C.R. Barenza

Thank you! Loved reading your take on Norse mythology, Fafnir is my favorite character is Das Rheingold :)

Can’t wait to send you my query about a bisexual painter that gets his world turned upside down by a Cubana. After my cafecito, of course.

Chris—a bisexual designer—has avoided desire to stay in control… until his new job throws him together with Beatrice, a Latina writer who makes him risk his sobriety and sanity for the love he never thought he could have—especially after the last time he fell in love.

#questpit #Q #A #R #U

An agent's guide to Neon Veil. New Adult Dystopian Sci-Fi Fantasy. 99,500 words. Now Querying. By Ramona Santos

Eight years ago, Olivia tried to stop a bombing at a political rally, but her telekinesis startled the crowd, triggering a deadly riot that destroyed both her power and promising future. Wracked with guilt, now all Olivia wants is to stay safe in her pod and keep her job filing paperwork for speed readers. When a bounty hunter shows up at her door claiming that The Alliance, a band of elite assassins, hired him to save her from imminent arrest, Olivia thinks he’s yet another scammer. Then soldiers from Maynard, the corporation that rules both society and the government, storm her building. Olivia takes refuge with the bounty hunter’s team and meets Kaz, whose assassin past makes even his partners uneasy. Kaz shares Olivia’s former power, but instead of bonding, they clash, causing new powers to emerge within Olivia. Meanwhile, Kaz becomes convinced Olivia was sent to kill him—because her new abilities only come out when directed at him. Olivia must uncover what Maynard and The Alliance want with her powers and why Kaz is a target. If she can’t gain control of them, she not only risks his life—she’ll be turned into the force of destruction she’s always feared. The problem? The best person to help her is Kaz, but working with an ex-assassin who thinks she’s trying to kill him may be impossible.

Comps: Upgrade, Hench, Silver Elite

Tropes: EVERYDAY PEOPLE IN EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES CORPORATE CONSPIRACY CYBERPUNK GRUMPY/GRUMPY FORCED PROXIMITY/BODYGUARD FOUND FAMILY/ RAGTAG TEAM DIVERSE MAIN CHARACTERS SELF-DISCOVERY First line: “Do I laugh or cry about my new therapist falling asleep in our session? Both seem appropriate. Especially since I was mid-spill about losing my superpower.”

Cyberpunk Mr. and Mrs. Smith x The Boys. #Questpit

Powerless Olivia Ramirez just wants to keep her job filing paperwork for speed readers—until she’s on the run from the military. The fact that she’s getting powers would be helpful if only they weren’t triggered by the man hired to protect her. #Q

Stylized movie poster of saltwater saints

🌊 SALTWATER SAINTS | 75k words | Upmarket Fiction

Set against the backdrop of an idealistic beach town, SALTWATER SAINTS explores friendship, love in all its stages, and the consequences of living your entire life for other people—and what happens when you finally decide to stop.

#questpit #q #a

Introducing 🍃A RAVEN SONG 🍃

For eldest daughters and platonic soulmates.

⛩️portal fantasy
💫star crossed friendships
🍂nostalgia will kill her
❤️‍🔥touch her and you die, but they're best friends
🗡️reckless bargains and a tattooed elven soldier

#questpit #q #a #f

welcome to my updated ✨ agent query package ✨
THE WITCHER X THE KNIGHT AND THE MOTH
❗️warning, this package includes:
🎶 meddlesome bard
🐍 python-wielding bestie bounty hunter
🌊 possessed assassin
🎻 his feral cello playing brother
🔥 only one hot spring
💀 lovers x enemies x …? #questpit #F #Q

on the left is an image of an open book, and below that an image of an old wooden staircase. on top of both of those images is an image of a goddess statue. Next to that is an image of a silhouette of a girl holding up a sword. To the far right is an image of a girl draped in white with a lantern. There is a half circle golden disc across the top like the sun.

FOXGLOVE KING x SECOND DEATH OF LOCKE


Doubts of becoming a saint drip like blood through her dreams.

Images of ancient dragons and her father’s face awaken one last selfish desire within her: to find the truth of her father’s death before her blood spills on the altar.

