Emma Al-munshi

Athlete • single dad • lost soul • hunk Type A • brainy • good girl abroad Forced proximity Age gap He falls first “It’s just a fling” Cheeky banter Hot🌶️ Title in mock visual: Only 1 Summer in Berlin A summer student. A housing mix-up. A gruff German host. And an unexpected love story that will turn summer into forever. When they make up after a row… 💔🔥 “And where does that leave us…” “In a bloody big mess,” I say bitterly I lift my head to kiss him, but he pulls me to his chest. “Let me just hold you.” “Let’s do more.” “F*ck it, [redacted], I didn’t apologize so I could get some.” Certified stamp: 100% TRUE. 100% MISLEADING. Credits: Composite image made from cutouts (Berlin skyline; man & boy sitting on steps; young woman standing; suitcase), all designed by freepik.com and cartoonized/posterized by me. "Certified" stamp designed by freepik.com

I’ve been wondering… am I pitching my heartfelt, high-heat, Berlin retro-destination romance™️ all wrong?

Unhinged friends, what if I rebranded it as a romcom? 👇
Thoughts?
#UnhingedPit #Q #A #R

A collage. TOP ROW: "These guys": A picture of Anthony and Kate from Bridgerton. "But dancing like this": A picture of a couple from Strictly Come Dancing in a sizzling tango pose. MIDDLE ROW: "Like in Jumanjii when the plants become a problem": A picture of a huge tropical flower bursting into a living room from the film. "But more like Stranger Things": a picture of the creeping vines in the house in Season 4. BOTTOM ROW: "On the trail of a killer": a picture of Knives Out 3, with Daniel Craig and the cast staring down into a grave. "But with geeks": Steve and Nancy from Stranger Things Season 4, dressed up to hunt Vecna, like they mean business.

Here's my #UnhingedPit #NA #F #R #W – that I've nicknamed the 'Plantomasy' Project – in vibes & pictures only!
Boy meets girl: plants get in the way, with knitting, tango-dancing, annoying little sisters, troublesome relations & a pet house plant.

In a world torn by history (Berlin, '97), a spirited beauty (I mean, she’s alright) defies propriety (books a language course) to claim her rightful future (career plans). Stranded on distant shores (Berlin. I said so already. Yes, there’s a beach), she falls prey to a cruel fate (housing mix-up) that entwines her destiny (for 2 months. Calm down) with a battle-scarred warrior (ex pro athlete with custody drama) guarding his wounded heart. Tormented by desire beyond endurance (will they, won’t they), they’re swept into an all-consuming passion (4*🌶️). It may devour them both—or grant the love of a lifetime (HEA). Sticker: Has Already Claimed Untold Beta Readers’ Hearts! Certified stamp: 100% TRUE. 100% MISLEADING. Credits: (1) Berlin aerial shot feat. the TV tower (Norbert Braun on Unsplash) (2) cutout of original cover art by Sharon Spiak for "Chanting the Dawn" by Marylyle Rogers. All rights remain with the artist www.sharonspiakart.com Certified stamp: designed by freepik.com

Me again! Forget romcom, I’ve just had another idea.
Since my Berlin romance is practically historical… what if I went full bodice ripper instead? 👇

The cover needs *minor* adjustments, but how does the concept feel? Fresh? Or unhinged?
#UnhingedPit #Q #A #R

Getting ready to shout about all your soon to be favourite MENA authors! Watch this space for our new interview series - MENA Muses - that shines a light on the amazing MENA authors writing & publishing such a diverse range of fresh, exciting stories! Coming VERY SOON!

First two days of #FastDraftFeb…

Day 1: a big fat 0 👍🏽
Day 2: 884 (v bad) words

It’s a start ✌🏽

#writingcommunity #writesky #writersky

I’m a day late to post but I’m doing #FastDraftFeb to increase the words on my WIP and I’ll use this as my accountability thread!

Goal for the month is 17k 🪾

a group of stuffed monkeys are dancing in a circle on a white background . ALT: a group of stuffed monkeys are dancing in a circle on a white background .

Haha yayyy!!

Thank you Neha!! Hopefully some good news will come soon!

*whispers*

Big 5 Editor and agent like on the other place 🕯️🧿❤️

Can I interest anyone in a manifestation circle 😂

Thank you to everyone who supported my #Questpit pitches! I really appreciate it :)

I've loved seeing what you're all working on. Sending the #writingcommunity lots of positive vibes and luck for the querying/sub trenches ✨

Introducing an updated #agentsguide for A KINGDOM TO DROWN ME

✨Arab folklore & exploration of the myth of djinn
💎Unique magic system & world
🪞Explores inner demons & mental health
⚖️Corruption & greed as central to conflict
🧿23 full requests

#questpit #Q #RF #agentguide

OBSESSED! Im so excited for you to enter the trenches/for the showcase!

"An agent's guide to THE BOG PRINCE by Julianne M, a 99k word YA fantasy romance."

