Dear AGENT NAME:
I visited AGENCY NAME's website and noticed that you are interested in YA and fantasy projects. A Tale of Youth and Sorrow, my 53,400-word novel, might interest you. Its sequel, Capita Mortua, a stand-alone tale featuring returning characters and newcomers, has also been completed.
Twelve-year-old orphan and Potioneer girl Minette Bublee knows next to nothing about the Rogue, Ilona Njis; the ill-tempered, perpetually suspicious master thief who, strangely enough, has been her guardian for the past two years. Then comes the shocking revelation: that Ilona is a murderer, and possibly linked to Belphelial, a restless demon rumored to have broken free from the bonds of his ancient prison. Torn between escape and saving her only friend from spiraling further into self-destruction, Minette unwittingly opens a door into an arcane realm, where past and present intertwine, and a confrontation with a grim remnant of their world's tumultuous history transforms a young woman into a monster. With the ghosts of their yesteryears threatening to tear them apart, Minette will voyage through time to learn one of life's greatest lessons, and unlock the secrets of a power greater than any magic.
Five of my short stories were published in Malate Literary Folio (De La Salle University, Philippines) between 1997 and 2002, one of which won second place in my university's 1999 Literary Awards. A member of Writing.com, I received the 2007 WDC Wonderfuls Award for outstanding writing. In my most recent job, I was a game writer tasked with the detailed write-ups of characters, settings, and stories for games. I am currently residing in the Philippines.
I would be glad to send you my complete manuscript for your review. Thank you for your time and consideration, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely yours,
Michael Cunanan Logarta
May 13, 2010
May 12, 2010
Query--The Middle Princess
Dear [Agent Name]:
Princesses are born into a life of privilege, glamour and prestige—but sixteen year old Fortuna, the fourth girl out of seven daughters, realizes that fairy tales discriminate against all middle princesses and unless she does something about it—nothing will ever change.
Fortuna spends her time breaking the mold of a princess by creating disasters in the castle, pulling pranks on her sisters, and sneaking into sword practice, but it isn’t enough. Seven princes have disappeared and Fortuna, along with her sisters and their kingdom, take the blame for the disappearance. While the Barriers may prevent attack from outside the kingdom, they won’t prevent it from shattering within.
Resolved to prove she’s more than a prankster middle princess Fortuna sets out on a quest to find the missing princes. But she can’t even make it past the castle gates without Aaron, a handsome master swordsman, catching her, and she wonders if she is doomed to middle princess mediocrity.
Aaron, to protect Fortuna from harm, leaves with her and they make their way to the fairy kingdom. Fortuna’s determined to prove that middle princesses are worthy of fame. With her focus set solidly on finding the missing princes and saving the kingdom, she loses sight of what is right in front of her—Aaron. And when she finally realizes that, she must choose to follow her heart or return home a hero.
I am seeking representation for THE MIDDLE PRINCESS, a YA fantasy, complete at 88,000 words. Fans of Gail Carson Levine’s ELLA ENCHANTED and M. M. Kaye’s THE ORDINARY PRINCESS will enjoy the humor of THE MIDDLE PRINCESS.
I would be happy to send you the partial or complete manuscript. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Shanna Blythe
Princesses are born into a life of privilege, glamour and prestige—but sixteen year old Fortuna, the fourth girl out of seven daughters, realizes that fairy tales discriminate against all middle princesses and unless she does something about it—nothing will ever change.
Fortuna spends her time breaking the mold of a princess by creating disasters in the castle, pulling pranks on her sisters, and sneaking into sword practice, but it isn’t enough. Seven princes have disappeared and Fortuna, along with her sisters and their kingdom, take the blame for the disappearance. While the Barriers may prevent attack from outside the kingdom, they won’t prevent it from shattering within.
Resolved to prove she’s more than a prankster middle princess Fortuna sets out on a quest to find the missing princes. But she can’t even make it past the castle gates without Aaron, a handsome master swordsman, catching her, and she wonders if she is doomed to middle princess mediocrity.
Aaron, to protect Fortuna from harm, leaves with her and they make their way to the fairy kingdom. Fortuna’s determined to prove that middle princesses are worthy of fame. With her focus set solidly on finding the missing princes and saving the kingdom, she loses sight of what is right in front of her—Aaron. And when she finally realizes that, she must choose to follow her heart or return home a hero.
I am seeking representation for THE MIDDLE PRINCESS, a YA fantasy, complete at 88,000 words. Fans of Gail Carson Levine’s ELLA ENCHANTED and M. M. Kaye’s THE ORDINARY PRINCESS will enjoy the humor of THE MIDDLE PRINCESS.
I would be happy to send you the partial or complete manuscript. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Shanna Blythe
May 11, 2010
Revised Query - THE DREAM PLAYER
Click here to read the original query.