#Q #F #RF #A #questpit

🔥Afro Latino MMC’s (who would do anything for her) 
🌙Latin Indigenous FMC
🧛🏼‍♂️ vampires
🐆 shape shifters
🧝‍♀️ Fae/Elves
🌴🌴🌳🌴🌳 uncolonized Latin indigenous magical communities.

#questpit #contemporaryfantasy #fantasy

Promotional graphic for Kinda Charming. On a dark background, large white decorative text reads, “Hear ye, hear ye, I decree! Kinda Charming is swoonworthy!” followed by an attribution, “— Ever After Times.” Along the bottom, smaller text reads, “Kinda Charming | 70,000 Words | Upper MG Comedy/Fantasy.” On the right side, a stylized illustration shows a woman in a medieval-style green gown with puffed sleeves and a gold belt, leaning back dramatically with one arm raised to her forehead in an exaggerated swoon pose, reinforcing the playful fairytale tone.

You heard it here through #QuestPit first!
Kinda Charming is a HIT!🏆

An #Upper #MG #Fantasy for fans of Percy Jackson and The Land of Stories!

It has magic!🪄
It has adventure!⚔️
It has romance!😘
It has an evil uncle trope villain and a possessed chicken helmet!🐔

#Q #Querying #AmQuerying #Comedy

SILVER ELITE X RINGS OF FATE

Kiaara has been hiding all her life. And you know what? She’s comfortable. Now, that’s changed. In order to take back the throne she has to put her life, and heart, on the line.

😘 Rivals to Lovers
🪾Quest
✨Chosen One
🪄 Hidden Magic

#questpit #F #Q #R

A pinboard with an assortment of images and notes pinned or taped in place. There is a subtle branching mycellium pattern on the board. In the top right a note is taped that says "Make me a hero." In the bottom left corner is a sticker that says "You can do it" but can is scratched out in red. Attached to the board are the following images: a sandy horse, with a speech bubble coming off it that says "Hi! I mean... uh neigh." A crystal ball with a tree at sunset. A smoking volcano. A photo of a broken red clay pot. A calendar with the month labeled Seguster. A man in an ominous black cloak standing in a field. A castle with a dragon flying near it. A black kitten being held. A raven. A meteor approaching a planet. A highland cow whose photo has tape with the lesbian flag pattern. A red string loops in a heart to a picture of the shadow of a gorgon. An alder branch with catkins. The photo has a gold star sticker and blue thread connecting it to a photo of mushrooms.

SHE-RA x TALES OF PELL

Ota and Alder have been destined enemies for countless reincarnations. And frankly, they’re sick of it.

⚔Enemies to divorced
🖤Unchosen Ones
🤬Fuck destiny, let’s kill god
🪢Soul bonds
🌱Genderfluid dryad
🏳‍🌈Sapphic subplot

#QuestPit #Q #NA #F #Comedy

Revisions are finally complete!! I am seeking a #literaryagent for this spicy romantic horror featuring:

🩸 Dracula, but immoral gods
💀 Find you in every lifetime
🫀 Exploring trauma via body horror
🩶 You came, you called

(More slides—and art—in comments👀)

#amquerying #agentsguide #questpit

#Questpit !!!
In final edits of NO DEVIL... So excited to start querying in FEB!
#W #A #H #MY #DR

An Agent's Guide for My Sister's Stolen Soul Adult Contemporary Fantasy * 78k words aro/ace flag, pansexual flag, disability flag, Sapphic flag, agender flag

For fans of The River has Roots (sisterly love transcending death) When the Angels left the Old Country (it/its angel goes on an adventure) Rules for Ghosting (mortician who sees ghosts) Here We Go Again (drama filled road trip) What's Left of Me (sharing a body with a sister)

Playlist Unity - Alan Walker Take My Soul - ZHU Girlfriend - Icona Pop Anything for You - Ludo Memento Mori - Will Wood Even In Death - Evanescence Lonely Day - System of a Down Back From The Dead - Halestorm You’re Somebody Else - Flora Cash I Don’t Wanna Die - Hollywood Undead Let Me Be Your Armor - Assemblage 23 Anthem of the Angels - Breaking Benjamin

