yesss

BABEL ON CALLISTO Querying February 2025 @saraduranauthor sara.duran@bsky.social COMPS The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler, labeled “isolated research station” and “philosophical alien threat.” The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw, labeled “queer, visceral horror” and “love as a consuming force.” The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei, labeled “psychological unraveling” and “fracture under mission pressure.” PITCH “On a lunar prison outpost, two exiled men uncover a cosmic presence waking beneath the ice. As their uneasy alliance against it twists into something tender and terrifying, they are confronted with the one thing they never expected to find on a dead moon: a reason to live. But the ice is thinning.” TASTE “Neither spoke as Elias bypassed the security protocol on the keypad. The metal hatch shuddered as it unlocked, slinking back to hidden panels in the wall. They cleared the first few floors with carrion precision, methodical as Dermestidae stripping a carcass to bone. In Elias’s imagination, the gore thinned into something vaster—the time-lapse unraveling the ruin from above. Wordlessly, corridors were scoured to nothing as he and Jack moved like insects beneath an overhead lens. As the hours dissolved, their work became abstracted into a cold anatomy, intimacy pared away as cleanly as flesh from the frame until only the architecture of survival remained. When Jack hacked into the collapsed doorway to the next stairwell, Elias marveled at the contradiction: how those same brutal hands had, only that morning, traced him with the delicacy of a scalpel.”

Coming soon to agent inboxes!

• • •

ANNIHILATION x BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

💫two exiled men (and their secrets)
💫one lunar prison (and its horrors)
💫a cosmic entity that wants them dead
💫the love they’ll lose if they don’t survive

#SF #H #R #LGBT #amquerying #QuestPit

All’s fair in love and ruins

Grad school rival

Patagonia, hike , romance

Patagonia

All’s Fair in Love and Ruins

✨Indiana Jones meets the college-rivals-turned-lovers of Beach Read ✨

✅Strong woman in male-dominated field
✅Banter and yearning
✅Adventure

Third Draft and obsessed! #W #A #R #questpit

Love and Mud, contemporary romance

Love and mud, contemporary romance

Love and mud, contemporary romance

Love and Mud is for those of us who want a little adventure with their romance.

Written with The Novelry, currently querying with 8 full requests out!

#Q #A #R #questpit

sounds amaze

OFCC xx

did this on the bird app but lmk if you need support for #QuestPit tom !

Yayyy amazing!!! I’ll be sure to amplify!!!

Two handcuffed hands, overlaid with the text “An Editor’s Guide to Sinners or Saints By Emily Freeborn On Submission Represented by Lauren Galit at LKG Agency”

Pitch: Isabella Sanders has had enough of her egotistical father and his games of manipulation and humiliation. After Henry proposes to his mistress with the ring his sister left Bella, she decides it’s time to prove she’s no longer under his thumb. Bella plans to hit him where it hurts most — The Sanders hotel, glittering jewel of Los Angeles and its Vault, which holds all the glittering jewels of Hollywood. An eye for an eye, a gem for a whole safe full of gems. Seems only fair. But even with her quick wit and sly hands, Bella can’t pull off a heist of this scale without help. Enter Alex Clyde, the charming and devilishly handsome Brit who steals Bella’s watch and is determined to steal more. He’s Bella’s perfect match, though that doesn’t mean she trusts him. As Bella assembles her team and plans only, she dodges coins about Alex’s true motives and the surveillance Henry has put on his crafty daughter. If the Saints can pull this off, Bella will finally win. But first she must overcome her distrust of the partner who’s stolen her heart. Cruel Intentions meets Ocean’s 8 in this sexy YA adventure about a teen thief who begins to fall for the mysterious partner she has enlisted to help pull off a glamorous and daring jewel heist.

For Fans of: Cruel Intentions poster, Ocean’s 8 poster, The Inheritance Games cover, Thieves’ Gambit cover. Tropes: Unlikeable FMC, Partners in crime to lovers, morally grey characters, a swoonworthy alibi, meeting your match. Themes: Grief, breaking the cycle for abuse, eat the rich, found family, redemption.

