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Tali Shammas

@talishammas.bsky.social

270 followers 480 following 160 posts

JD/MBA/PhD Candidate-turned Fantasy Writer ✍🏻 Currently editing my sapphic gothic fantasy with art-based blood magic 🩸🎨 rep: Marilyn Biderman & Brenna English-Loeb at Transatlantic Agency

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Tali Shammas @talishammas.bsky.social · 27d

Thank you so much for the warm welcome! I could not have envisioned better champions for my work ❤️

Transatlantic Agency @transatlanticagcy.bsky.social · 27d

Transatlantic is delighted to welcome @talishammas.bsky.social!

Read more: transatlanticagency.com/2025/09/15/t...

Transatlantic is delighted to welcome Tali Shammas!

Tali Shammas is a writer, lawyer, and PhD candidate. Her award-winning short fiction has been published by the Georgina Centre for Arts and Culture. After completing a JD/MBA, Tali was called to the B...

transatlanticagency.com

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Tali Shammas @talishammas.bsky.social · 27d

Thank you so much for the warm welcome! I could not have envisioned better champions for my work ❤️

Transatlantic Agency @transatlanticagcy.bsky.social · 27d

Transatlantic is delighted to welcome @talishammas.bsky.social!

Read more: transatlanticagency.com/2025/09/15/t...

Transatlantic is delighted to welcome Tali Shammas!

transatlanticagency.com

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Revise & Resub @reviseresub.bsky.social · Jun 9

Here it is! The #RevPit2025 Showcase is LIVE!!!

Congratulations to all of our authors and editors!

reviseresub.com/showcase

Showcase

reviseresub.com

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Amy | IS AGENTED @aekwordcrafter.bsky.social · Aug 6

Blood Over Bright Haven x This Monster of Mine

An engineer determined to save her sister's life. An energy project on the brink of meltdown. And a woman in a verdant prison, whose lost memories sing to the void—spelling absolution, or doom.

#QuestPit #Q #F #A #LGBTQ

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Dawn Berkoski @dawnberkoski.bsky.social · Aug 6

Raised by corporate vampires with little freedom or choice, Alex is used to Yakuza business rivals and back-alley deals. But nothing prepares him for Jason, a witty bartender who challenges everything he knows, and who harbors secrets as deadly as the vampires after him. #questpit #PR #Q #A #writing

Agent guide for I Am Chosen, M/M paranormal romance. The picture is of a fiery orange and purple sunset over a highway. Photography and story by Dawn Berkoski

Several photos are shown in this Moodboard for I Am Chosen, a paranormal romance. From the top left, a glass of aged scotch surrounded by butterscotch candies, a CEO standing in a high rise office, staring out a window, a giant hotel clock surrounded by Christmas decor, a photo of art depicting demons rising from hell, a sunset with black, billowy clouds hovering over an orange stripe, a dirty cement staircase near a darkened entrance, and the city of London as viewed from the river. Photography, except the man, by Dawn Berkoski

Photo of a vibrant sunset over a graveyard as seen from the window of a fast moving vehicle.
It reads: PITCH:

IN A WORLD CONTROLLED BY CORPORATE VAMPIRES, TWO MEN STRUGGLE FOR AUTONOMY. WILL A CHANCE MEETING
LEAD THEM TO FREEDOM, OR A WEB OF SUBTERFUGE, WHERE EVERY THREAD BRINGS A MONSTER OFFERING DEATH OR PERMANTENT CONFINEMENT?

Photo by Dawn Berkoski

Book vibes are all about the feel of the writing, setting, and story.

The Blue Blood Series by Melissa de la Cruz Is used to represent the wealthy elite vampires living in New York, the fish out of water trope, dark secrets, and others.

The Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice is used to represent young vampires rebelling against old rules and customs. Travel and setting also play a role. A plot point was inspired by the novel.

Yakuza, Japan’s Criminal Underworld by David Kaplan and Alec Dubro, is used to represent some of the vampire rivals business practices. It plays a role in the series arch.