The pitch... Eighteen-year-old Everin Lockett’s dreams of returning home from ruthless Wyverith College are shattered when she manifests a forbidden necromancy magic that reanimates the bog body of her kingdom’s lost prince. If the college discovers the truth about her abilities, she will be conscripted into their brutal army, doomed never to see her family again. Desperate to guard her secret, Everin strikes a deal with the long-lost Prince Byrnan: if he helps keep her power hidden, she will help him solve his centuries-old murder. But when Byrnan’s quest for justice could be the very thing that endangers her last hope of going home, Everin will need to confront the true cost of falling for a lost prince with nothing left to lose—and a kingdom to reclaim.

Pictures of book and album covers in ornate antique frames. The text reads: For fans of... Yearning and bog bodies (Hozier's debut album) Dark academia and lyrical prose (A Study in Drowning and Curious Tides) Haunting gothic atmosphere (One Dark Window and Florence + the Machine's Lungs album) Slow-burn romance (Divine Rivals)

Snippet... A fork of lightning split the rain-soaked sky in two, and the ground trembled with a deafening clap of thunder. But even after the rumbling faded, the bog still shuddered beneath me, swelling and quaking like a pair of lungs drawing their dying breath. I lurched away, my heart jolting against my throat as I scrambled back through the mud. Another crack of lightning. And in its wake, silhouetted against the flash of violet light— A single grasping hand, clawing its way out of the earth towards me.

In honour of #QuestPit and the upcoming #SmoochPit showcase, here's an updated #agentsguide for THE BOG PRINCE, my upper #YA #RF about a necromancer who reanimates the bog body of her kingdom's long-lost prince. 💀👑

Maybe some secrets are better left buried... 🖤 #agentguide #Q

moodboard for Lady Han's Manual for Matrimonial Mayhem showing plum blossoms; a man fighting in bamboo forest; a view of a Chinese palace through red gates; a woman with a death stare; a man with a serious displeased look; moon-gate looking into a Chinese garden with a pavillion on the pond; a man kissing a woman's neck intimately; Chinese calligraphy and brush pen

HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN 10 DAYS x A SONG TO DROWN RIVERS

She planned to be the terror in his life.
He planned to ignore her.
Neither planned on saving a crumbling empire from a tyrant—or falling in love.

91K-word adult fantasy romcom / Smoochpit '25 mentee
#questpit #A #RF #Q

AGENT INTEREST in my WIP after a full request. THEY'RE ALL HIDING SOMETHING. SO IS SHE. Snippets of dialogue The letter heading, crisp, startling, hooks her gaze. Irresistibly, she reaches out, her heart suddenly thudding... 'What the hell do you think you're doing?' The dark furious voice makes her jerk back guiltily like a marionette pulled sharply up on her strings. The papers in her hand spill to the floor again with the sly whisper of shifting sand. A man stands in the doorway, his hand still on the door-knob, his expression one of absolute blazing rage. Kate (later) defensively to Alex: Well, it was his fault. He jumped to the wrong conclusion and I…well, I couldn’t tell him who I was and what I was doing there, could I?’

Oh, I wouldn't say that,' he drawls. 'Some women of my acquaintance would hold ‘that I have a great deal of charm.’ (Girl comes out to drape beach towels over stone balustrade to dry. Stands, hands going to hips, and glares at them – or rather at Kate. Someone calls her. Calls again sharply when she ignores them. With a final dark glower, aimed again at Kate, she swings round and stalks off indoors.) 'I take it she's one of them,' says Kate. 'Poor girl. Never mind. I understand you can get very good treatment nowadays.' He looks pained. 'I'll have you know I have an army of fans out there.' She can't help laughing. 'Oh yeah?' 'Yeah.' Then the most astonishing thing happens. They smile at each other. I could like him, Kate thinks. He can be high-handed and insufferable but in spite of that, he does have charm, dollops of it. Under different circumstances, if he wasn't gunning for every journalist who comes within ten yards of him, and if my name wasn't mine, we might even be friends.

GLASS ONION x MISS CONGENIALITY
Mistaken for someone else, a reporter plays along. But she's not the only one acting a part. To uncover what's going on she must know who to trust, try not to get killed and definitely NOT fall for the man she's fake-dating.
#Questpit #W #A #RF #MY

A collage on a dark green background, featuring a lily-of-the-valley pendant and a ruby-and-skull mourning ring, a golden heart pierced by red arrows, a skull set in a golden sunburst plaque, a thorny rose vine, a flame-licked hand reaching for a ruby, an illustrated woman in a mourning veil, a rocky crag full of lava, a gravestone, an all-seeing eye, and a dried rose.

🥀WHAT RETURNS🥀

A Seer with indecipherable visions, a knight returned from the dead, & a motley team of spies & mages must form a plan to defeat a grief-mad necromancer-queen & her massive undead army, preferably before the continent is swallowed by civil war. No pressure.

