two in college, the final of those two being the one that finally stuck. The story has since evolved from where it was all those years ago and it’s been cool to watch the transformation. One of the ideas that stuck from all those years ago was the idea of shapeshifting being an ultimate superpower. I always wondered why everyone chose flying or invisibility as their ideal superpower when shapeshifting gives you fifty powers in one!
As the plot was developing, I was also influenced by the world around me. Specifically the extreme polarization of our country. I had very eye opening conversation my senior year of high school that showed me that, just because I was raised to believe that one side was completely wrong, didn’t mean it was true. As I went to college, I discovered that people always have reasons for believing what they believe, and in their mind, those reasons are good, despite what the opposing side might say. I explore these ideas in my WIP and it has been really interesting to do so.
So here you go:
KAT is a seventeen year old junior in high school who wakes up one night after a party to discover her neighbor and classmate wandering into the woods next to their street. Fearing that he may still be drunk and get into trouble, she runs outside to find him and bring him home. When she catches up with him in the park, she sees him disappear into a glowing portal. On impulse, she follows him through.
LUKA is a general in the rebellions force called Valyr. On a routine mission to take a city, he and his troops are ambushed. During the battle, Luka receives important information regarding the war from a spy. He escapes with the information but accidently winds up in the magic-less realm, Falen. Upon his return home, he’s followed by a girl he met there. Now he’s stuck with her and a war that needs to be won.
ALYX is the son of the tyrant queen Naza and the heir to throne of the kingdom Atyra. He has worked alongside his mother’s advisor’s his whole life, learning what it takes to lead the kingdom. At a pivotal meeting, he is informed of the final task he must fulfil before his mother will step down to allow him to take the throne: infiltrate Valyr and take it down from the inside.
WHY I THINK I’D BE A GOOD MENTEE
Honestly I won’t know until I try it. I think I’d be a good one though because of my dedication to my story. I WANT to be a better writer and learn how to improve my craft. I WANT to get my story published so that I can share it with the world. I have big dreams and I want someone to dream big with me and for me.
I love constructive criticism. I have a degree in architecture which means I spent the last four years of my life learning how to take and apply constructive criticism while still defending my work. I love for the critiquing process to be a conversation in which we both work together to come up with the best results.
ABOUT ME:
I’m Kelley, a 22 year old cat mom from Texas. I just graduated with a Bachelors in Environmental Design (aka architecture) from Texas A&M University (WHOOP!). I will be moving to Kansas in a few weeks to begin working on my masters. I think I’ve always been a writer, but I haven’t always known that. As a kid, I read every book I could get my hands on and today I also love movies. This blog is where I write movie and book reviews, which help me to better analyze my own work.
I’m mostly self-taught when it comes to writing. By that I mean I took a semester creative writing class in high school and then one last semester at A&M. I also mean that I have been reading articles, listening to podcasts, watching Youtube videos, and stalking Pinterest to learn anything and everything I possibly could about writing for the past three years.
I also write poetry and occasionally perform my poems at open mic nights.
Other important things about me: I love cats. I’m Catholic and love my faith. I loveee all the Marvel movies (except for the 2009 Incredible Hulk but we all pretend that never happened anyway).
I like to use my writing to explore things about the world and in my own life. I also have anxiety. I’m mentioning that because mental health is a serious and important issue and it is one that I like to explore with my writing. In a way, my writing helps me to understand my own mental health better and I hope that my writing will be able to help my readers as well.
I’m a children’s librarian at a public library, which means I spend my day reading picture books, doing storytime, helping people use the computers, and any number of random things that come up. People think being a librarian means sitting somewhere very quiet and maybe reading but that is not the case! My job is often noisy and stressful but I love what I do. In a given week…
Last year I joined PitchWars for the first time. I didn’t get in. This year I’m back, I’m bold, I’ve got a new manuscript and I’m ready.
SO WHO AM I?
I know my pen name is Eden Summerlee (now you know, too) but I’d much rather you called me Annie, which is technically, legally speaking, not even my name. But who cares. Whichever you prefer.
I’m 24
I have a degree in History of Art and an unfinished master in TESL
I’m 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 Smith 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 Fantasy
In a city where every man wears a mask, a lack of horns can be life threatening. 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 husband’s totalitarian regime. Hoping to recover her forsaken power, she breaks the mirror of an ancient neutrois vampire called Gaïa, 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 Gaïa 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 wasn’t called Camera Obscura. I have an issue with titles. But I like this one. It kind of fits Milla’s experience.
Milla has amnesia. It affects the plot, obviously, but her having amnesia isn’t 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 he’s brave, reckless, and he knows there’s more important things in life that being perceived as strong by his able-bodied peers.