Photography at the bottom: A dark cement staircase and photo of the London Eye by Dawn Berkoski

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B. van Bodegom 📃is querying & writing @bvbodegom.bsky.social · Aug 6

CABIN IN THE WOODS × JOHN DIES AT THE END × KNIVES OUT

When their detective friend is murdered during their annual gaming retreat, 5 dads must rely on years of #TTRPG experience—and puns—to solve the crime before they're all killed off like NPCs in a badly written campaign.

#QuestPit #A #H #M #Q

The image shows a horror-comedy novel cover titled "DAD BODIES." The top of the cover reads "THE GAME JUST TOOK A DAD TURN" with "DAD" in a different color.

The background features a haunted house with multiple towers and illuminated windows against a dark backdrop. At the center is a 20-sided die (D20) used in tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons, with visible numbers including 1, 7, 13, and 19. The die is surrounded by red blood splatter effects.

At the bottom of the cover are six men with expressions of terror and shock. One man is wearing a white shirt over his head. These men are the dads referenced in the title.

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Juniper Woodbury ✨ is querying ✨ @juniperwoodbury.bsky.social · Aug 6

A twist on Roman Holiday with a touch of Midsommar set in a reimagined Babylon.

🧞‍♀️ Goddess trapped in a human body
🥐 Cinnamon roll boy who takes pity on her
🐠 Fish out of water story
🤺 Sisters getting revenge on each other
🍷 Creepy, mysterious cult
🏺 Ancient Babylon vibes
#questpit #Q #A #F #RF

A collage of figs, a mule on a dirt road, a goddess in a river, and sand, with the text "AGENT'S GUIDE, THE UNMAKING OF A MUSE, 109,000 words, Adult Romantasy"

A background of sand with an illustration of a mesopotamian goddess and a lion, with the text: "THE UNMAKING OF A MUSE, Roman Holiday x Midsommar in ancient Babylon. Lali, a spoiled muse, persuades an innocent butcher to help her take down a human cult that's blocking her muse magic and brainwashing her sister into giving up eternal life — but when Lali starts falling for the earth-born butcher, it’s the first sign she's been brainwashed."

Sand as a background with mesopotamian illustrations and text that says: "FIRST LINES, It’s tedious work, trying to inspire genius in mortals. It always has been. Even decades ago, long before this recent sun cycle, when they began to resist the muses’ influence."

A background of sand, with images of books overlayed - Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan, Circe by Madeline Miller, Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor, and A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher, with the text "Comp Titles" above them and cuneiform letters below.

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Alissa is Querying ✨🔥🧪 @alissalindemann.bsky.social · Aug 6

Queen's Shadow X Shadow & Bone

"Ballad realized he wasn't the symbol of this revolution. He was the conduit, but that fire was hope. The symbol was always hope."

🌟Chronic Illness Rep
✨LGBTQ+
🌑Friends to Lovers
🪐Celestial Magic
🔥Alchemy

#questpit #q #sff #ya

Photo collage including: an image of snowy mountains with a clear view of the milky way above, a close up of flames and smoke, an image of a young white woman holding fire, an image of a young man with brown skin and long dark brown hair looking off in the distance, an image of a young white man with glasses writing at an antique desk, an image of old apothecary jars of varying sizes, and an image of someone's hands as they burn pieces of paper

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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

“Did you hear? There’s a human on board.”

A mood board for my manuscript: "SF heist meets F/NB romance: queer aliens rob the TED conference and complain about their human."

The mood board is a spaceship wall with a single looking out over a planet. There are hexagon-shaped polaroid photos taped to the wall and a string of Christmas lights for cheer. On the right is a diagram of a spaceship on a post-it note with alien writing.

There is overlaid text:
Priorities:
Make dinner
Remain cozy
Haul cargo
Go for drinks
Pull off one last score
Try not to fall in love

Problems: Gun-happy pirates, nosy crewmates, terrible translator software, cultural misunderstandings, and a ticking clock.

Found family of dropouts and runaways:
terrifying monster (ordinary human)
agender ship’s cook (fussy)
sweet little old lady (giant bug)
loudmouth nudibranch (adorable)
grumpy single dad (with a secret)
autistic tween (with a bigger secret)
renegade lesbian nun (big player)
the mastermind (in over his head)
Frank the cat (sleepy)

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Gizelle @gizellemoney.bsky.social · Aug 6

She was born to save the realm.
He was created to destroy her.
Their souls remember a love
that the prophecy was meant to erase.