#questpit #W #DF #R

THE RAVEN SCHOLAR x T KINGFISHER

Featuring:
🍄 Sentient Mushroom Companions
🌧️ Murderous Magical Weapons
🍄 Mushroom religion/magic system
🌧️ A permanent rainy season
🍄 She falls first but he falls harder

#QuestPit #AG #A #F #WIP

a collage of a blonde woman and brunette man, dragons, and quotes. "You -- my hunger, my ruin." "He knew me by heart. It infuriated me that he knew me by heart." IN THE EYES OF A SEER

After prophesying her own death, Olek is paired with a wannabe-bard, lover boy in order to save her country from utter ruin.

✨reluctant allies to lovers
🕯️her life for the worlds
🪞dragons & woodland beasts
🕯️talking swords
✨will she defy her fate?
#questpit #RF #A #AG

BELLADONNA x MEXICAN GOTHIC

Edgar Allan Poe never wrote fiction and now his victims want revenge. When a soul-devouring spirit is released, Edgar’s daughter, Annalise, and her childhood friend, Henry, must defeat the spirit or lose their souls.

#questpit #H #YA #P Fall ‘26

Practical Magic x The Honey Witch

Two sisters develop the ability to sense love and are able to determine a person’s true love… for everyone except themselves ✨

With Big 5 Editor interest

#QuestPit #Q #A #YA #F #R

I love your moodboards

“High heat on the high seas…”
Excellent line!

Image of a tall ship on the ocean with the title Storm Struck and the following text: A disgraced noble takes to the high seas to rescue a princess and win her hand in marriage, but falls in love with his surly sea captain instead.

The Pitch: Varos Belaro spent his whole life training for a dueling tournament he just lost - along with all his friends, his good name, and his career prospects. However, when he finds out that the kingdom’s princess has been kidnapped by an infamous pirate and the reward for saving her is her hand in marriage, he sees a chance at redemption. With the title of prince of the realm on the line, his family quickly strikes a contract with the fastest ship on the seas, and Varos takes off on an adventure to rescue the princess and his future. Kellan is the captain of the ship and a Stormrunner, a once-in-a-generation talent that can harness the power of storms for wind magic. After he saves Varos in a tempest, they collide in a steamy tryst, and Varos comes up with a plan to extend their fun by forming a gentleman’s agreement until they find the princess. But when the rival who ruined Varos’s life emerges with his own Stormrunner on the only other ship that can beat them, Varos and Kellan must race them to be the first to save the princess. Facing wild storms, duels, and pirate battles, Varos must choose between the life he’s always wanted and the love he never thought he’d have.

Image of a tall ship on the ocean with "for fans of" and then the cover of three books. The books are Sorcery and Small Magics, Swordcrossed, and A Marvellous Light.

The Vibes: High Heat on the High Seas Black Cat/Golden Retriever Forced Proximity Himbo Hero Pirates! Unique Magic System

High heat on the high seas in this M/M fantasy romance.

A disgraced noble takes to the high seas to rescue a princess and win her hand in marriage, but falls in love with his surly sea captain instead.

⭐ Selected for the 2025 Smoochpit Mentor Program

#Questpit #Q #F #R #RF #LGBTQ

The book title "Matcha Do About Nothing" in bold letters above a collage that consists of two Asian American high-schoolers, a shot of San Francisco Chinatown, and a close-up photo of vibrant green matcha.

MATCHA DO ABOUT NOTHING

💘Loose Shakespeare inspiration
🍵Family-owned matcha shop
🇸🇬Mixed Asian American rep
📚Academic rivals to…?
🌉Bay Area setting
🫂Family drama

Coming soon to the query trenches!

#QUESTPIT #YA #W #R

6 image moodboard with a rust red background Top left: monster in a forest Top right: yt girl with wavy hair & white Tshirt (representing the main FMC) Middle: a hand with flames, a girl doing a tarot pull Bottom left: 3 women dancing around a fire pit, forest scenery The Witch of Gatlinburg | Demri Redmon

6 image moodboard with a rust red background Top left: monster in forest Top right: Romani woman with thick, curly hair & patterned head scarf (representing the second FMC) Middle: hand with a flame, woman dancing in front of a large fire Bottom left: covered caravan Bottom right: forest scenery The Witch of Gatlinburg | Demri Redmon

WEYWARD x THE BEWITCHING

When two witches in different eras find themselves battling the same ancient forest spirit, they must use magic to communicate through time and find a way to save their covens from total destruction.

#questpit #H #S #Q

🥹🥹🥹🥹 I mean that would be amazing. (Also manifesting an offer 🕯️)
Thank you Soph. I really appreciate you!

Hahaha yessss!!!!! We love an attractive djinn spy

Thank you Soph ❤️ And thank you for the nudge the other day!

As they say, the industry is slow until it isn’t! Sending you all the good vibes for your project Kala! ✨

Introducing 🍃A RAVEN SONG 🍃

For eldest daughters and platonic soulmates.

⛩️portal fantasy
💫star crossed friendships
🍂nostalgia will kill her
❤️‍🔥touch her and you die, but they're best friends
🗡️reckless bargains and a tattooed elven soldier

#questpit #q #a #f