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Nina Castle

@castlemantra.bsky.social

620 followers 650 following 140 posts

SFF writer, artist, teacher #amwriting #amediting, Dog person, ice cream lover, aaaannd romance addict

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Nina Castle @castlemantra.bsky.social · Aug 6

BRIDGERTON X HUNGER GAMES

She’s from the slums of the south. He’s used to a silver spoon. Now, she’s going to steal it.

#QuestPit #A 🌶️#R #SFF #Q

Sign up for the waitlist! subscribepage.io/kbJscZ

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Nina Castle @castlemantra.bsky.social · 8h

Oooh such a good point!

Nina Castle @castlemantra.bsky.social · 21h

WOW I GOT DRAWN FOR #10QUERIES!!! Im so excited!!!! Thank you, #revpit! :D

a man is dancing in a living room in front of a fireplace .

ALT: a man is dancing in a living room in front of a fireplace .

media.tenor.com

Reposted by Nina Castle

Levi A. @escapedscp.bsky.social · Aug 16

When ruthless murders endanger her classmates, honor student Leia Ymmaculada investigates, only to find her biggest rival is bringing killers to bloody justice. Leia must choose: turn him in, or join as a vigilante.
#PosterPit #Q #YA #M

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Reposted by Nina Castle

Ash Arya | ऐश आर्या @iamasharya.bsky.social · Aug 15

HotD × Raven Scholar

2 estranged flames backing rival sisters in a succession battle must join forces as pirates invade their magic-island

VIBES
💘Friends-&-flames to rivals-&-oh...wth
♟️Court intrigue × Found Fam
🧘‍♀️Magic with Consequences
🌈Bi & 🇮🇳Rep

#QueerPit #A #F #NA #PoC #Agentsguide

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Reposted by Nina Castle

Siobhán is querying 🏁 @siobhandorr.bsky.social · Aug 15

When NASCAR rivals-turned-teammates Grayson Steele and Corey Wilder are forced to road trip the season together, they grow closer than ever thought imaginable and must decide what they want more: being the sole championship winner or being with each other. #QueerPit #R #RC #CR #A

Moodboard for KISS THE WALL.

NASCAR Drive road sign.
Duct tape.
Checkered flag.
Pretty rainbow oil spills.
Tall marshy grass.
RV/motorhome.
Gears.
Crickets.
333.
Two men lying down together, smiling at one another.
Guy in a hoodie confused by a map.
NASCAR bumper sticker.

Grayson and Corey painted by @formulanni !!

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Reposted by Nina Castle

Christina Adrian @christiemadrian.bsky.social · Aug 6

When an accident turns Chess into the Midwest's newest reaper, she must learn to control her power, save her late BF's soul, & stop a rival reaper from destroying the veil between the living & the dead, all while NOT falling in love with her Grim & mentor. Definitely not that. #QuestPit #YA #P #F

Four pictures & poses of a teenage girl dressed in back with a skeleton dressed in a black cloak by her side.

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Reposted by Nina Castle

Gert Ramm 🦋 @rammwriter.bsky.social · Aug 6

X Files x The Ipcress File

🔫 High-stakes thriller
🔫 Time travel twist
🔫 Stale beer espionage
🔫 Weird science
🔫 Cold War subterfuge
🔫 Working class hero
🔫 Hunter to hunted
🔫 Antagonist from the future
🔫 Enemy turned ally
🔫 Proles vs privilege

#A #S #T #QuestPit #Q 🦋

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Reposted by Nina Castle

Elise Betz #amquerying and seeking representation @elisebetz.bsky.social · Aug 6

#Questpit #Q #A #RF #AgentsGuide #amquerying
The Sun Diamond Princess & the Blind Assassin
👸 #BIPOC bi-racial princess
👨‍🦯#disability #blind romantic interest
🛌🛖 One bed at the shepherd's hut
💞Against the odds romance
🔺Relationship triangle between love and duty
🌲Pining
🔥Slow burn
🌶️Spice

Image split into four quarters of agent's guide. This panel features upper half body featuring Myra, a biracial tall woman with acne spots in a Turkish style jacket and pants. Arzhang is wearing only red dhoti pants, shirtless with well developed muscles and golden fringe across his eyes to indicate he is visually impaired. They are standing in a dark alley.

