Maia must convince the House that joining Athens in the war against Sparta will bring about the doom of Atlantis.
First Book:
Maia believed her position as the Daughter of the House of Ata was unshakeable, but now she struggles to keep it.
ANTAGONIST
Euthalia, the High Priestess of Atlantis. She’s resourceful, clever, and shrewd. Apollo saves her from drowning when her mother threw her in the Delos River as a child. Apollo gives her the gift of sight and stays with her as a mentor, but their relationship later turns sexual when she’s grown. Euthalia joins the Laurels, a woman-dominated religious sect of Atlantis and quickly moves up the ranks to High Priestess. Euthalia blames the old gods for going into the Deep Slumber, effectively abandoning them, as her mother abandoned her. After a fight with Apollo, he curses her without realizing it, and she can’t see him or benefit from his gift of prophesy. To keep her position, Euthalia lives by her wits and underhanded dealings with the House to maintain her power. In Maia, she finds the opportunity to continue the pretense that she is still a prophetess. But when she discovers Maia’s vision of the future of Atlantis, Euthalia becomes obsessed with its destruction, believing it will wake the old gods who will save them, and pits herself against Maia’s attempt to save their home.
TITLES
1) Water Clock
2) Salt Blood
3) The Abandoned Daughter of the Gods
4) Children of the Tide
COMPARABLES
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller: Story set during Trojan War with the influence of gods and lesser deities at play between Greece and Troy.
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker: Story also set during Trojan war with conflict between gods and mortals. Focal point of the story is through the POV of women.
HOOK
Maia, a maiden of Atlantis, is a drunk and a disappointment to her family who is given the gift of prophesy from the God Apollo and must save her people from its ruin.
SECONDARY CONFLICT
Secondary Conflict (Inner): Maia falls in love with Alexis, a handsome newcomer, who seemingly loves her too. This relationship turns her against her cousin, Phoebe, and her childhood friend, Theron.
Secondary Conflict (Social): When Euthalia discovers that Maia is having visions, she wants Maia to join the Laurels, essentially asking her to abandon her House and her inheritance.
SETTING
The island of Atlantis inspired by the description by Plato in the Critias. The city-state is divided by districts where its citizens live based on class, status, and purpose. The main population live in the northern area of the island, and the land fans out in farmland, vineyards, and orchards in the direct south with villages that connect them. The market is the heart of the north, a centralized location near the docks were merchants and travelers arrive. At the island’s pinnacle are the Nesehe Mountains, a jungle-like forest, home to the Lyquins (panthers with the sheen of bird’s wings) and where monsters are rumored to wander. It’s a playground for hunters. There are two smallish sacred rivers, the Ovla (warm) and the Delos (cold). Forged by Poseidon’s Trident, the rivers run down each side of the island—(if facing north) left is the Delos and right the Ovla. The middle prong erupted the first jungle tree of the Nesehe. The island is ruled by the ten gods and goddesses birthed by Mother Cleito and Poseidon. While other Grecian gods are recognized, these Atlantean gods, along with Poseidon, are at the center of all religious ideology and separated by Houses of the ruling class.
New York Pitch Assignments - March 2022
in New York Write to Pitch 2023 and 2024
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STORY STATEMENT
Overall Series:
Maia must convince the House that joining Athens in the war against Sparta will bring about the doom of Atlantis.
First Book:
Maia believed her position as the Daughter of the House of Ata was unshakeable, but now she struggles to keep it.
ANTAGONIST
Euthalia, the High Priestess of Atlantis. She’s resourceful, clever, and shrewd. Apollo saves her from drowning when her mother threw her in the Delos River as a child. Apollo gives her the gift of sight and stays with her as a mentor, but their relationship later turns sexual when she’s grown. Euthalia joins the Laurels, a woman-dominated religious sect of Atlantis and quickly moves up the ranks to High Priestess. Euthalia blames the old gods for going into the Deep Slumber, effectively abandoning them, as her mother abandoned her. After a fight with Apollo, he curses her without realizing it, and she can’t see him or benefit from his gift of prophesy. To keep her position, Euthalia lives by her wits and underhanded dealings with the House to maintain her power. In Maia, she finds the opportunity to continue the pretense that she is still a prophetess. But when she discovers Maia’s vision of the future of Atlantis, Euthalia becomes obsessed with its destruction, believing it will wake the old gods who will save them, and pits herself against Maia’s attempt to save their home.
TITLES
1) Water Clock
2) Salt Blood
3) The Abandoned Daughter of the Gods
4) Children of the Tide
COMPARABLES
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller: Story set during Trojan War with the influence of gods and lesser deities at play between Greece and Troy.
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker: Story also set during Trojan war with conflict between gods and mortals. Focal point of the story is through the POV of women.
HOOK
Maia, a maiden of Atlantis, is a drunk and a disappointment to her family who is given the gift of prophesy from the God Apollo and must save her people from its ruin.
SECONDARY CONFLICT
Secondary Conflict (Inner): Maia falls in love with Alexis, a handsome newcomer, who seemingly loves her too. This relationship turns her against her cousin, Phoebe, and her childhood friend, Theron.
Secondary Conflict (Social): When Euthalia discovers that Maia is having visions, she wants Maia to join the Laurels, essentially asking her to abandon her House and her inheritance.
SETTING
The island of Atlantis inspired by the description by Plato in the Critias. The city-state is divided by districts where its citizens live based on class, status, and purpose. The main population live in the northern area of the island, and the land fans out in farmland, vineyards, and orchards in the direct south with villages that connect them. The market is the heart of the north, a centralized location near the docks were merchants and travelers arrive. At the island’s pinnacle are the Nesehe Mountains, a jungle-like forest, home to the Lyquins (panthers with the sheen of bird’s wings) and where monsters are rumored to wander. It’s a playground for hunters. There are two smallish sacred rivers, the Ovla (warm) and the Delos (cold). Forged by Poseidon’s Trident, the rivers run down each side of the island—(if facing north) left is the Delos and right the Ovla. The middle prong erupted the first jungle tree of the Nesehe. The island is ruled by the ten gods and goddesses birthed by Mother Cleito and Poseidon. While other Grecian gods are recognized, these Atlantean gods, along with Poseidon, are at the center of all religious ideology and separated by Houses of the ruling class.