Monday, May 20, 2013

Team Krista #1: DEATH AND THE GLASSMAKER'S DAUGHTER

Title: DEATH AND THE GLASSMAKER’S DAUGHTER
Genre: YA historical fantasy
Word count: 67,000

Query:

As the son of Death, Moriarty was raised believing in the beauty of ending a life. Then he takes over his father’s work and finds that ripping souls from mortal bodies is nothing like the stories that populated his childhood. It’s violent and bloody, and with imperialism, labor strikes, and people's revolutions leaving corpses around the world, Moriarty can’t find anything to love in his new work.

Until he meets his next victim: Rocsanne Vetrario, the bold, bohemian daughter of Venetian glaziers. Instead of ending her life, Moriarty accidentally saves it, thus kindling a friendship that tumbles into love amid the canals of 1890s Venice.

But their summer together shatters when Moriarty learns that Rocsanne’s stepmother Lavinia is on a crusade to recover the lost secrets of Venetian glass and its power to bestow immortality. When Lavinia discovers her daughter’s romance with the soul collector himself, she threatens to kill Rocsanne unless Moriarty helps her retrieve a piece of the legendary glass. 

Surrendering the glass will give Lavinia control over Moriarty and his work, but if Rocsanne dies, he’ll lose her forever to the afterlife. With Lavinia holding Rocsanne hostage on the cemetery island of San Michele, Moriarty has to choose between his own freedom and the only girl who ever loved Death.

First page:

The first thing he noticed was the rain.

Moriarty had never felt rain before. It didn’t rain in the Greylands, nor did the brushed-black sky wink with tiny pinpricks of light, like jewels floating in a glassy lake. Even the sky itself was new--there was no sky in the Greylands.

But the rain was the first and most marvelous thing--the way it felt against his skin, each drop unexpected and ephemeral. 

Yes, Moriarty decided. I like the rain best.

Hector hadn’t told him about the rain. But Hector had hardly told him anything about the humans, or mortality, or the work he’d be doing, the work that used to be Hector’s. Though they had never discussed it, Moriarty had always known that someday, Hector would grow weary of soul collecting, and the work would pass to him. Father to son.

He had not expected it to be this sudden.

Moriarty looked down at his hands. In each, he clutched one of Hector’s two parting gifts, the only tools of his trade. The first was a heavy brass compass with a blank face and a black hand, shivering but steady as it pointed him ahead into the night. Pressing the face once had brought him to mortality, and twice would take him back to the Greylands when he was finished. The second was a colorless glass amulet streaked with red, which Hector had promised would keep him invisible to all humans but the one he sought.

20 comments:

Marieke said...

This is gorgeous, just GORGEOUS. I love the setting, I love your writing... well done! Good luck!

Noelle Henry said...

Wow! There's some absolutely beautiful writing here! Your first line drew me right in. I don't read a lot of historical fantasy, but this premise is so unique -- it's definitely something I'd pick up! Good luck!

Unknown said...

This sounds like a book I just wouldn't be able to put down if I got my hands on it. Your voice and your query are superb! Love it! Good luck!

Jenny Kaczorowski said...

You had me at "friendship that tumbles into love amid the canals of 1890s Venice." Lovely! And your opening page fulfills that promise. Beautiful work. Good luck!

Ashley Turcotte said...

There's such beautiful writing here! It just drew me in immediately. And oh, the setting in 1890s Venice! This sounds enthralling. Best of luck in the contest, and go Team Krista!

Jennie Bailey said...

You paint such vivid pictures with your words - "It didn’t rain in the Greylands, nor did the brushed-black sky wink with tiny pinpricks of light, like jewels floating in a glassy lake." It's delicious, really! Such a fantastic concept - your query is tight and your voice in your first 250 are outstanding. Good luck!!

Laura said...

You paint gorgeous descriptions with your words!

L. T. Host said...

I'm gonna need to pre-order this one now. Thanks. :)

Anonymous said...

Great concept - this is exactly the kind of book I would pick up immediately. Can't wait to see it on the shelf someday soon - good luck!

J Larkin said...

This is one of the entries that I NEED to read. All the way through, it is just...gold.

Very excited to see this progress in bookworld :)

Lina said...

BEAUTIFUL writing. I can't wait to read the rest of this!

Unknown said...

I have been looking for a big, lush historical novel, and I really like the Venetian glass aspect of this. The Moriarty-as-son-of-Death might make it a bit trickier, but I'd love to take a look and see how it plays out. Thanks!

Ammi-Joan Paquette said...

This has a fabulous voice and tone--I'm completely hooked in by the opener, and love the story concept. I'd love to read on further!

Mollie Glick said...

I'm excited to read this, and glad to request it!

-Mollie

Neverending Stories said...

What a compelling premise. Would love to read on!

Caryn Wiseman said...

I'd love to see this!

Catherine Drayton said...

Excellent writing. Would like to read more.

s said...

I'd love to see this!

Unknown said...

Yes for Team Pippin too!

john rudolph said...

Yes for me. Thanks.