Jake Wakely is no stranger to being a stranger. He’s lived abroad for the first thirteen years of his life. But after being sent to his father's childhood hometown of Sleepy Valley to live with his grandparents, his ‘new kid’ mystique is fading fast.
Much has changed in Sleepy Valley since Jake's father lived there as a boy. Crater Lake mysteriously disappeared, and the Plateau and the Valley no longer play the Unity Game, an annual lacrosse match founded to celebrate their cross-cultural cooperation. Jake discovers that his father played in the games—including the final game fifteen years ago which was never finished. No one in the valley plays lacrosse anymore, and no one wants to talk about the unfinished game.
Jake’s unpopular friendship with Simon, a native Duwali from the Plateau, disrupts the town's spurious peace by exposing their prejudice. The unrest leads Jake to a government plot to keep the public segregated and dazedly productive in the town’s pharmaceutical factory.
Armed with lacrosse sticks and an erratic cell phone, Jake and Simon must awaken the people by convincing them to complete the final game, with Jake and Simon playing in place of their fathers. But when Jake uncovers his father’s fateful role in the original contest, he gets caught between his friendship with Simon and his own family legacy.
THE DREAM PLAYER, a young adult thriller, chronicles Jake’s miraculous journey. Readers may find this similar to HOLES, with a touch of LORD OF THE FLIES and BRAVE NEW WORLD. The completed manuscript is 74,000 words.
Sincerely,
Name
Jake Wakely is no stranger to being a stranger. He’s lived abroad for the first thirteen years of his life. But after being sent to his father's childhood hometown of Sleepy Valley to live with his grandparents, his ‘new kid’ mystique is fading fast.
Much has changed in Sleepy Valley since Jake's father lived there as a boy. Crater Lake mysteriously disappeared, and the Plateau and the Valley no longer play the Unity Game, an annual lacrosse match founded to celebrate their cross-cultural cooperation. Jake discovers that his father played in the games—including the final game fifteen years ago which was never finished. No one in the valley plays lacrosse anymore, and no one wants to talk about the unfinished game.
Jake’s unpopular friendship with Simon, a native Duwali from the Plateau, disrupts the town's spurious peace by exposing their prejudice. The unrest leads Jake to a government plot to keep the public segregated and dazedly productive in the town’s pharmaceutical factory.
Armed with lacrosse sticks and an erratic cell phone, Jake and Simon must awaken the people by convincing them to complete the final game, with Jake and Simon playing in place of their fathers. But when Jake uncovers his father’s fateful role in the original contest, he gets caught between his friendship with Simon and his own family legacy.
THE DREAM PLAYER, a young adult thriller, chronicles Jake’s miraculous journey. Readers may find this similar to HOLES, with a touch of LORD OF THE FLIES and BRAVE NEW WORLD. The completed manuscript is 74,000 words.
Sincerely,
Name
May 10, 2010
QUERY- THE DREAM PLAYER
Dear Agent:
Jake Wakely is no stranger to being a stranger. He’s lived abroad for the first thirteen years of his life. But after being sent to his father's childhood hometown of Sleepy Valley to live with his grandparents, his ‘new kid’ mystique is fading fast.
Jake’s unpopular friendship with Simon, a native Duwali from the Plateau, disrupts the town's spurious peace by exposing their prejudice. The unrest leads Jake to a government plot to keep the public segregated yet dazedly productive in the town’s pharmaceutical factory.
Jake and Simon must awaken the people by convincing them to complete an unfinished lacrosse game from generations past, with Jake and Simon playing in place of their fathers. But when Jake uncovers his father’s fateful role in the unfinished game, he gets caught between his friendship with Simon and his own family legacy.
THE DREAM PLAYER, a young adult thriller, chronicles Jake’s miraculous journey. Readers may find this similar to Holes or Lord of the Flies—real people in imagined settings challenged by nature, the depravity of man and the bioelectrical effects of targeted infrasonic wave generation. (A cliché, admittedly) The completed manuscript is 74,000 words.
Sincerely,
Name
Jake Wakely is no stranger to being a stranger. He’s lived abroad for the first thirteen years of his life. But after being sent to his father's childhood hometown of Sleepy Valley to live with his grandparents, his ‘new kid’ mystique is fading fast.
Jake’s unpopular friendship with Simon, a native Duwali from the Plateau, disrupts the town's spurious peace by exposing their prejudice. The unrest leads Jake to a government plot to keep the public segregated yet dazedly productive in the town’s pharmaceutical factory.
Jake and Simon must awaken the people by convincing them to complete an unfinished lacrosse game from generations past, with Jake and Simon playing in place of their fathers. But when Jake uncovers his father’s fateful role in the unfinished game, he gets caught between his friendship with Simon and his own family legacy.