Chapter 1. God Bless the LAPD. The Los Angeles Police Department isn’t a terrible place to spend the afternoon. It certainly beats fifth period religion with Mr. Casablanca. I’m in a small, brightly little interrogation room that lacks the stereotypically two-way mirror depicted in movies and is only furnished with the small white table and chair where I’m sitting. I tilt my head back and stare at the ceiling for what feels like a few minutes, but ends up being probably no more than two, before the door finally opens. In walks a man in a disgusting brown suit, and when I say disgusting, I mean truly awful. It’s got the color and quality of a paper ack, and the cuffs are stained with blue ink. He carries a tattered cardboard box with wires sticking out of it, which he sets down on the table with a grunt before removing a machine that resembles a medieval torture device. I have to stifle a laugh as I watch him spend a few minutes of furtive effort leaning over the back of his chair, struggling to fit the plug in the outlet. I allow myself a brief sigh of relief because if this is the Sherlock Holmes of the department, I truly have nothing to worry about. There’s a hole in his collar that I doubt he noticed when he got dressed this morning, and a few crumbs tumble off his jacket as he moves. Judging by how long it takes him to fit the plug in the outlet, I get the sense that he isn’t too bright either. But it doesn’t matter to my father if he has the brightest detective in the world on the case. I know he donates to the department and has connections to the force. Henry doesn’t need a detective who can put the right person in cuffs, just one who can find him someone to blame. That’s the only reason I’m here — I’m always the first stop on his witch hunts.

Hi editors, I’m pleased to introduce my YA Heist Romance Novel, SINNERS OR SAINTS

#GhostPit #YA #OS #Con #R

A green background, an Agent's Guide to "KNOW YOU BETTER," an adult plus-size romcom by Brittney Farrell. Includes two stock images of characters, one plus-size woman and a tattooed man. Plus images of two dogs, a kitchen, and laser tag.

"Know You Better" one-paragraph pitch: After her boyfriend of six years moves out and leaves her with rent she can’t afford, retail manager Sydney Bennett is barely hanging on—juggling long shifts and a side hustle dog-sitting for clients with the worst-behaved pets in Metro Detroit. When she meets Owen Sutton in the personal care aisle after a rant about two “demonic Pomeranians,” he’s instantly charmed—and in need of a sitter for his own, much better-behaved dogs. What starts as a business arrangement turns into something gentler and deeper: a slow-burning romance between two people still healing from betrayal. But as Sydney faces losing her apartment and Owen’s past betrayal comes back to haunt him, they’ll have to decide if the safety they’ve found in each other is worth risking their hearts for. Along with Target Audience info: Millennial and Gen Z women who love books that feel like a Taylor Swift song. For fans of heartfelt romcoms that balance wit and humor with deep topics. And readers who fall in love with real, messy characters and crave positive plus-size representation. And comp titles with images of "Savor It" by Tarah DeWitt, citing sizzling banter and tension, "Curvy Girl Summer" by Danielle Allen for the plus-size confidence, "You, With a View" by Jessica Joyce for the emotional exploration of starting over, and "Just for the Summer" by Abby Jimenez for acts of service as a love language. On a green background with two more stock images of characters.

Green background with a writing sample and quotes from "Know You Better"

Tropes of "Know You Better" and character images, stock, along with information about the characters. Sydney Sage Bennett: 30, Aquarius, Retail Ops Manager. Empathetic. Competitive. Amazing cook. Loves hockey. Sarcasm as a shield. Pilates girlie. Brunch is her love language. Poor spending habits. Younger sister. Sworn off relationships to focus on herself. Owen James Sutton: 31, Cancer, National Events Manager. Patient and loyal. Flirty. Loves hockey. Bottles everything up. Former company co-founder. Amazing dog dad. Acts of service. Takes care of his elderly neighbor. Older brother. Prone to emotional spill-overs.

A plus-size baddie dog sits to survive after her ex leaves her with rent she can’t afford—then she meets a guy in the personal care aisle who’s everything her ex wasn’t: loyal, patient, and in desperate need of a dog sitter…which might just ruin her plan to swear off love forever. #GhostPit #Q #A #R

Shadow woman; flowers on coffin; shadow; flowers on coffin; flowers; flowers; ghost girl; flowers on coffin; ghost woman

FINAL DESTINATION X THE DYBUKK X FREAKY FRIDAY

For Ava, death seems so much easier than life without her mom. But when her mom shows up at her own shiva to possess her, she starts to realize there’s a lot more to life than death.