Excerpt “Who are you?” she asks. “My name is Melody, I’m Lyra’s younger sister,” I say. “You two are identical.” I wish I could ask Lyra if she’s okay with Annie knowing everything. Better yet, I wish I could make her explain it. Her girlfriend, her problem. But I’m here alone, Annie is the one who saw Lyra last, and I want any information she can give me. It’s not like I could pretend I’m Lyra and ask why she ran out last night. I kind of need to tell her. I’ve never had to explain us. I don’t know where to start. It’ll be easier since she can already sense Lyra and I are different people. Somehow. But it’s still going to sound insane to a normal person. “I’m six years younger than Lyra. She died when we were kids, and I… I don’t know what I did but I saved her soul. I kept it.” I press my hand against my chest, careful to avoid the burn. “We’ve shared this body—my body—for over twenty years.”

When Melody's sister Lyra is abducted, if Melody wants her back she must put her trust in two strangers: one claiming to be an angel and Lyra's girlfriend who can't tell them apart.

#questpit #Q #A #S

LORD OF THE RINGS - ROE v WADE EDITION

When legendary military leader MINA gets removed from command after having a back-alley abortion, she’s ready to switch sides. What she isn’t ready for is that enemy officer with the cute canines asking her out on a date.

#QuestPit #SFF #Q #LGBT #NA #OWN

Late-night roundup for #questpit! Hope everybody participating had an amazing day! I enjoyed supporting everyone and meeting new people!

bsky.app/profile/ella...

bsky.app/profile/ella...

bsky.app/profile/ella...

#q #rf #f #na #bookclub #romantasy #dis #ownvoices #nd #lgbtq

a moodboard for Fault Lines upper left: the upper portion of a sword leaning against a stone wall middle left: flickering flame against a black background lower left: a slab of stone underwater; the water appears disturbed, bubbly upper middle: a spacious stone cavern with water at the bottom true middle: "The Fault in the Lines" lower middle: a pipe against a background of stone upper right: a cloud-shrouded mountaintop middle right: a closeup of blue scales lower right: a closeup of a person walking across the surface of water

Civilization is built upon fault lines—some well-mapped and others undefined.

Sachial thinks the whole world is out to get him; he may well be right. Caleb doesn't believe a word Sachial says, but he always listens.

#QuestPit #W #sf #lgbt

My novel is nearly ready to query.
UNFORGIVABLE -
The last necromancer has to trick an unlikely paladin into helping her defeat the god of death, or else Death will doom the world. One problem: he's also hunting her.
Gothic Gunslinging, sword swinging, witchery, romantic fantasy.
#questpit #RF

#questpit #q #LF #DR
A nonprofit leader finds that all is not altruistic as he navigates the corporatocracy of power and pedigree fighting poverty in name only. Backroom deals and torrid affairs maintain the status quo as executives work to scrap an affordable housing project to line their pockets.

Serena is an innocent catholic schoolgirl, locked in the gilded gage of her bedroom by her strict parents. Trevor is the damaged, addict boy she dates in secret. how long can they sneak around behind her parents' backs before they get caught? #Questpit #A #LF #U #Q

A PI and a paramedic, each haunted by an inescapable past, break their own rules to help an undocumented mother assaulted by her daughter’s American father.
💪🏼vigilante justice
❤️love story
🧊anti-ICE
🧠neurodiverseMC
🌈end=hope
👩🏼‍💻prof dev edit
⌨️pgs www.SarahBerke.com/agent-guide
#questpit #Q #A #T #WF #U

Aerial photograph of a coastal island with modern waterfront buildings, green landscaping, and calm blue water. A white speedboat cuts across the water near the island, leaving a visible wake, with open ocean and a partly cloudy sky in the background.

THE WHITE LOTUS x EMPIRE

On a Black-owned private island in Miami, a powerful family dynasty protects its legacy at all costs. An ousted Broadway marketing executive’s second act threatens to expose the cracks beneath the surface.