For fans of The Song of Achilles & Fourth Wing
#questpit #F #A #Q

Collage of NYC scenes: a stressed man at a laptop, “Members Only” plaque, shadows, elevator panel, empty subway, rooftop views, and cocktails. Dark, elite, and mysterious.

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Libby Lineweaver @libbylineweaver.bsky.social · Aug 6

CRIER'S WAR x PRIORY OF THE 🍊 TREE

Sometimes you just need some magic cats and a shadow dragon to help you sort through the mess of your life.

🤼dual POV
✨gods-based magic
🌈sapphic fantasy
❤️‍🩹enemies to lovers to "it's complicated"
🏛️political intrigue
🐉shadow dragons
😼magic cats

#QuestPit #Q #A #F

Artwork of a four-legged dragon with its wings and tail fading into shadow, looking at a tuxedo cat and a gray and white fluffy cat.

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Caroline is always writing @carolinekwriting.bsky.social · Aug 6

SINNERS x INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE

Angeline wakes up with a taste for blood and a two hundred years of missing memories. As visions reveal flashes of her past— a lover, a family, and something chasing her— she must uncover the truth before danger crosses her doorway. #QuestPit #W #S #T #A

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Debby ✨ is AGENTED & VAGUE✨ 🌊👻🖤 @aventurinedebby.bsky.social · Aug 6

ONE DARK WINDOW x NINTH HOUSE x NOSFERATU 🩸

When symptoms of a deadly disease w/ vampiric origins manifest on Ligeia Mortem’s 21st birthday, she joins BLOOD & DEATH, a secret society searching for the key to immortality—except to defy death, one must first pay with blood

#questpit #a #df #ag

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jenn (is querying and writing) @kotegentarri.bsky.social · Aug 6

THOROUGHFARE ₊ ⊹ ˑ 𓂃

a religious apostle & western outlaw must work together to stop an eldritch horror spreading across the desert

- novella (26k)
- a sunshine MMC and grumpy FMC ☀️
- eldritch monsters but the true horror is humanity

#questpit #Q #A #H #S #amquerying

red and yellow moodboard of 9 western themed photos; (right to left) a horse, a hand with flames, a creepy cowboy, a western gothic church, artwork of a coffin, flying doves, a body and a crow, a yellow cross, and a woman riding a horse

a pastel moodboard (right to left); a cross with a vulture on top, horses in the desert, a hand with a dove; a velvet background with a finger gun, a person training a horse, a woman resting with a horse in the plains; sculptured hands reaching from the ground; a man and a dark horse, many crosses staked into the ground

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Psych. (they/she) @bloodydevotion.bsky.social · Aug 6

ninth house x sinners x jordan peele🧠🔬👁️🩸 #QuestPit #YA #H #DR
~ horror academic fantasy
~ eat the rich…literally
~ abandoned by God trauma support group
~ insomniac eldritch horrors inside queer Black vessels (human meatsuits)
~ morbid miracle magic
~ a prayer a day keeps the hunger away(?)

a moodboard collage in a dark brown academic palette featuring hands in the air, gold grillz fangs, a purse full of of diet coke, a creepy stoplight, angel wings, a door that says hell, open books on a desk, and a sign that says there will be no miracles here

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Florence Chien 🗡️ REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA (07.07.26) @florencechien.com · Aug 6

✨ THE REVENANT OF SUROLIFIA ✨
belle époque vibes | so many schemes

🗡️ an imperial officer bent on revenge
🪽 a thief plotting scandals & revolution
🩸 they aim to kill each other
🔥 but must cooperate to stop another war

📅 07.07.26 #questpit #P #A #F

When the Empire of Colours slaughters 17,000 of his silver-eyed kin, Lucas Rhine buries his hatred, hides his eyes behind coloured lenses, and vows to liberate his country through a diplomatic secession.

Usurped prince Faye Phlorik escapes from prison and joins the revolutionaries. They need a silver-eyed champion to rally the people, and Faye needs their resources to reclaim his crown.

