Category: BLOG/PITCH WARS

  Welcome to Team Candy Castle! It’s been a long week of reading through all the amazing pitches. Our wonderful readers have narrowed the slush, and your team hosts have chosen seventy pitches for the…

Title: Upstaged Age Category: Middle Grade Genre: Contemporary Fantasy Word Count: 47,000 Pitch: In a diverse, gender-swapped A CHRISTMAS CAROL retelling, an ambitious twelve-year-old actress, Ebi, vows to scare her co-stars into quitting. But a…

Title: Lucky Age Category: Middle Grade Genre: Contemporary Word Count: 42,000 Pitch: Twelve-year-old Ryan’s family crumbled post-lottery win. With Granddad dying, Ryan sets out to find his missing mom. But when his insulin’s stolen, Ryan…

Title: Curse of Silver Lake Age Category: Young Adult Genre: Contemporary Fantasy Word Count: 68,000 Pitch: Gender-bent Swan Lake meets small town high school when untrained teenage witch, Maggie, becomes Ethan’s only chance at freedom…

Title: Gravity Road Age Category: Young Adult Genre: LGBTQ+ Contemporary Romance  Word Count: 98,000 Pitch: Closeted sixteen-year-old Monty plays it cool after “straight” boy-next-door Jake comes home with a college boyfriend. Monty deflects his infatuation…

Title: The Fire Before Age Category: Young Adult Genre: Horror Word Count: 90,000 Pitch: When the cursed entities called the Fury compel people in her hometown to commit escalating acts of violence, Kindred Walker must…

Title: Saving Sophie Age Category: Young Adult Genre: Contemporary Romance Word Count: 83,000 Pitch: Seventeen-year-old Gabe finds himself falling for Sophie, a disabled girl and the sole survivor of a devastating accident. Everything is perfect—as…

Title: The Goddess Candidate Age Category: Young Adult Genre: Contemporary LGBTQ Fantasy Word Count: 81,000 Pitch: When modern-day God offers up his job, popular-girl Devon’s father applies. Only taking his place can save Dad from…

Title: Sleepless Age Category: Adult Genre: Sci-fi Romance Word Count: 80,000 Pitch: Rose is finally earning her hard-won superhero license—if she can avoid breaking one important rule: No fraternizing between partners. But JiHo proves he’s…