#ghostpit #W #YA #H

Book cover - art by Caspar David Friedrich Entrance to an autumn graveyard Anthologee Dylan Orosz

Red eclipse and black clouds

Black cat crossing across tree branch. Purple background.

1-sentence pitch: *ANTHOLOGEE* is a collection of horror stories about folk fears, supernatural phenoms, and dark transformations. 1-paragraph pitch: Step into the twisted and wondrous world of "ANTHOLOGEE", a short story collection where myth and magic collide with the macabre. Journey through ancient battles ignited by eclipses, corporate boardrooms haunted by otherworldly beings, and the mind of an immortal jester with a sinister secret. Explore the darkness of human and non-human souls, the power of ancient artifacts, and the cosmic dance of gods and daemons wrestling for control of the psychosphere. These imaginative tales delve into the depths of human experience, exploring themes of alienation, ambition, and the eternal struggle between good and evil. With a hint of dark humor and a touch of the surreal, "ANTHOLOGEE" will preternaturally challenge your perceptions, ignite your darkest imagination, and leave you questioning the fabrics of reality. Target Audience: Adults / for fans of The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, Tales from the Crypt, Black Mirror, and the short fiction of King and Barker.

ANTHOLOGEE: dark story collection.

👻 vengeful spirits
🪽angelic forces
👹 daemonic energies
🧩 psionic puzzles
👾 hellish beasts
💀 ancient curses

Interconnected tales about folk fears, supernatural phenoms, and dark transformations.

#GhostPit #WIP TBA 2026

Door in the Fernwood: In this magical Irish bloodline, poison runs deep.

When sixteen-year-old Quinn puts on an ancient ancestral ring, it shatters the protective binding spell her family cast at birth—awakening clairvoyant powers she should have inherited from her Irish magical bloodline. But the ring also makes her visible to Neris, a Victorian sorceress who hunts Quinn to steal the ring. Hidden away in an Oregon enchanted forest with extended family, Quinn must master her powers before Neris destroys not only her, but their entire family tree.

Portal to another realm, plant magic, elixirs and poisons, romance subplot, magical artifacts, time travel, magical baking

Quinn gripped her camera and leaned forward, her shins pressing against the greenhouse ladder. Face to face with her majestic corpse flower, she held her breath as its infamous, putrid odor spilled from the curling burgundy folds. After years of careful cultivation, she couldn’t afford to miss a single stage of its first bloom. The camera’s shutter clicked one final time as she aimed into its central chamber. Satisfied with her shots, she climbed down and switched on the exhaust fan. Through the greenhouse glass, she watched her elderly neighbors on their back deck, gossiping as usual, completely unaware of the olfactory surprise heading their way. Right on cue, Vera’s voice rang out. “Woo-ee! Who died?” she screeched, sniffing the air. “Nobody croaked,” her husband Artie grumbled as he sipped coffee from his John Deere mug. “It’s that young girl next door. You remember she invited us over to look at some big, stinky flower tonight?” “Well, I’m not goin’. Bet you I’d pass out if I got any closer,” Vera said. “You know her mother keeps her locked up in that backyard doing the strangest things. It’s just not normal for a girl her age.” Although the comment stung, small-town judgments like this only fueled Quinn’s retreat into her own backyard utopia, where she propagated plants from all over the globe—the carnivorous, poisonous, endangered, the beautiful, the ugly, and the common. She sketched the rare or interesting ones—charcoal drawings lined the interior walls of her garden shed wherever she found a blank space. She collected their seeds, dried their leaves, made teas, salves, and medicinal remedies.

A teen outcast from a secret line of Irish plant magicians must harness newfound powers to protect herself from a poison-wielding ancestor who hunts her family across time.
🍄 Plant magic
🌿 Poisons + elixirs
💌 Romance subplot
🎂 Magical baking
🚪 Portal to another realm
#amquerying #GhostPit #ya

fruitwip poster by tyler stasi

fruitwip pitch and moodboard

fruitwip themes and comps

#GhostPit #W #Spec

Severance x PIRANESI x THE GARDEN

How far would you go to hide the person you used to be?