Lucas and Faye must eliminate each other to achieve their goals. But when the empire's warships come again, they must unite their forces or there will be nothing left of the people they're both trying to liberate.

The Revenant of Surolifia
A political fantasy
Florence Chien

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Lily Wzy is querying an ancient Asia epic fantasy @lilywzy.bsky.social · Aug 6

Priory🍊Tree x She Who Bcame☀️

🪭Manchu+Mongol+Han inspired
🏹God blood as ink for tattoo magic
🪭An eldritch craving familial love
🏹A failing chosen one
🪭A saboteur of her own rebellion
🏹An heir w/ perfect life until the facade rips
🪭Queernorm ancient Asia

#questpit #Q #F #A #agentguide #agentsguide

An agent's guide to: when ink swallows the sun, a 108k-word adult imperial-asia epic fantasy by @lilywzy_

Illegitimate child Ning Liyue must navigate the palace to chase clues about her long-lost mother’s foreign origins. When her quest collides with a failing chosen one trying to revive his tribe’s tattoo magic, they must uncover ugly truths and survive a budding rebellion to achieve their goals—and choose their loyalties in a crumbling empire.

The released moonlight casts an ethereal glow on the Empress, darkening the surrounding night. Liyue can’t tell who started it, but hundreds of guests crumble to the ground, pressing their foreheads to the ground in uneven worship. Ten thousand years to my Empress! Their chants rise and fall and rise again until no other sound exists in the world.

Like a crane among chickens, Liyue alone remains standing, unable to remove her gaze from the Empress while others fix theirs to the floor. The star dims, liquid shadows seem to swish within it like ink as the Empress lowers the scepter. Her low-lidded gaze sweeps over her subjects and lingers on Liyue. It’s not out of curiosity toward Liyue’s unique appearance nor offense from her standing, but a disturbing satisfaction.

Who is the Jinyu Empress?

Should the heavens hear this thought and convey it to Her Majesty, Liyue’s head would roll on the ground. Bathed in the pallid moonlight that basks the feast in an inhuman coldness, she decid

themes and elements: inspired by manchu, mongol, and than. God blood as ink for tattoo magic. creation vs destruction with a twist. Duty vs desire. kindness vs ambition. 4-pov. riches to rags. failing chosen one

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cnno @cnno.bsky.social · Aug 6

#Questpit #YA #SFF #Q

LEGENDBORN X GILDED ONES
Caribbean fantasy🇹🇹

When a 17 yo's search for her mother leads her to a fantastical realm, she must race a celestial clock & decide who or what she's willing to sacrifice to reunite her family

🔥 latent power
⚔️📖 scholar warriors

Black teenage girl, Sheet of music, cliff over ocean, open book, blue portal

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Iris Andersi @goodwords.bsky.social · Aug 6

Introducing: MOREL SUPPORT

🍄 A Sentient Mushroom
❤️ Chronic Illness Rep
💰 Sexy Bandits
❤️‍🔥 Sapphic Romance
🔥 Anarchy
🫀 Literal Heartache

#QuestPit #A #Romantasy #R #F #OwnVoices #W #ChronicIllnessRep #SapphicRomance

A fire background is behind images of a leaf, a building overrun with ivy, morel mushrooms with a variety of tiny faces, a woman's silhouette highlighted in a red hue, and a heart with vein like roots sticking out of it. The text says Morel Support. Featuring: A chaotic bisexual, sexy bandits, and a sentient mushroom with a vendetta against the government.

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wott is querying! @wottenmoss.bsky.social · Aug 6

#agentguide for WHEN THE MAGPIE FLIES (81k queer fantasy)

When troublemaker and hobbyist scholar Magpie is chosen by the spirits, she breaks an ancient tradition rather than leave her best friend behind—and brings the wrath of spirits and humans alike down upon the realm.

#questpit #Q #F

Text: An agent’s guide to When the Magpie Flies by M H Wottenmoss. Background of mountains, trees, and a giant mushroom. A magpie flies in the sky.

