MESH is a middle-grade scifi thriller – here’s what it’s about: Roman’s dream of tech-filled bliss at Miramar Technical High School takes a harrowing turn when he and his band of retrotech rebels must outwit their supervillain principal and his killer robots to prevent a sinister plan for ‘total world domination’ in this thrilling middle-grade sci-fi novel.
MESH is looking for a home with a Big Four publisher. Enjoy the concept art and learn why you need to read and support this amazing, insightful, and constructive science fiction journey.
Premise
Roman came home to visit his family – now he’s running for his life. How did this happen? At first, Roman thought Miramar Technical High School was a dream come true. Escape the suburban suckhole into the hottest technical boarding school in the country? Sure, why not? No poor, geeky middle-schooler can turn down new friends, hot tech, and non-stop prank wars. Roman bands together with an elite group of nerds assigned to a special secret project. If Project November wins first prize at the upcoming Titan Conference, Roman and his friends are on the ground floor of a billion-dollar startup; set for life before he can even drive!
Then the dream becomes a nightmare. The truth is that Project November connects everyone with a cybernetic neurolink into a system controlled by Doctor Gray, his closet-supervillain principal. It means ‘total world domination, total control, forever.’ With hair-raising escapes via old-school spy technology, it’s clear that the only thing standing between a supervillain with his killer robots and an evil plan is one small kid and a plucky band of retrotech rebels brought together by the MESH.
Situation
Let’s discuss why I’m telling this story and why Mesh is important beyond itself. Most authors do not include this type of information up front. I made a personal choice to go into these details. Perhaps it’s a waste of time, but I’d like to know you came away with a better understanding of who I am as a writer, and why I tell the stories I tell.
If humanity is to survive, if we’re to build the future together, we need to create hope and optimism. Scifi can be that platform, it’s championed the progress of humanity as a whole. Ever since Mary Shelley warned us of the dangers of Galvanism back in 1818, we’ve used scifi as a way to examine our motivations and reflect on our choices. Now in 2022, we’re returning to the time-honored tradition of examining motives and reflecting on choices; Mesh can be a powerful voice in that room.
Background
Previous generations of science fiction are no longer sufficient to meet the challenges of 2022. Post-apocalyptic YA from the early 00’s is no longer relevant in a world where kids are living that nightmare right now. Instead, they need science fiction to return to its roots: actualized imagination and determination. Marvel and Star Wars, while interesting and entertaining, aren’t helping us know HOW to get to a better future. How will we get to the future we want if we don’t build it ourselves? How do we build our future if we don’t understand that we can? How can we understand that we can, if our cultural myth is ‘you can only be powerful with a superpower that randomly falls into your life?’ If we’re going to build the future we want, become the people we know we can be, it has to come from inside.
Assessment
Science fiction is a weapon in the war against our dystopian reality. We can and we should help STEM kids know – not just believe, but know – they can change the world. How can we – ordinary non-0.01% people – do that? It’s like Bon Jovi said in his song from a couple years ago: ‘you do what you can.’
I can tell stories that help kids know they can change the world. So that’s what I do. MESH is a story for anyone playing life on hard mode. Young minds need to know their power doesn’t come from aliens, magic rings, or radioactive spiders – their power is inside them, just waiting to be unlocked!
Recommendation
I’m recommending you read and support the success of my novel – Mesh. This neo-Golden Age SciFi novel is an opportunity to encourage STEM and STEM-able communities to come together while creating a fresh universe for readers to explore. No child will read a preachy, hit-you-over-the-head-with-morals story. I kept the ideas and motives out of sight in this story, but the message is clear. You CAN change the world, you just have to know HOW.
With the success of Mesh comes opportunities to support STEM kids in meaningful, people-centered ways. There are a number of STEM-related charities out there but none related specifically to helping under-privileged kids in different countries. Mesh’s success could change that. I have a number of thoughts about what I’d do as a successful author, but I know first and foremost it’s about ‘Live Simply, So That Others May Simply Live’ and ‘Help Others.’
Please read and support the success of Mesh – if you take nothing else away from this discussion, please take that – I need your help, your support to make Mesh fly.
Additional Information
Pitch
SPY SCHOOL x – ACE TAKES FLIGHT – Only one thing stands between Roman’s supervillain principal, his killer robots, and plans for world domination – a plucky band of retrotech rebels brought together by the MESH.
Potential Target Audience
Readers of Middle Grade Sci-Fi, readers of cyberpunk and techno-thrillers, and fans of MORTALITY DOCTRINE by James Dashner meets BLUESCREEN by Dan Wells
Similar Books
SPY SCHOOL BRITISH INVASION by Stuart Gibbs, A PROBLEMATIC PARADOX by Eliot Sappingfield, and SEVENTH GRADE VS THE GALAXY by Joshua S. Levy
Agent / Representation Details
- Genre: MG/SF/Thriller
- Word count: 77K words
- Mesh is publish-ready
Do People Want to Read Mesh?
I teach middle school and my students would read the hell out of that.
— Dr. Susanne Eide (@SusanneEide1) April 4, 2022
Contact Information
Mesh Concept Art
Blog Posts About Mesh
- Stars in a Jar: Jackson Oswalt – Fusion Kid
- The Hidden Cautionary Scifi Tale of Mesh
- Mesh – Forging and Shaping
- Mesh: We Don’t Do Racism or Sexism Here
Thanks for checking out my middle-grade scifi thriller, Mesh! Agents: please reach out to get proper query / agent materials – I look forward to speaking with you.