Writer of books usually about paranormally-gifted children, medically-controlled societies, and soul-stealing androids | Ambidextrous | Freelancer | Slytherin
Dystopians, light Science Fiction, Paranormal worlds, Horror, and Genre-benders.
Romance, Murder Mystery, Historical Fiction.
QUERY: MIDNIGHT CITY
Children disappear from Hyden all the time. Big deal. But when fifteen-year-old Noah Medlin’s juvenile, best-friend, Carson Mancovich, becomes one of The Missin’, he’d go to coal-hell in his candy-cane Converse to find him.
From getting his head dunked in the toilet bowl every day–Cliche–to his parents’ pending divorce–How sad–Noah discovers a strange flyer about a theme-park haven for runaways called Midnight City. Carson must be there, but he only finds The Missing instead.
When the Midnight City Clock Tower rings, irradiated desert-beasts called Wolvers prowl over the perimeter wall, the city’s secret price of citizenship. Leaving is forbidden, but as Noah creates a reckless reputation with the city’s leader, a savage clan of mysterious teens with secrets, beasts, and envious reputations of their own surround the perimeter. They not only reveal the truth of Carson’s whereabouts, but they give Noah and The Missing an ultimatum: surrender the haven they built, die defending it, or return to their past lives of negligent parents who never looked for them.
Lord Of The Flies meets The Maze Runner. Midnight City is the first book in its planned, Young-Adult, light Science-Fiction trilogy with Thriller elements, and an unusual, diverse cast of runaways. It is complete at 94,000 words. I’m a Journalism student at SUNY Empire State, a freelance writer, and a member of the Rochester Area Children’s Writers and Illustrators (RACWI). Thank you for your time and consideration.
Kind Regards,
Rafael Johnson, pseudonym, R. J. Rogue
OwnVoices, POC
CHAPTER ONE
It was the fourth time that week, but the thousandth time that Spring, Elgin Peters and his posse of maggots dunked my head in the school’s toilet bowl. Cliche, if you ask me, but I suppose it was considered creative for their coal-sized brains. They held me upside down by the ankles, and I gripped the moist lip of the seat with my hands. Usually, the piss water didn’t get into my mouth. But the smell. I could almost taste it every time. That putrid stench of mold, piss, and brown dingleberries. I was lucky if the janitor sprayed toilet cleaner some days.
“Get him on his feet,” Elgin said. They lifted me out of the bowl and slammed me to a sit. Elgin wiped some of his stringy, black hair from his ghost face then pressed his index finger against the tip of my nose. “I see you in my bathroom again, you’ll become one of The Missin’, Noah Medlin.” He reminded me every day how easy it would be to make me disappear like the other five-hundred kids who’ve never been found. The first time he said it, we were in third grade. It frightened me. Seven years later, I’ve made friends with his words because he would have been doing me a kindness.
“Hey!” Three bangs against the bathroom stall made them jolt, and their bloodlust drained from their faces. Elgin opened the stall door and he and the maggots filed out as if they had been caught by Principal Walter. “What’s goin’ on?” Only it wasn’t Principal Walter. It was the bully-of-bullies. The only kid in Hyden who had ever been arrested and spent time in juvie back in ANU. He made Elgin Peters bully tactics look like preschool, and didn’t need a posse to instigate his every word or move. A one man army. My best friend. Carson Mancovich.
“N-Nothing, Carson,” Elgin stammered. “We were just–” He nudged his maggots, but I could tell they wished they could fly.
Genre-blenders, paranormal worlds, science-fiction. My bio literally says exactly the kind of stuff I write!
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