The Pitch
13yo Clio’s family is cursed. To break the spell, she travels to 1508 Ireland with her BFF. But when her quest gets between the faerie queen and her wicked ambition, Clio must choose between saving her BFF … or her family. TIME SIGHT + THE HAZEL WOOD
Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it.
Abandoned by her mother into the foster system, thirteen-year-old Clio O’Neill just wants her family back. But when she learns her mom gave her up to save her from a centuries-old curse that kills every first-born O’Neill, Clio bitterly wishes the curse never existed, and is transported to Ireland in the year 1508, yanking her best friend, Mary, along with her.
Now in the body of her many-times-great grandmother, Clio realizes she can fix history. According to her grandmother’s diary, Clio must save the first O’Neill who was cursed. But Maeve, the faerie Winter Queen wants the O’Neill clan gone and has snatched the child. If Clio doesn’t act fast, she won’t be able to stop the curse before it starts.
With Mary’s help, Clio overcomes the Winter Queen’s obstacles and outwits her army of dark minions. Clio battles Maeve with newly learned magic, but Mary is caught in the crossfire. Now Clio faces a heartbreaking choice: like her mother, Clio must give up the person most dear to her to save Mary’s life and put her own broken family back together.
Complete at 57,000 words, ACTUALLY EVER AFTER is a stand-alone upper middle grade historic fantasy with series potential. Set in historically accurate 16th century Ireland prior to the Tudor conquest, it’s Time Sight meets Stepsister with a dash of The Hazel Wood for flavor, and includes a retelling of a classic Irish variation of Cinderella, “Fair, Brown, and Trembling.”
Am I Doing This Right? 