⚜️botanical/psychological horror
⚜️epistolary
⚜️moral decay
⚜️unidentified FMC
⚜️literary-leaning

art: giuseppe arcimboldo

🍓👒🪴🕰🪑

👻EVERY CRUEL CORPSE is a YA/NA urban fantasy about two reapers who kill instead of guide for a government in the afterlife, forced to perform magical manipulation rituals when they begin to be haunted by the ghosts of their victims. #GhostPit #Q #F #PN

A moodboard for my sci-fi horrormance WIP, BABEL ON CALLISTO. On the top left is a glowing humanoid figure with a planet and rings orbiting its head. In the center, white glitchy text reads: "NOT ALL ENDINGS ARE THE END. SOMETIMES THEY ARE THE BEGINNING," repeated multiple times. Beneath that, a figure walks into a starry void shaped like another person, reaching toward each other. Other elements include a flatworm floating in a grid-like space, a silhouetted couple reaching toward each other in a virtual tunnel, and hands weaving a glowing galaxy-like thread.

ANNIHILATION x BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

⭐ two exiled men (+ their secrets)
🌙 one lunar prison (+ its horrors)
⭐ a government that wants their data
🌙 a cosmic entity that wants them dead
💫 the love they’ll lose if they don’t make it out alive

#ghostpit #SF #H #R #LGBT #WIP

Childhood nostalgia and friends to lovers

LA LA LAND X SEVEN YEAR SLIP

A filmmaker heading home to finalize her divorce wakes up ten years younger, now forced to use her almost-ex-husband’s assistance to find her way back to the future.

(Nothing spookier than an unexpected second chance)

#GhostPit #Q #A #R #OwnVoices

A green tennis court with yellow wwriting: if you behave like something they can use, don't be suprised when they do. Below in the box 'Charlie's life was an endless question of appetite: of wanting, of desiritng, of succumbing, of resisting. In the service boxes, a photo of a woman in a white tennis dress covered in clay, a raw steak with a knife in it, a hand with blood on it, and a broken racket on clay. The words below read: but hunger only grows with suppression. Title: Sweetspot.

CHALLENGERS X BONES AND ALL

Sink your teeth into SWEETSPOT: coming soon 🎾🥩🍑💦

#GhostPit #A #W #WF #OWN

An arena audience with a clay court in the middle. The top reads in yellow letters: Fame, veganism, purity, pose. Hunger. On the clay court in white lettering: A rising WTA star starving to win. Her coach father feeding on control. A suspended ATP No.1 craving a comeback. And the PR relationship that threatens to eat them all alive. The title is in large yellow letters below the clay court: Sweetspot.

CHALLENGERS X BONES AND ALL

"Charlie was sick of being reduced to her body's enterprising functions. Her stroke, her step, her motions; her smile, her poise, her skin. She couldn’t remember when the two had cleaved so deeply—Charlie and The Body."

#GhostPit #W #A #WF #OWN

A poster style image reading SWEETSPOT with fake blood dripping down. To the right of the title, a tennis ball with a bite taken out revealing meat. Below are three photos: a man and woman tennis player sitting together, a female player who’s fallen onto clay, and a hand with blood on it. Words: Fame, Veganism, Poise, Control. Rising tennis star Charlie is starving to win a Grand Slam, so she'll do anything to appease her controlling coach father: straighten her curls, go vegan for a lucrative sponsorship, even enter into a PR relationship with scandal-plagued ATP No. 1 Hans. But Hans and Charlie have a secret, one that threatens to destroy her image and career. The only way to bury the truth means surrendering to what she's tried so hard to suppress: Hunger.

SWEETSPOT: a women’s fiction novel, coming soon 🎾🥩🍑💦

#GhostPit #A #OWN #WF #W

Editors - you are cordially invited to REDEMPTION ARC, a rom-com with Emily Henry banter, a New Girl-style ensemble, and a litttttle bit of Fleabag sprinkled here and there

#GhostPit #A #R #OS

wait so excited for #DVPit!!

we will never let you edit posts. you must wear each typo as an albatross. you will bear the weight of your hubris

ok what’s good blue sky?!