AGENT'S GUIDE
The Sun Diamond Princess
& the Blind Assassin
by Elise Betz

103K adult stand alone romantacy, light fantasy, dual POV, bi-racial princess, disabled blind romantic interest, plenty of pining, angst, sexual tension, and spice.

First sentence, first page: “If beauty was a currency for
women to procure a husband, Princess Myra was a pauper.”

A "sun diamond" (a roughly tumbled yellow crystal rock in a pendant faded in the background )- part of a panel with the upper half of the pendant.

The Pitch

Due to a mix-up at a brothel, a blind former assassin saves a facially scarred princess from an assassin sent by her mother, the queen regent. On the run together, the princess brokers peace with a warring country, offering herself up for marriage with hopes of returning home and deposing her tyrannical mother. The princess is torn between her love for her country and her love for the blind assassin.

Lower half of character bodies. Both wearing sandals.

Tropes & Comps

Relationship triangle between love & duty
Bachelor auction at a brothel
One bed at the shepherd’s hut
He falls first
Against the odds romance
On the run together
Slow burn, angst and pining

Zinna After Dark by Paul Lucas
The Ugly Princess by Henderson Smith
Facially scarred, “not pretty” FMC

Breinne of Tarth from Game of Thrones
Tall, strong, principled FMC

Daredevil: Blind romantic lead

Tristan & Isolde with HEA
Lovers kept apart due to political wedding engagement

Lower half of "sun diamond pendant" faded in background of quartering of image.

What if we have a princess that isn’t beautiful, short,
delicate, weak and helpless?

What if the princess saves the romantic lead from a life of prostitution?

What if we have a princess who is short tempered, can
kick ass and swears?

What if Tristan & Isolde had a happy ending instead?

What if we have a story that criticizes sexually repressive
patriarchal societies?

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Reposted by Nina Castle

Bibiana Ossai @bibianaossai.bsky.social · Aug 6

You've Reached Sam x Suzume.
In Never Changing Days, as grief and guilt consume Bestie, she struggles to find her footing until an unexpected friendship with two strangers, and a quiet romance with her childhood best friend, pull her toward healing. #questpit #YA #LF #W

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Reposted by Nina Castle

Gia @writingwithgia.bsky.social · Aug 6

What happens when fated mates become fatal mates?

A newly turned vampire must pledge a sorority to gain her immortality, but Death has already claimed her soul and only the vampire prince can save her.

✨a spicy supernatural and greek mythology mash-up ✨

#questpit #Q #DF #RF

A college collage for a sorority, kappa sigma rho. Pink, red, grey. Vampire and flirty vibes

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Reposted by Nina Castle

BB Lorik (writing SFF 💀📖) @authorbblorik.bsky.social · Aug 6

#QuestPit #A #FR
Assistant to the Villain X Nightmare Before Christmas

Dark times are upon Narissa’s charming town, with the Snow Queen’s antics freezing the economy, but a clumsy debut Overlord is about to change all that—IF Narissa can rally the townsfolk to believe in him

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Reposted by Nina Castle

Madeline ✨🧜‍♀️ @immadeline.bsky.social · Aug 6

Disobedient women are cursed as sirens, & Princess Cornelia is no exception. To get her legs back, she must:

✨ Bargain w/a Sorceress
👸Pose as a pauper
❤️ Woo over the siren-hunting Prince
🌸Steal an enchanted flower from🤴
🤝Exchange the 🌸 for her legs
🏰Reclaim her throne

#QuestPit #F #RF #NA #UA #WIP

9 square grid collage. Starting from left to right, there is a photo of a stone statue of three sirens emerging from water. Then, there is a white castle turret with the ocean behind. Next is a photo of two people (man and woman) hugging in a romantic embrace. Next, is a mermaid silhouette in blue water. Then, there is a mermaid tail poking out of the water, with the moon hanging above. Then, there’s a woman sitting on a rock in the middle of the ocean. Next, there’s a man dressed as a prince with a sword at his side. Next, there’s a woman with a frown on her head. You can only see her head from the eyes up and her eyes are closed. Last, is a photo of an old journal, that looks to be written on parchment and there’s a hand on it, turning the pages.

