MISTY Update & BRIGHTER Pitch Deck

Cover page for the pitch deck; a ship sailing a tumultuous ocean against a night-blue starry sky that features two moons and a comet chasing the sailboat. One moon is ringed by debris left over from an asteroid strike. Text reads: BRIGHTER THAN TWO MOONS Apparently saving the world is a group project, and Lyr is captain of this sinking ship. Adult sapphic science fiction; a first-contact adventure at sea. 107,000 words. Authored by Calenn Lithgow, represented by Kim Carson at Susan Schulman Literary Agency.

Well, I have officially finished a second draft of my current manuscript! The working title is now MIST OVER RUNEFIRE (it was formerly THE MISTY FOLK). Two weeks ago, I sent it out to my agent and a few beta readers – one of whom has already finished reading it. It only took her five. days. Her main feedback: she’s pissed that she has to wait for me to finish writing the second half of the duology. (Sorry Sascha. I’m putting that feedback in the “positive” tally category, though.) 

In all seriousness, I’m itching to start on the next part of the duology. But now that Book One is out of my hands and with readers for a few weeks, an alternative ending manifested—one that would very seriously impact where and how the next book starts. A writer friend gently reminded me that this is what letting your work breathe does for you: putting the pen down and stepping away lets fresh ideas flow. It’s probably also a good idea to wait for feedback from my agent and other beta readers; I’m certain they’ll all have incredible thoughts and ideas that will inspire other new directions. So… beyond scribbling down these manic ideas, I’m sitting on my hands and reading comps and practicing patience.

Probably guessing that I needed a creative distraction, my agent recently suggested that I put together a pitch deck for BRIGHTER THAN TWO MOONS, the sapphic sci-fi adventure at sea that we currently have out on submission. I’m so excited to share it in this post—it will also live in my Projects and Publications page. 

Cover page for the pitch deck; a ship sailing a tumultuous ocean against a night-blue starry sky that features two moons and a comet chasing the sailboat. One moon is ringed by debris left over from an asteroid strike. Text reads: BRIGHTER THAN TWO MOONS Apparently saving the world is a group project, and Lyr is captain of this sinking ship. Adult sapphic science fiction; a first-contact adventure at sea. 107,000 words. Authored by Calenn Lithgow, represented by Kim Carson at Susan Schulman Literary Agency.
Story slide. The moons are far above in the starry sky, and the sailboat is on near-black waters. Text reads: “STORY. To save the AI who raised her, a broke delivery captain agrees to sail her ex's girlfriend across a monster-infested sea — and uncovers the asteroid that ended their world was never an asteroid at all. Captain Lyr Averly has survived everything her wrecked planet has thrown at her: dead parents, a vanished ex, and constant pirate raids that undermine her reputation as a reliable delivery captain. All that’s left is Halle, her sailboat’s AI, who effectively replaced a mother drowned at sea. But Halle is malfunctioning, and technists are all but extinct. Enter Thalia: insufferable optimist, energy empire heiress, and current girlfriend to Lyr's ex. Oblivious to their connection, Thalia offers Lyr a lucrative sum to deliver both her and a payload of energy to the mainland. Lyr nearly turns down what’s sure to be the least desirable job on the planet, until she learns Thalia’s buyers are technists—technists who could save Halle. It's almost too good to be true. But what other option does she have? She’d do anything for Halle—navigate pirate-infested waters, outrun tsunamis, and suffer Thalia's relentless sunshine. So why is Lyr’s biggest challenge fighting off the bizarre urge to tangle her fingers into Thalia’s rust-colored hair? When Lyr and Thalia uncover the technists’ true purpose for the energy shipment—to blow up a second asteroid headed straight for their planet—it’s suddenly more than just Halle’s life on the line. Last time this happened, humanity barely survived. Coastlines were reshaped, technology lost, agriculture collapsed, and the sea was converted into a force that feels living and resentful. But the more Lyr uncovers, the more suspicious she becomes. These technists are hiding something—a conspiracy that runs deeper than humanity. One that perhaps started in the stars above.”
MEET THE CREW slide. the same boat sails a grey sea, skimming the shoreline of a land where lava flows down the side of the cliffs and into the ocean. Text reads: Lyr Averly: Captain. Grump. Wave magnet. Loves: ale, Halle, being right. Hates: optimism, heiresses, large bugs. Other people’s problems are their own business. Thalia Pellon: Heiress. Eternal optimist. Menace to her own safety. Believes people are good and worthy. Believes it loudly. Can someone shut her up? Halle (Sentient Ship): Concerned motherly type. Chronically offline. Thinks Lyr should try being nicer. The only reason Lyr agreed to this sun-forsaken mission in the first place. Dara Inoue: Security guard. Everyone’s ex, probably. Can do one-armed pushups. Miscommunication as a lifestyle. Arrives at the worst possible moment, on purpose.
MEET THE CREW slide. the same boat sails a grey sea, skimming the shoreline of a land where lava flows down the side of the cliffs and into the ocean. Text reads: Lyr Averly: Captain. Grump. Wave magnet. Loves: ale, Halle, being right. Hates: optimism, heiresses, large bugs. Other people’s problems are their own business. Thalia Pellon: Heiress. Eternal optimist. Menace to her own safety. Believes people are good and worthy. Believes it loudly. Can someone shut her up? Halle (Sentient Ship): Concerned motherly type. Chronically offline. Thinks Lyr should try being nicer. The only reason Lyr agreed to this sun-forsaken mission in the first place. Dara Inoue: Security guard. Everyone’s ex, probably. Can do one-armed pushups. Miscommunication as a lifestyle. Arrives at the worst possible moment, on purpose.
Comps Slide. A hand on the left side of the slide reaches out towards a distant moon. On the right, a ring of light arcs from the earth towards the night sky, reflecting in the ocean. The same sailboat is present. Three covers for books are shown: Some Desperate Glory; A Closed and Common Orbit; and The Mountain in the Sea. Text reads: Like SOME DESPERATE GLORY, this is a book about a woman who learns the catastrophe that made her world was a lie. Like THE MOUNTAIN IN THE SEA, it asks what intelligence means—and whether humanity deserves the word. Like A CLOSED AND COMMON ORBIT, it believes in love and chosen family, human and not-human. BRIGHTER THAN TWO MOONS puts all three in one boat. How far would you go to protect the ones you love? What happens if you fail?
Closing slide. The background is similar to the first slide—tumultuous ocean with two moons and a comet in the sky—but the stars now cover the sea, and the ship is smaller. BRIGHTER THAN TWO MOONS is about the lies humanity tells itself to keep living on a planet they themselves destroyed — and the misanthropic woman who finds herself defending her species’ right to evolve into something better. Audaciously imagined, with vivid descriptions of Salvar’s environment and the strange creatures who occupy it, Lyr’s journey will be familiar to anyone who has loved a planet. With stakes that increase at every turn, this lush manuscript explores the sacrifices humanity might make to find balance as one of many intelligent species among the stars.

Developing this pitch deck gave me the opportunity to rethink how we’re framing the story. I wanted to lean into the adventure aspect, and I hope the visuals convey that!

I put this together in Canva. And, yes… I spent way too many hours trying to find the perfect moons. Tragically, I didn’t find a perfect moon, let alone two—but I did manage to cobble together multiple elements that got me close to it.

After I finished that, I needed another distraction. Then I remembered this “blog” exists. So maybe you’ll get a Brigid mythology post next. But now I’m off to pick up some groceries, grill, and go for a swim in my new pool. 

Happy summer! 

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