#QuestPit #A #WF #BVM #W

A PI and a paramedic, each haunted by an inescapable past, break their own rules to help an undocumented mother assaulted by her daughter’s American father.
💪🏼vigilante justice
❤️love story
🧊anti-ICE
🧠neurodiverseMC
🌈end=hope
👩🏼‍💻prof dev edit
⌨️pgs www.SarahBerke.com/agent-guide
#questpit #Q #A #T #WF #U

Graphic designed like a music streaming playlist titled “AGAIN AND AGAIN: A Time-Loop Rom-Com — The Day That Won’t End.” At the top, an illustrated couple sit side by side inside a gold picture frame against a warm sunset city backdrop, both resting their chins in their hands with bored expressions. Below is a playlist layout featuring songs including “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper, “Undressed” by Sombr, “The Bolter” by Taylor Swift, “Everything Is Romantic” by Orchestra Club, and “Feels Like” by Gracie Abrams, each with a heart icon.

Last post of the day!

💫AGAIN AND AGAIN💫
Songs for a time-loop rom-com about disastrous first dates, forced proximity, and falling in love. 🎧

#Questpit #R #A #S #W

AMARI x LOKI

Kori, 12, finds herself stuck in a cryfest & painful menty b's after her mom dies

When a meteor opens a portal, doppelgängers chase her. Kori learns their fates are bound & her grief transcends the multiverse

Now, Kori must save herself — from herself!

#QuestPit #MG #S #SF #Q #POC

a light grey silk background with a drawing of Chinese woman wearing a black dress with her hair pinned up and a Chinese-Italian man wearing a black suit, with white text that reads "Fashionable Love", "An Agent's Guide to An Adult Contemporary Romance by Yolanda Tang #W"

a light grey silk background with a drawing of Chinese-Italian man wearing white on the left, and a drawing of a Chinese woman wearing grey on the right, with white text that reads "Pitch", "Blythe Shen is fighting to keep her place as heiress and the next Chair of the board. Elias De Luca wants answers about his legacy. But when a scandalous photograph of two lifelong fashion heir rivals surfaces after a reckless night, Blythe seizes the opportunity and does the unthinkable: proposes a collaboration between their rival houses. What begins as a strategic partnership quickly turns into a no strings attached arrangement meant to keep emotions off the runway. But as trust is stitched into their collaboration and competition begins to fray, they must decide whether to keep their pride and inheritance neatly tailored, or unravel for the one person they were never meant to love."

a light grey silk background with white text that reads "Comps and Tropes" book covers and tropes listed below. books: Twisted Hate, Not in Love, Not in My Book, The Heart Principle. tropes: Childhood Rivals to Lovers, No Strings Attached Arrangement, Asian Romance, Forced Proximity, Slow-Burn Trust

A 3×3 mood board collage. Includes two fashion-style character illustrations, two fashion sketches, text reading “I want to ki__ you (answers may vary)” and “Are you flirting or starting a fight?”, two black-and-white and softly lit photos of couples leaning in close, and drawings of a stylish man and woman facing each other at night.

TWISTED HATE x NOT IN LOVE

A scandalous night stitches two lifelong rival fashion heirs. She’s fighting for control of her empire. He’s chasing the truth about his legacy. A no-strings collaboration threatens to unravel when emotions get involved.

#QuestPit #W #RF

NOWHERE TO RUN: A black cat homicide DA and a wolf shifter crime boss with Rip and Beth vibes, a missing grandmother, an offer she can't refuse, and the family she always wanted.

Except she has to prosecute him for a crime he didn't commit.

Dark paranormal mafia romance
#questpit #dr #pr #r #q #a

The Mummy × Bridgerton × Gods of Jade & Shadow

A teen linguistics prodigy deciphers ancient glyphs & resurrects a queen erased from history. Now the gods are hunting them both, determined to drag the queen back to the underworld & silence the girl who dared to wake her.