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Reposted by Nina Castle

Kate Cooper @authorkatecooper.bsky.social · Aug 6

Lies, secrets, betrayal... what more could you want in a contemporary romance?

✈️ She's afraid to fly
❤️‍🩹 He's afraid to fall.
👫 Together, they face their fears when they discover hitmen for hire disguised as an airline.

📌agent guide pinned

#questpit #w #r #a

clockwise from top left: man and woman embracing, woman writing in notebook, open road through somewhere in the southwest US, hospital room, man and woman holding each other, man's hand holding camera, NYC skyline, airplane outside hangar
center text: The most difficult people are often the best ones once you get to know them.

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Reposted by Nina Castle

Addy Lopez is revising @addythelopez.bsky.social · Aug 6

🐍 MEDUSA DOESN’T DIE IN THIS VERSION 🐍

May I present this short comic made by my amazing friend @thewaffledraws from a scene in my Speculative retelling of Ovid’s Medusa that I am currently querying. 👀

#questpit #Q #A #S

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Reposted by Nina Castle

Chloe Marcus @chloemarcus.bsky.social · Aug 6

A science nerd's first date ends in a kidnapping ushering her into a world where dreams fuel magic and nightmares birth monsters who are hunting her.

#ya #fantasy #questpit

White squares on top of wood with various rocks in them. A photo of a person texting that reads a text from the crush. Next a picture of someone holding a glowing bubble titles a magical society deep in the earth. Last pic creepy forest with words monsters and a deadly secret. Shadows Within

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Madeline ✨🧜‍♀️ @immadeline.bsky.social · Aug 6

STARLING HOUSE X EMILY WILDE
BUT W/CATS 🐈‍⬛

Debt-ridden cat trapper, Ivy, needs $.

Flynn Overton offers her $20k to trap the feral cats on his family’s abandoned estate.

Ivy accepts despite….

👻The girl haunting the swing set
🐈‍⬛ The strange cats
🪞The rippling mirror

#QuestPit #F #A #S #R #W #UA

9 square collage. From left to right.
Photo of a castle surrounded by foliage
Man and woman embraced. Man is dipping woman.
Black cat in grass.
Black cat with purple eyes and crescent moon symbol on its forehead
Golden oval mirror in a woman’s hands
Round stained glass window in a cathedral
Girl on swinger
Pile of $100 bills four cats lounging in the grass

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Reposted by Nina Castle

kj is ✨querying✨ @kjsilver.bsky.social · Aug 6

❤️‍🔥 THE HEALER WITCH ❤️‍🔥

Some of my favourite quotes, from some of my favourite characters.
🌙Morally grey FMC
🔥Elemental magic
🌸Meddling Gods
✨Multi POV
❤️The slowest flame to ever burn
🍒Spanish+Gaelic Folklore

#questpit #Q #A #F

Image of Deva Cassel in her role in The Leopard, I have used Canva to put a mask over her eyes and edit the image. Text reads. Lunaryn M. Redwood "I got a bit carried away and used my fire. They kind of...um, how should I say this...combusted"

Image of Orlando Bloom, unsure in which role. Text reads: Onwyn Storm "Listen here, you little shit. I've had enough of your attitude. You will talk to her with respect, or I'll have you spending a couple of nights in jail for insubordination."

Image of a black model, unfortunately I couldn't find out who it is. Text reads: Damian Maghanty "I must look horrendous if you'd give up your virtue for me. Although, now that I think about it, it would do you good to get laid. Always working so hard and for what? You have no time for fun"

Image of Jessica Chastain in The Huntsmen. Text reads: Ignis Silver "Oh, sure. Because our friend can't be trusted but a random daimon from the biggest illegal market in Melya can be? Are you insane?"

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Ali Z @alizagame.bsky.social · Aug 6

Brandy and Caleb were your typical angsty teen and werewolf couple. But now they're all grown up, and local residents are going missing. Is Caleb losing control, or is something more sinister happening in their tiny town?

#A #MY #T #QuestPit

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Reposted by Nina Castle

Julianne @authorjulianne.bsky.social · Aug 6

CURIOUS TIDES x BELLADONNA X ODW

When a necromancer at a ruthless magic school reanimates the bog body of her kingdom’s long-lost prince, the two must work together to hide her forbidden power and solve his centuries-old murder before the college closes in.

