2014 Breakthrough Pitch

GIRL WITHOUT BORDERS
'breakthrough novel award pitch, 2014'

Will is headed for the great American psychotic break, at the glorious dawn of the new millenium. Whoever convinced him that having two women instead of one was the best problem he could have, left him a window seat on a slow train through hell.

Drama has a queen. Will cannot resist the allure of the sexy girl with a punk attitude and Borderline personality. She sends her snakes out to find him, charm and release. She always leaves him spinning. His best friend offers up a voice of reason, but Will is not listening. Meanwhile, another young lady is crushing on him, hard.

 In an subculture running on hip-hop and high fructose corn-syrup, a sensitive young man hoping to find himself, gets lost in relationships and urban landscapes. He paints himself into corners, then fights his way out.  Non-violently, whenever possible. Experiencing life at the center of an unrequited love triangle.

When life becomes overwhelming, Will retreats into his internal world where dreams are still possible. He often wishes he could turn back time and heal a broken relationship with his ex-girlfriend.

'k street tag, midtown' by k

Something has to give. How long will he continue to prioritize this patterned madness of poorly chosen attachments over his emotional stability? His spirit flags. Even his ring-tailed cat, Raccoon, tires of him. She cuts him up with her claws, hoping to awaken him before something terrible happens.

Girl Without Borders is a coming-of-age, character-driven story set in Chicago at an historic moment in time, exploring the fragility of youth and identity in a counterculture embrace, holding on for dear life, in the vortex of big city urban chaos.