Looks like I made it past the raffle stage of The Writer's Voice! Good luck to my fellow entrants. Here's the query and first 250 words for ACCIDENTS.
Artemis Masters
always expected her sire would return for her, though he left before
she'd even stopped bleeding. He wants her, forever, never mind that
she's seventeen and thinks he's a certifiable lunatic. It's been a
year of nightmares and sickening daylight since Genesis forced his
blood on her. She has coped and pretended and re-built a life. She
won’t just roll over, hopeless as it is to fight a man who holds
his strength, her fear, and their bloodline over her like the sword
of Damocles.
Artemis clings to
her home, her last bit of normalcy – stirring up a bloody fight
between her sister and her best friend under the pressures of the
last year – until Genesis recaptures her. He expects she'll play
house with the family he has created: a collection of eerily loyal
vampire "daughters." Though she escapes to Japan, he's
still her sire. He will keep coming back. Artemis sees no point in a
life of constantly looking over her shoulder.
Her one chance is a
Jinni, a trapped spirit powerful enough to erase Genesis from her
blood. With monsters, vampires, and a legion of demons cat-fighting
over the spirit, chasing wishes might get Artemis killed before she
can turn human again.
ACCIDENTS is a
complete YA urban fantasy at 75,000 words. It is a stand-alone novel
with series potential.
Chapter 1
~Artemis~
I spent the eve of
my anniversary freezing my butt off on a playground. Before I'd even
put on my pajamas I knew I wasn't going to bed. I'd been restless all
year; I didn't know if it was not needing as much sleep or just not
wanting it. This ache in the lining of my stomach said I hadn't drunk
in too long, and usually the ache meant I was safe from the
nightmares. I really didn't feel safe from anything that night. Maybe
that makes it stupid of me to leave home, where at least my family
and walls surrounded me. I guess it was less stressful or more
natural to be afraid out under the dark than in my house. The
nightmares were enough without feeling scared of my own bedroom when
I was awake.
If I wasn't going to
sleep, I at least should have gone for some blood. Can't run on empty
forever. But that's what a good, sensible vampire would do. I was not
good at being a vampire. It should have been a relief but most of the
time it was just pathetic. I probably wouldn't have been so bad if I
practiced, but I wasn't good at practicing either. Too bad I couldn't
drop vampirism like I did guitar lessons.
The sun called in a
sick day, leaving dawn a sad affair. Blocked by thick-walled towers
of cloud, her efforts to claw through were dull, gray, and noiseless.