💀👑

#QuestPit #YA #RF #Q

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Reposted by Nina Castle

Bibiana Ossai @bibianaossai.bsky.social · Aug 6

NEVER CHANGING DAYS follows Bestie, whose world unravels after learning of her younger brother’s death while away at school. Will she survive her grief without losing herself, sacrificing her future, and will she be able to find love in the midst of it all? #questpit #YA #LF #W

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Catherine “Halloween meme participant” Winters @catherinewinters.com · Aug 6

WAYFARERS x MURDERBOT x SOMEONE YOU CAN BUILD A NEST IN

Everything fell apart when the human came aboard. Instead of nice meals and quiet cargo runs, Tai's stuck with bickering crewmates, sinister criminals, explosions, and worse, a human who wants to be friends. #QuestPit #A #Q #R #SF #OV #LGBTQ

Mood board/Agent's guide for my novel CARGO - a queer SF/heist/romance - 110,000 words

"Did you hear? There's a human on board."
A graphic of the wall of a spaceship with sticky notes and polaroid photos taped up. There are twinkle lights hanging from the ceiling.
alien ship's cook (fussy, anxious) + terrifying monster (ordinary human)

PITCH:
Tai’s terrified of humans. Everyone is. Violent pack hunters, humans are notorious for their strength, sharp teeth, and carnivorous appetites. But the ship’s cook is safe among the multispecies crew of the cargo hauler Coreward Baker: everyone knows the warrior species rarely leave their own space. Then Captain Raz hires Clarke, a human horticulturist.
Even after Tai overcomes their fear, they can’t stand Clarke. She’s bossy. Annoying. Useless in the galley, bad in a space suit. She might as well be cargo. Worse, she’s intent on befriending Tai—and why can’t they stop thinking about her, anyway?
That’s when things go wrong. As Tai starts to realize their feelings for Clarke, they’re horrified to learn that nobody on their crew of dropouts and runaways is quite who they seem, least of all Clarke. And it’s no coincidence. Raz reveals they’ve each been handpicked for a heist he’s spent years planning—and no one’s allowed to say no.

PRIORITIES:
make dinner
remain cozy
haul cargo
go for drinks
pull off one last score
try not to fall in love

FIRST PAGE:

“Did you hear? There’s a Human on board.”
I choked on my noodles and turned to stare at the diners at the next table. Like most of the restaurant’s patrons, the pair had hidden their profiles, a halfhearted attempt at anonymity.
“Gross,” the speaker’s crewmate said, oblivious to my alarm. “I hope it leaves soon.”
“Don’t let it hear you say that,” the first worker laughed. She made a show of looking for Humans, her eyes darting from table to table.
It. I frowned. I knew the workers’ language distinguished between people and things, and ‘it’ was an unkind choice of words at best.
The second worker shuddered. “I don’t know why we let themcome here.”
The first laughed. “Are you going to stop them?”

COMPS:
Murderbot by Martha Wells
Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wisewell
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

TROPES:
Non-binary narrator masking anxiety with sarcasm
lying to themselves
non-human perspective (afraid of humans)
neurodivergent main characters
metaphorically disabled protagonist
slow-burn friends-to-lovers and enemies to lovers in the same relationship
disabilitynorm and queernorm setting
found family
loveable pet/terrifying monster

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Reposted by Nina Castle

Sahar سحر is querying ✨ @saharasgari.bsky.social · Jul 19

#Agentsguide to my adult romantic fantasy.

⚔️Extreme Enemies-to-Lovers
🔥Slow-Burn or Bust
🐺Cursed Gods
🍆=Sacred, ❤️=💀
🧿Culture Clash

#agentguide #amquerying #romanticfantasy #writingcommunity

An agent's guide to
Ballad of the Priestess
Adult Romantic Fantasy
96,000 words

Pitch

In Devira, a hidden society of warrior women, sex is sacred and romance is punishable by death. Priestess Namielle has spent a decade training to seal away the wolf god who devoured her mother. When she’s summoned to the kingdom of Ignis to help cure a deadly plague, she believes the mission will bring her one step closer to vengeance. But inside the palace, she finds herself drawn to Tiras, the enigmatic servant of the royal family.