Pitch: Magpie of Lornwhen, hobbyist scholar and incurable troublemaker, dreams of becoming a Conduit. As the realm’s only defense against monstrous spirits, Conduits are beloved and privileged—and it’s Magpie’s best chance to escape the undertow of poverty. When a spirit chooses her for the honor, marking her with a cold, entrancing touch, her dream is suddenly within reach. To fully ascend as a Conduit, Magpie, alongside the other newly-chosen, must embark on a journey into the heart of the spiritwoods.
The only thing holding her back is her best friend, Calladonna.
There are rumors about how Conduits are changed by the mysterious journey, and Calla can’t shake the feeling that if Magpie leaves, she won’t come back. Determined to reassure her, Magpie convinces Calla to come along in secret, hidden from the other Conduits. For the first time, Magpie’s future is bright and shining—until one of the other Conduits turns up dead, and it seems like Calla may be to blame.

Comps: A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft: clueless lesbians, murder and betrayal, journey of ascension. Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher: found family, humor and darkness, perilous quest.

Also featuring undiscovered magic, monstrous spirits, chaotic academia, ill-advised rituals, haunted forest, queer & autistic ensemble cast, giant mushrooms, original music

Opening lines: The world went dark just after she jumped off the roof. In one moment she could see the clocktower before her, the ledge beneath its defunct face familiar and inviting, and in the next there was nothing. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence, necessarily, but damn if that wasn't inconvenient timing.

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Mazie @sillyartcollector.bsky.social · Aug 6

ADVENTURE SCOUTS #1 is the first in an illustrated chapter book series.

Olave knows it is her destiny to be a great hero, and Adventure Scouts is the first step in that journey, but her first day goes awry when the Scout Leader is scooped up by a dragon.

#MG #F #Q #QuestPit

A black and white drawing of a young girl, covered in soot, standing at a fireplace, and looking over her shoulder innocently.

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alyssa is ✨️ querying ✨️ @alyssaarcher.bsky.social · Aug 6

My novel has a…

👁️Seer who lives a nightmare twice—her visions & reality
📚Prince who shares his feelings through poems
👑King who poisons his court w/ lethal plants from his garden
🗡️Rebellion who uses the MC’s desperation to fulfill their goal

#QuestPit #YA #F #Q #DIS #OWN #AgentsGuide #LitAgents

Cream background with gray lines curving across it. Brown outlines of flowers border the top left and bottom right corners. “An Agent’s Guide To,” “A Crown of Poison,” “YA Fantasy - 95k words,” and “Alyssa Archer” mark the center of the page in brown.

Cream background with gray lines curving across it. Brown outlines of flowers border the top left and bottom right corners. “Pitch” marks the center of the page in brown. “When the King’s lethal plans to eradicate magic threatens to expose a young noble’s seer abilities, she exploits her engagement with the King’s son to uncover the Crown’s secrets, but her fiancé’s fascination with poison could make her his next test subject if she’s caught” lies below “pitch” in brown text.

Three graphics of amber jars with white labels sit on a brown wooden shelf. “Craft Your Poison” marks the front of the shelf in black cursive.
First jar: A yellow flower with green stems sits inside the jar. “Ingredient,” “Enemies to Lovers,” and “‘If you’re going to threaten to poison me, you should understand what you’re trying to poison me with’” mark the label.
Second jar: Dark indigo berries with lime green leaves fill the jar. “Ingredient,” “Involuntary visions of the future,” and “Blue, unseeing eyes bore into me. Their emptiness seizes my consciousness, twisting it awake. When I blink, the woman’s eyes close, and she disappears into the darkness” marks the label.
Third jar: A green leaf sits inside the jar. “Ingredient,” “Lessons in poison,” and “]I thought you couldn’t digest information from just reading.’ His chin dips, waiting to see if I uphold the lie I forgot about. I shrug. ‘It had drawings’” marks the label.

A collage with 12 photos.
First photo is of yellow daffodils. Second photo is the book cover of “Violet Made of Thorns” by Gina Chen. Gold roses on green vines curve up the purple cover. Third photo is of a wine glass filled with a crimson liquid and dried flowers. Fourth photo is of a golden crown on a stool covered by a tan sheet. Fifth photo is of purple foxglove in a blurred field. Sixth photo is of a blond woman wearing a blue gown in front of a wall of red flowers. Seventh photo is of a blond man lying on the floor with a necklace dangling over his head. Eighth photo is a close-up of a light blue eye beside white flowers on the grass. Ninth photo is of a cliff with the sea at its bottom. Tenth photo is of the black pommel of a rusty sword. Eleventh photo is the book cover of “Defy the Night” by Brigid Kemmerer. Purple flowers surround a far away shot of a castle on the purple book cover. Twelfth photo is of purple calla lilies.

