Friday, January 25, 2013

Pitch Madness!

So today on twitter (which I am now on, follow me @Brown_Ajah ) is a little pitch contest called Pitch Madness where you tweet your pitch in 140 characters. So just in case someone thinks my pitch is interesting and comes to my blog I wanted an easy place to view my query and first 250 words.

Also, if you have thoughts feelings opinions on the query and first 250, post them in the comments!

New and Improved Query:

Chris Chapell is doomed to life as a Norm--a normal 17-year-old, that is--until his wizard father develops an amulet that grants even the most un-magical of people wizard powers. After years of being the family pariah, Chris has the power he always wanted and his father is finally proud of him.

Officially a wizard, Chris is eligible to attend Southeast Paranormal High School with his siblings and best friend, Jeremy. At Para High, popularity and power are instrinsically linked, and after Chris saves his classmates from attack by a vicious spirit, he takes his place as the most popular student at the school.

However, not everyone is impressed with Chris's limitless powers. Marilla has a sixth sense for dubious use of magic, since she's the granddaughter of the U.S. Secretary of the Paranormal Department. Plus her ghost-but-not-a-ghost best friend warned her that Chris is dangerous. But the more time Marilla spends with Chris, she finds her defenses weakening.

When Jeremy discovers Chris's powers are unnatural, he demands that Chris give up the amulet, which is a threat to both Norm and Para kind. But Chris will not go back to the way life was before: being a reject in his own family and a second-class citizen. And now he's the most powerful wizard to ever live--powerful enough to tweak the minds of those who confront him.

After all, what's a little mind control between friends?

THE DESCENT OF CHRIS CHAPPELL is a YA paranormal fantasy complete at 81,000 words. A villain origin story told from the viewpoints of both Chris and Marilla, it is a stand alone with series potential.

First 250(ish):

Chapter 1--Chris Chappell

Sweat beads on my forehead and drips down my face as I sit in my car. I clench my fist around the keys, considering shoving them back into the ignition and driving off. Anywhere would be better than here.

I glance into the rear view mirror and wince at the sight of my bloodshot gray eyes. If only freshman girls weren’t so vain. Honestly, who freaking uses hair spray in the middle of the band locker room? It’s a room to store expensive musical instruments, not get freshened up after a hard day. And I doubt the piece of my mind I gave her will be good enough to stop her from doing it again in the future. Freshman girls have less sense than drunken were-hyenas.

With a sigh I rest my head against the steering wheel. Cursing freshmen girls won’t get me anywhere. It’s not really her fault. She doesn’t know my family is insane. She doesn’t know that I don’t wear contacts for sight and that having to take them out because my eyes are on fire is a huge deal that could result in my family getting sanctioned by the government.

 No one does. Well, no one except my insane family.

Sitting in the car isn’t going to help. I need to man up and just go inside. Odds are no one will even notice me slipping in. Dad’s probably in the basement. Mom’s car isn’t even here so she must be at work. And the twins know better than to get me in trouble—especially about this.

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