Announcing Pitch Week XXIV Winner: Alison McBain!

In The New Empire, set in an alternate history of 18th-century California, Jiangxi is the youngest son of the last Chinese Emperor. When his brother stages a bloody coup against the Dragon Throne, Jiangxi is sold into slavery across the China Seas. As he grows from boy to man, he clashes with a powerful confederacy of Native American tribes as he attempts to abolish the institution of slavery that holds thousands of men and women like him captive. This novel tells an epic story of love, loss, and identity that will resonate with readers in our global and conflicted times.

Alison McBain lives in Fairfield, Connecticut with her three young daughters. Her debut novel The Rose Queen is an indie Young Adult book that’s a gender-flipped retelling of Beauty and the Beast. When not writing, she is associate editor for the literary magazine Scribes*MICRO*Fiction.

“Pitch Week has been an amazing experience. Not only have I met four other wonderfully talented writers who will be good friends for many years to come, but the level of feedback and workshopping involved in honing our manuscripts was exceptional. To have at our disposal top industry professionals who really guided and applauded our efforts was an experience like no other. On top of that, this isn’t a contest where the judges seated themselves on a pedestal and dispensed advice from afar. No, the judges and coaches made themselves readily available to chat, were generous in their feedback, encouraged our efforts, and freely answered all our questions about the publishing industry, resources for marketing, and how best to get our messages across to the reader. It was invaluable.”

Meet our other Pitch Week XXIV finalists here.