#YA #F #QuestPit #W

Side 1: Images surrounding “an agent’s guide to BEYOND THE MIST, Laurel Grant, adult fantasy 105k words”: female mermaid, bridge over a river, glowing hands on a tree trunk, cavern, male sailor aboard a ship, a girl running to the sea, a medallion, and a fishing shack. Side 2: coastal background. The Pitch - When fisherwoman Nerissa’s best friend is kidnapped by immortal Fae after she failed to warn her people that the kingdom’s warded Mists were evaporating, she must learn to face her guilt and fight to save her, or climb the mast herself.

Side 1: ocean waves background. The Comps - THE VOICE- A fiery tempered, iron willed female protagonist who will stop at nothing to deliver justice to her people, however different she is from them – or how much pain she carries (pictured: The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent); THE POLITICS- Class elitism, prejudice, political infighting, coups, betrayals, conspiracies, rebellious royalty – and lies, lies, lies (pictured: The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen); THE CAST- A multi-POV ensemble cast of unlikely friends, reluctant allies, magic wielders and wannabes, and converging paths that you won’t want to see parted (pictured: Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard; THE STAKES- The protagonist is fighting for a noble goal – but once it is achieved, she’ll realize the true rot is under the surface (pictured: Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas). Side 2: coastal background. The Blurb: What if it wasn’t curiosity that pulled the Little Mermaid out of the sea, but guilt? With a cynical eye to all but the fisherfolk who raised her, Nerissa lives in a sea-glass prison of her own making. She did nothing when she suspected the Mists were failing – so now, Nerissa must abandon her home to rescue her best friend, Alicen. The royal knights dismiss Alicen’s abduction as a peasant’s delusion, and their rejection propels Nerissa desperately forward to the kingdom’s criminal underbelly, where a violent outlaw fresh out of the dungeons is in the mood to make a deal. The conditions of securing his supposed militia? Murder the knight who locked him in chains. Nerissa harbors no loyalty for the knighthood that has neglected her people, but the closer she gets to delivering the poison promising Alicen’s survival, the more Nerissa doubts the righteousness of her bargain. The Fae grow impatient with a prisoner whose value wanes each day, and before her assassination plot is exposed, Nerissa must decide with whom she will place her faith: the bandit, the knight, or herself. N…

Side 1: coastal city road background. The Opening: The slick burn of wine rolled down my throat as another strike of lightning flashed outside, the spark illuminating just enough to confirm what I already knew. The dark figure in the corner of the tavern was staring back. It was the senselessness of a waking dream: for an evening promising a quickening storm, the tavern was reasonably sparse … and far too quiet. Others should have noticed him. And yet, only I seemed to know that he was watching us – had been watching us. Side 2: cavern background. The Tropes: lovers betrayal, stages of grief, father & daughter bond, abandonment issues, morally grey protagonist, found family/sisterhood, he sails to save her, knight academy, the Quest, mythical creature sidekick, discovery of power, runes & ancient magic, decoding messages, healing magic

Side 1: apothecary desk background with scrolls, herbs, flowers, journals, and burlap. The Style: I yearned for that intoxication, not to save me from the nausea, but to numb the torment that relentlessly pinched my heart with every moment of Alicen’s absence. I knew I couldn’t feel anything more. It was unfamiliar. For all my life, I’d noted the absence of my mother, but I’d had no tangible sensations, no vivid memories to attach to her. Her absence was a constant; the origin. Missing her was to miss something that had never been there . . . to love a phantom, to long for the touch of nothing. When Andris had decided to leave for Fjordan, I’d feared that the same curse would befall us, and he’d join my mother in being utterly lost to me, as if he’d never been there. Though, the morning after Alicen disappeared was so much more horrifying than that. So much more vivid and surreal than I could’ve ever imagined. Suddenly, the grief over my mother that had always consumed me, that had likely been the genesis of the melancholy that had become inherently part of me, seemed merely more than a passing wind. What I felt now was a storm. Side 2: map of the Glynea continent; an island with 5 offshoot bluffs joined by bridges.

Hi Bluesky & #QuestPit!

🌊 What if it wasn’t curiosity that pulled the little mermaid out of the sea, but guilt?

Adult crossover fantasy ⚓️ BEYOND THE MIST 🗡️ is a dark twist on the original Little Mermaid tale & is out for querying! ✨

#agentsguide #Q #A #F #amquerying