As forbidden feelings ignite, Namielle is torn between avenging her mother’s death or surrendering her heart to the one who caused it. Because Tiras is no servant.
He’s the god she came to destroy.

Illustration of a priestess dancing with fire.

Comps

The Jasmine Throne (Cultural richness, slow burn)
Meets
Elfen Lied (A love too horrifying to exist, yet, too profound to sever)

Tropes and Themes

Feminine Reckoning
High-Stakes Strategic Slow-Burn
God in Disguise
Enemies-to-Lovers-?
Sex-Positive Matriarchal Society
Anti-colonialism
Grief and Healing

From his loins, creation.
From his lips, corruption.
-Deviran Proverb

Illustration of a man in furs holding a wolf mask.

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AJ Super @ajsuper.com · Aug 6

Arun "Starling" Tige wants out. No more assassinations for her. But the key to remembering her lost past is with the man who trained her. To get her memories back, the price is one last job. And it could cost her life. Now... she just needs TO KILL A KING.

#QuestPit #W #A #SF

A black and white movie-style poster with three people and a planet and with orange, yellow, and white text.

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Reposted by Nina Castle

Izzy Grace (𝚒𝚜 𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐) @izzygraceauthor.bsky.social · Aug 6

𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘳. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯?

Callous half-breed criminal, Aelia, is forced to go on the run with an unfathomably moral pure-blood mercenary, after she reveals a powerful Runelight that turns her into a hunted weapon for a war between realms.

#QuestPit #Q #A #RF

Opening: I hated when the corpses of the Burned weren't cleared away before the crowds found them. So inconvenient. Not to mention the smell...sickly sweet with a savoury tang, like how roasted frae nuts from the forum would smell if you left them to rot in the sun. The stench of it tangled in the bone-dry air, invading my senses like an unwelcome visitor.
Splayed on the cobbled side street, blood still sticky despite the Goddess-awful heat, the dead Halfr drew life. Mortali buzzed around it like the flies feeding from its scarlet halo, looking like they might lick up the gore the way they leaned over it. Sure, they tittered and gasped with disgusts, but they couldn't hide the glimmer of sick excitement in their eyes.
Was it really so captivating? The latest one of us to fall?

Bonus snippet:
Threads of my Runelight thrashed, railing against the ugly brute above me. They began to unravel before I could stop them. The tight knot I'd coiled coming undone. Part of me knew I shouldn't do it. Not here. Not again. It would only make things worse for me. But as I tried to grasp at the power and reel it in I knew it was too late. It was like a great wave picking up speed, growing bigger as it crashed through me, drenching every inch of my being until there was too much, too much to hold, and I could do nothing to prevent it being unleashed - even if I wanted to. And I wanted. Wanted him to regret ever laying a hand on me. Wanted him to pay. Wanted him to hurt.
Golden light exploded from my chest.

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Reposted by Nina Castle

Viktor Athelstan--posting in DVpit today @viktorathelstan.bsky.social · Aug 6

Monk x Knight
A traumatised Cistercian monk learns how to be happy again after being attacked by a demon with the help of a dashing knight. However, he is haunted by his past and what he did to the last man he loved….
#questpit #P #A #F #HF #S
Self pub but willing to pub traditionally

Text reads: 13th Century Devon.

Demons roam the earth, looking for prey to create half demon children, called cambions. They transform their victims’ bodies and do unspeakable things to them. Brother Gilbert of Buckmoor Abbey is one such man.

After his brutal attack and subsequent postpartum psychosis, Brother Gilbert is sent to his cousin’s castle to recover. While there, Brother Gilbert’s cousin puts him under the care of Thierry, a noble and incredibly handsome knight.

Thierry doesn't really know what to make of the emotionally and physically scarred monk. Brother Gilbert suffers from melancholy and disgust at his new body, causing him to lash out at those around him. Even so, Thierry is determined to help Gilbert heal from the mysterious and horrible demonic attack he suffered less than a year ago.

However, Gilbert’s feelings regarding Thierry are complicated. And they are made even more complicated when he knows what he did to the last man he loved…

A book cover with a beige background, fingerprints, a medieval style rabbit with the text Decessit Vita Matris Viktor Athelstan

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