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 Elizabeth’s 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 you’re a history nerd you might spot a similarity between a certain anarchist city and the Paris Commune of 1871.
Even though I have a “new” oppressor-oppressed dialect in this book, I don’t 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. There’s 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 we’ll 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 you’re still here, I’m sending some virtual hugs and cookies.
I’m Megan and I’m submitting Annie and the Virgin. It’s a magical realism YA complete at about 65k words.
Far from the Tree meets Sister Act...with robots.
Annie, a 17-year-old adoptee living in overcast Pittsburgh, wants to be famous for her future discoveries in robotics, not infamous for seeing crying statues, bearing the stigmata, or hearing the Virgin Mary speak to her in the bathroom.
The Bishop sends her to a cloistered convent, where he hopes the sisters will either see her in ecstasy or gently suggest that she’s imagining things. Annie and her best friend, Bea, struggle to make sense of the apparitions and wrestle with the impossibility of reality. She can’t deny her senses, but if she admits that the spiritual realm exists, she may risk losing the future she’s determined to have as a scientist.
Visuals, you say? Why YES:
This is our heroine, Annie
+ her bestie, Bea
What does Annie love? Her family, friends, and humanoid robots. She wants to go to Carnegie Mellon University and be a part of a small group of people who steer humanity into the future.
Aaaaaaand what’s stopping her? Supernatural religious phenomena. Special guest appearance by the Virgin Mary, who delivers cryptic messages about Annie’s past.
Which causes her to question her identity in a big way. Why is she the person she is? How much does our experience account for the people we become? Who is in charge of her own future?
The bishop wants people he trusts to see her having a vision, so he sends her here:
Note the lack of robots in the room.
With the distractions of everyday life removed, Annie is forced to come face-to-face with the reality of the spiritual realm.
Through the quiet of the convent, the good-naturedness of the sisters who live there, and the support of Bea and her new friends, Ross and Hank through a secret cell phone, Annie pieces together the supernatural puzzle, and the picture is a surprise to them all.
And come on--what’s a YA without a mandolin-building love interest?
Yeah, I know that one’s not quite it. But do you know how hard it is to find a stock photo of a cute guy making a mandolin?
More about me:
I have another series though the BEST small press in the universe, City Owl Press. My YA dystopian trilogy is called Children of the Uprising, and we have two books out and one in production: Unregistered, Unafraid, and Undone. (If you wanted to add them to your to-read list in Good Reads, I wouldn’t be mad about that: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39101758-unregistered, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39086648-unafraid)
I love City Owl Press and my flock of author owls. Love. Them.
The acquiring editor there took a leap of faith and bought my manuscript, and asked if I could make a huge change. Like, a total re-write change. I made the change. It didn’t feel quite right, so I made another huge, total re-write change. The second one eventually become Unregistered.
So I have a history of throwing my work into the fire and watching the phoenix rise from the ashes. I’ve seen the magic that it creates and I’m up for the challenge! This MS is a little different than my City Owl work, so I’m hoping to find someone in the pitch wars universe to help me out with it.
At a high level, I’m submitting to Pitch Wars to expand my network of writerly folk. It’s fascinating to me that so much of the literary community is online and guess what guys: I want in.
Already the pitch wars experience has been great! I’ve met some kindred spirit CPs through #PwPoePrompts and I’m so glad I did that.
I’d also like to find a mentor who is passionate about creating characters who we both care deeply about, filling holes purposefully, and building suspense. I’ll be upfront with my strengths and (more importantly) weaknesses, and I’d like to work with someone who is honest about theirs, too, so we can find the best ways to compliment each other and breathe life into Annie’s story.
I like to laugh and my voice is pretty straight-forward, I think. I appreciate the musicality of language but I don’t like to dance around and describe everything in so much detail that I lose the reader. I cut my teeth writing plays, so that’s factored into my style--think movement and snappy dialogue.
And as a non-writer, I’m a mom. My boys are one and three, so there’s a lot of laughing and a lot of poop in my life right now. My husband and I also own a business together, which we affectionately call our third child.
Three random facts:
1.) I speak Mandarin, not fluently but well enough to have a conversation. I lived in China for two years and loved every minute of it.
2.) I had both of my boys at home. I love the concept of birth and studying the physical changes the process brings to women’s bodies and brains.
3.) I'm a convert to Catholicism, and Mary is my patron saint! I’ve always loved researching for writing, but this novel stands out for me for that reason.
Here I am on twitter: mlynchbooks
And my pinterest board for Annie and the Virgin: https://www.pinterest.com/lynch0288/annie-and-the-virgin/
