Thursday, May 21, 2015

THE WRITER'S VOICE: DEVIL'S PLAYGROUND

QUERY:

Living in Salem is dangerous business, especially for a witch.

Seventeen-year-old Elizabeth Winters may be a witch, but she doesn't know the first thing about magic. Her father, a wizard himself, has forbidden the use of her powers for her own protection. But when accusations of witchcraft start flying through the village, Elizabeth wishes she was more prepared.

Despite her lack of magical knowledge, Elizabeth feels compelled to save innocent lives, particularly after her younger sister becomes one of the leading accusers. Unfortunately, wanting to be a heroine and actually doing it are two different things. When Elizabeth is betrayed by Sabastian, the boy she has always fancied, she loses control of her emotions and accidentally curses Salem with the ten plagues of Egypt. Now, Elizabeth must figure out how to break the curse before the morning of the tenth plague. If she fails, Salem will cease to exist.

DEVIL'S PLAYGROUND is YA historical fantasy and is complete at 70,000 words. Using many characters from the original trial proceedings, it brings and new and exciting spin to an age-old story.

Bio:I currently reside in Logan, Utah where I strive to balance my love of writing with raising a husband and two kids. My short story, The Quake, was recently published in the Wells Street Journal, a publication distributed by the University of Westminster.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Sincerely,

Heather Eagar



FIRST 250 WORDS:


I shiver as my bare feet hit the wood floor. It’s too early to be awake. It’s always too early. An incessant throbbing behind my eyes tells me I ought to go back to bed.
“Elizabeth, are you ready to go?” Mother calls from the kitchen.
            “Yes, I’ll be right there,” I lie. With a tired shuffle I make my way to the large chest at the foot of my bed and pull out the first dress I see. It doesn’t matter much when my choices are the black dress, the dark black dress, or the other black dress. Shall I wear the one with the hole, the one with two holes, or the one the mouse chewed through?
“Elizabeth! We are going to be late, we need to leave.”
“Just a minute,” I say.
            After exchanging my white nightdress for the dark black dress that the mouse chewed through, I tie a white apron around my waist, attempting to hide the hole. Before walking out the door I realize my cap is missing.      
            With a sigh, I pin my hair back before covering it with the white cap, a symbol of my purity. I now look like every other girl in Salem village, just how it should be. It seems a shame to let my curls go to waste and I can’t help but pull a few forward.
            After double checking everything is in order, I walk out to the front room where Father, Mother, and my younger sister Anna are waiting.
           

7 comments:

  1. This sounds so good! I love the idea of a Salem witch trials story where the accused are actual witches. Good luck in the contest!

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  2. Hmm. The black one. The dark black one. Or the...

    Clever. Funny.

    Have you considered snipping the first sentence of your query? I think it sounds stronger starting at the second sentence.

    Good luck. Lovely writing!

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  3. I love the twist on an actual historical event you've taken here. So unique! Good Luck!

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  4. Good luck in the competition! (Are you on Twitter, btw?)

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  5. Thanks everyone! Yes, I am on twitter. @haeagar.

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  6. Great job! I love the premise with her living in Salem, being a witch, but not knowing much about magic. Best of luck in the contest :)

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  7. I enjoyed this and would read on. Love the line -- "It doesn’t matter much when my choices are the black dress, the dark black dress, or the other black dress."

    Great voice! Good luck in the competition and thanks for sharing.

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