#14- Daze and Knights (YA romance)

Sixteen-year-old Jessica Jacobs is a super spy, a famous actress, and a princess.

Okay, not really. But she likes to daydream she’s all of those things and more. So when Jessica finds herself in a strange forest with a medieval knight aiming his sword at her throat, she thinks it’s just another daydream. Until she realizes that, 1) dude is actually causing her neck to bleed, 2) she never would have daydreamed herself into such a hideous dress, and 3) Zac Efron is nowhere in sight.

With no clue how to get home, Jessica has only one option: ride out her time in Crazy Medieval Land, even if that means working for the Count’s horrible daughter and doing her best to avoid Lord Purvis’s wandering hands.

It sucks being the peon instead of the princess.

But with whispers of a peasant revolt and Lord Pervy getting skeevier by the second, Jessica refuses to be a damsel in distress. She decides to learn sword fighting from Lord Alric, aka, knight-in-sexylicious-armor. Somewhere amidst the grueling hours of training, she falls for his chivalry and playful smile. Now Jessica must decide whether to keep fighting her way back to her family (and flushable toilets), or stay in a strange world for a chance at the kind of love found only in fairy tales.

Happily ever after was so much easier in her daydreams.

Daze and Knights is a 94,000 word YA romance novel. I have completed a sequel where Jessica's adventure continues in Virginia during the American Revolution.

I have included the first five hundred words as per the contest submission guidelines. Full manuscript is available upon request.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Melanie Stanford

http://www.daydreamertowriter.blogspot.com/

First 500 words:

He was supposed to be my knight in shining armor. I glared at Blake Chapman around my locker door, wishing I could yank his shaggy blond hair out by the roots. Never mind that I used to daydream about running my hands through it, curling it around my fingers, and then pulling his face in for a kiss that would sweep me off my feet.

Daydreaming about Blake Chapman had been my national pastime for the last three years. His soccer-stud physique and cocky smile were enough to make me woozy. In a good way.

Too bad our one—and definitely only—date was just a scam. His reason for going out with me in the first place? And I quote,

“Hey, you think your friend Dani would go for me? She’s smokin’ hot.”

Ugh. So much for Prince Charming.

When I wouldn’t dish the dirt on Dani, pay for dinner, or give him any (in that order), he dumped me on the side of the road, four blocks from my house. Now he makes me woozy in an I-want-to-vomit kind of way.

Blake grabbed his backpack and headed down the hallway toward Algebra, oblivious of both me and my glare. I slammed my locker door shut and followed. Staring at the back of his head, I imagined lightning bolts shooting from my eyes and frying his perfect blond hair. I could almost hear the sizzle.

Inside our Algebra classroom, I slumped into my seat beside Dani.

“You okay?” she whispered, leaning over her desk toward me.

I grimaced in full-on vomit-worthy disgust.

“I can’t believe he did that to you.” Dani shook her head. “What a bunghole!” Her eyes flicked to Blake, who held his phone under the desk, probably playing Call of Booty.

“He wouldn’t do that to you,” I whispered back, trying to keep the bitterness from my voice.

Pulling my textbook from my backpack, I avoided looking in his direction.

“As if I’d go near the guy. Gag.” Dani glared daggers at him. My gaze involuntarily followed hers.

Blake glanced up and caught me looking. He smirked. Crap.

Flushing, I wrenched my eyes away. What a snake.

“Blake the Snake,” I hissed.

Dani leaned closer. “What?”

“Blake the Snake. That’s what I’m going to call him from now on.”

Dani snorted then tried to cover it up with a cough.

After class, Dani and I headed to the cafeteria. Inside, Blake’s voice was the first thing I heard.

“The girl just wouldn’t leave me alone. Can’t get enough of me, I guess.”

I turned slowly. He was lounging on top of the lunch table, a crowd of adoring morons hanging on his every word. “I practically had to push her off me.” Our eyes met and his cocky smile widened. “Sorry, Jessica,” he called out, silencing everyone in the cafeteria. I froze. “I just don’t like you like that. I go for girls who aren’t so...skanky.”