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B. van Bodegom 📃is querying & writing @bvbodegom.bsky.social · Aug 6

BLACK MIRROR × SEVERANCE × THE GOOD PLACE

Having a happy death is a luxury service for the rich and Wren is the rising top salesman—until a cynical coworker and a depressed billionaire force him to rethink it all in a world where even your last smile has a price tag.

#QuestPit #A #S #SF #W

This image is a book cover design for a novel titled "Happy Death Inc." by B. Van Bodegom. The cover is divided into three distinct horizontal sections:

1. Top Section: Features a cartoonish blue sky with white clouds and a bright sun. At the top, a tagline reads:
"How much would you pay to die with a smile?"
The word "HAPPY" appears in large, playful, hand-drawn-style font, partially overlapping the sky background.

2. Middle Section: A photograph of a deceased man in a suit, lying in a casket. He has an exaggerated smile on his face, almost unnaturally wide and clean, suggesting artificial enhancement or post-mortem alteration. Overlaid on this image is the word "DEATH" in the same large font as the previous word.

3. Bottom Section: A cartoon city skyline in pastel tones, similar in style to the top sky background. The word "INC." is overlaid prominently in the same large font. At the very bottom, in smaller capital letters, it says:
"A Novel by B VAN BODEGOM"

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avery✨ @averytimmonsauthor.bsky.social · Aug 6

WELL PLAYED: a trope playlist

💛childhood rivals to lovers
🎺fake dating
💛sabotage scheme
🎺letting go of old friends

#questpit #AG #YA #R

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Pamela Cochran @pamelaelaela.bsky.social · Aug 6

THE BOOKMAKER OF PELLMELL
A cynical woman who can see the future grudgingly takes over a cage fighting ring to save her sick friend—and is horrified to find that she’s excellent at it.
🌘dystopian grounded fantasy
⚖️morally gray FMC
🔥romantic subplot
🫶found family
🌈diverse cast
#QuestPit #W #A #SFF

Background: an island superimposed with a woman pressing money to her face with a blackened hand

Title: An agent's guide to THE BOOKMAKER OF PELLMELL by P. A. Cochran

Subtitle: Dystopian urban fantasy / 75k words

Background: a male fighter's back pressed against a chain-link cage

For fans of Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V. E. Schwab, Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Peaky Blinders, and The Last of Us

The pitch: Trapped in a bleak world, a cynical young woman with the ability to glimpse future possibilities grudgingly takes over running a cage fighting ring to save her sick friend--and is horrified to find that she's excellent at it.

Images: (1) a hand holding burning money (2) a figure walking down a city street filled with litter (3) an albatross flying across an orange sky (4) a crumbling hotel (5) a woman sitting at a red-lit bar (6) a fighter's back against a cage

Text: gritty neo-noir vibes | grounded fantasy | lyrical prose | FMC w/ "Breaking Bad" arc | found family | romantic subplot | cost of talent & obsession | hope's ability to save & corrupt

Opening lines:

It was the beginning of storm season, and Tremmel City was glossy and slick as a bloodied fist.

Arin didn’t mind. The wet paths up the caldera wall were dicey, but at least the rain muted the stench of trash and mule excrement. She pulled her jacket closed, the same black leather jacket she always wore. A relic of the past she couldn’t part with that swallowed her whole. She crossed her arms over her chest and climbed up the stone steps.

PENTA OR BUST

BLESS THE BRICKERS

CURB THE COGS

The graffiti was so repetitive it had long ago taken a melody in Arin’s head. She used to argue internally with each one: Don’t put your faith in the Pentathlon—only a fool would trust those odds. Don’t glorify the brickers—they only saved us once. Don’t demonize the cogs—some of us exercise self-control. But eventually the arguments petered out until all that was left was a bleak refrain.

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