Tomorrow I launch Patreon to my whole e-mail list, but before it goes out to the world–as a sign of my appreciation for you being one of the Patrons who has been with me from the beginning, I wanted to share with you a little classified information regarding The Color Eater.
Right now, I’m out on submission. That means my agent is pitching my book to publishers. One of the ways she pitches it is through an email pitch letter, & that letter is not something that’s generally shared with the public at this stage. But, you are not the public, you are Patrons and get the full scoop. So here’s The Color Eater’s magical pitch letter:
“Dear
I’m pleased to be sending you THE COLOR EATER by Jessica Conoley—a richly imagined debut YA fantasy infused with big moral questions at its heart, for fans of Kristin Cashore, Neal Shusterman, and Suzanne Collins. Imagine the charming characters, mythical-industrial world, and winking humor of a Studio Ghibli story—but with a gritty twist.
Olena Burnwhite is the last known color eater: a rare atypical human whose touch draws energy out of organic matter, draining it of color.
Separated from her father as a kid, Lena knows next to nothing about her atypical gift, except that it’s put a target on her back. The Rada—a shadowy police state—are determined to cull atyps from the general population and lock them away in Korvidian, their top-secret prison. These days, most of Lena’s typ neighbors would turn her over for a little electricity or a hot meal. With nowhere to turn, when the Rada launch a series of rigged trials against each group of atyps—starting with color eaters—Lena seizes the chance to get some answers. But an explosive demonstration of her gift shocks the court, and she is sentenced to life in Korvidian.
In Korvidian, Lena is suddenly surrounded by atyps. There’s Magda, a shifter with attitude to spare who might be a spy; Will, a bearer disowned by his Rada-scientist parents; and Ori, the edgy leader of the seers who can’t stand her. As she looks for answers about her past, she realizes the Rada’s twisted propaganda hides dark secrets—and no prisoner is left unscarred. With tensions rising inside the prison, Lena is pushed to the limit to save her friends and must find her place in a fight where she could be the most powerful weapon of all.
Jessica Conoley is a writer and editor living in Kansas City. She served on the board of Whispering Prairie Press in a variety of roles, including President and Marketing Specialist. In 2012, she became the Managing Editor of the Kansas City Voices literary magazine, where she published emerging artists and writers. She routinely gives talks to about writing and editing for elementary schools, high schools, and writers’ conferences.
Conoley is an experienced, polished professional ready to do what it takes to make the book a success. As extra evidence of that, attached alongside the manuscript you will find a brief packet describing some of her ideas for marketing the book and supporting publication.
We hope you enjoy THE COLOR EATER. I look forward to discussing your thoughts soon.”
I have complete faith in my agent. I know she’s doing her best to secure a deal for me with the right publishing house. So now, you know as much as I know. Now we wait, and see if any of the publisher’s are interested.
Thanks for your support & here’s the day’s cat.
The Cat in the Hat is Muffley. She’s a very smart girl, who likes to sleep in closets.