KCU Pitchfest Showcase 2025 (Top 50)

THORN of YORK

TinTin meets QUEEN OF THE SEA in an adventure from when Rome ruled England. Eleven year old Thorn, Goth and proud, runs the street of York with her boys, pranking the police.
Visited by ghosts, dreaming of glory, and driven to become a True Goth like her Awa, she makes the critical decision to lead her gang in something more dangerous: a strike against an important Roman officer, someone her brother happens to adore. But these are late days for the Empire. Power is shifting. The escapade sends Thorn and her friends stumbling into a parallel plot at the highest level and true danger. She has to struggle with her ghosts, her friends, and her conscience before becoming the hero she always wanted to be -- in a way she never expected.

My Why:

I wanted to do something different.
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A story set in the Empire is different. But with the popularity of Roman-themed video games, movies, and series, it’s timely, too.
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The England of Roman temples, colosseums, and festivals is delicious and unexplored territory. It was also surprisingly diverse. Thanks to Rome offering citizenship to all its residents (even a form for women), high office was attainable for non-Romans. At one point, the Emperor was an African, Septimius Severus. A diverse and ambitious crowd flocked to cities like York. Diversity is clear in my story.
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Rome didn't care if you were Roman or not. It did care if you blended in or not. My character does not.
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I believe THORN OF YORK has the makings of a great MG read.