Announcing Pitch Week XXIX Winner: Debra K. Every!

From its first page, Deena Undone, a supernatural horror novel, pushes the reader into a world where a woman questions not only her senses but her sanity. Familial anger, forgiveness, guilt, and redemption open the door for a malevolent entity that leaves fear and terror in its wake.

Deena Bartlett is navigating the rocky shoals of caring for her eighty-year-old Aunt Agatha during the last days of her life. At one time her aunt was her mentor, but that relationship is long gone, leaving Deena to wonder why.

But Agatha is now dying and her relentless verbal lashings will soon end… until Deena’s five senses come under attack; a sound so piercing her nose bleeds; a smell so vile her breathing suffocates. After each assault, her aunt’s health improves. A connection seems absurd.

And then Deena learns that her aunt has made a monstrous bargain with the Sensu, a malevolent entity attracted to Agatha’s greed and anger. With the Sensu in control, Agatha’s long-held secrets twist her into a woman capable of killing her only niece.

Debra Every lives amongst the rolling hills and pastures of Upstate New York with her husband and quirky cattle dog, Bad Dog Bob. She is the author of many short stories and two novels. Before focusing her efforts on writing, Debra spent years as an opera singer with debuts at the Royal Opera in Stockholm and Carnegie Recital Hall. Upon retiring from the stage, she opened a café that received an international SOFI award, the Oscars of the Specialty Food Business.

“The When Words Count Book Deal Competition was an extraordinary opportunity. In it, I not only met a group of generous competitors, fine writers all, but was bolstered by a remarkable team of coaches who took us in hand, together and individually without favor. Layered onto this support system was the opportunity to meet and counsel with three judges before Pitch Week even began. I’ve never experienced this type of access in a competition. It sets WWC apart as a life-altering opportunity where the best interests of the contestants are front and center. Bravo to you all.”

See our other Pitch Week XXIX finalists here.