THE DREAM PLAYER, a young adult thriller, chronicles Jake’s miraculous journey. Readers may find this similar to Holes or Lord of the Flies—real people in imagined settings challenged by nature, the depravity of man and the bioelectrical effects of targeted infrasonic wave generation. (A cliché, admittedly) The completed manuscript is 74,000 words.
Sincerely,
Name
Query- Winter Roses Never Die
Click here to read the original query.
Click here to read the first revision.
Click here to read the second revision.
Queries for this novel have been posted a few times before, and I thank everyone for their great suggestions! This time I'm trying something more succinct while focusing more on the inspirational side of the story. I think everyone is becoming blaise about good vampire as paramour type stories.
Dear Agent,
Grateful no one noticed her watching from the shadows, Jennie felt like an unworthy, unwanted outsider before this surreal, sumptuous, candlelit world.
How this shy,imaginative, niave woman arrives on the border of Charos' decadent and surreal world makes for the first half of Winter Roses Never Die. How she breaks through her own barricades and those created by the cynical, elusive and troubled Charos makes for the second half. The story of Jennie's inspired journey through the maze of life's mysteries and misleading negativities, brings hope and answers for all.
Winter Roses Never Die is a paranormal and inspirational romance for adults of 94,000 words.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Author Name
Click here to read the first revision.
Click here to read the second revision.
Queries for this novel have been posted a few times before, and I thank everyone for their great suggestions! This time I'm trying something more succinct while focusing more on the inspirational side of the story. I think everyone is becoming blaise about good vampire as paramour type stories.
Dear Agent,
Grateful no one noticed her watching from the shadows, Jennie felt like an unworthy, unwanted outsider before this surreal, sumptuous, candlelit world.
How this shy,imaginative, niave woman arrives on the border of Charos' decadent and surreal world makes for the first half of Winter Roses Never Die. How she breaks through her own barricades and those created by the cynical, elusive and troubled Charos makes for the second half. The story of Jennie's inspired journey through the maze of life's mysteries and misleading negativities, brings hope and answers for all.
Winter Roses Never Die is a paranormal and inspirational romance for adults of 94,000 words.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Author Name
May 9, 2010
QUERY - FAITH AND A .45
June, 1850. Again.
For two hundred years the silver monorail of the Midnight Train has been a silent reminder of a bygone era where Gunslingers, Outlaws, Ostrich Hunters and Redskins roamed the storm wracked flatland of the tornado plains.
Dust in her hair and lye soap burning the creases of her washtub hands, farmhand Faith Gale fears that her life's ambitions will end with her trapped as the trophy wife of a corn farmer -- until she sees the smokestacks of the black train rolling into an abandoned station on the far edge of the farming town of Topica.
A lone passenger disembarks, hiding knowledge of the past, the present and the many parallel lines of the future behind metallic green eyes.
Beaten and raped by Jebediah Green, Faith is held hostage by his bulletless guns and the temptation to follow him as he cuts a pathway of brutality and murder into Topica's rural bliss on a quest for an artifact he thinks can return him to his home. Wherever, whenever, that may be.
Pursued by a trio of gunfighters, Jebediah and Faith ride the twisting rail of the Midnight Train to the wall at the edge of the world -- and beyond -- as Faith takes gun in hand and becomes the villain of her own life story.
Faith and a .45 is a 90,000 word Sci Fi Western in the spirit of Stephen King's Gunslinger novels.
Thank you for your time and consideration!
-Philip Hansen
philip.hansen@gmail.com
For two hundred years the silver monorail of the Midnight Train has been a silent reminder of a bygone era where Gunslingers, Outlaws, Ostrich Hunters and Redskins roamed the storm wracked flatland of the tornado plains.
Dust in her hair and lye soap burning the creases of her washtub hands, farmhand Faith Gale fears that her life's ambitions will end with her trapped as the trophy wife of a corn farmer -- until she sees the smokestacks of the black train rolling into an abandoned station on the far edge of the farming town of Topica.
A lone passenger disembarks, hiding knowledge of the past, the present and the many parallel lines of the future behind metallic green eyes.
Beaten and raped by Jebediah Green, Faith is held hostage by his bulletless guns and the temptation to follow him as he cuts a pathway of brutality and murder into Topica's rural bliss on a quest for an artifact he thinks can return him to his home. Wherever, whenever, that may be.
Pursued by a trio of gunfighters, Jebediah and Faith ride the twisting rail of the Midnight Train to the wall at the edge of the world -- and beyond -- as Faith takes gun in hand and becomes the villain of her own life story.
Faith and a .45 is a 90,000 word Sci Fi Western in the spirit of Stephen King's Gunslinger novels.
Thank you for your time and consideration!
-Philip Hansen
philip.hansen@gmail.com
May 5, 2010
Query Me This...
I'd like to conduct a little exercise / experiment. Deadline for submissions is Friday, May 28 at 10pm Eastern Time. Please read on for details...
Send me a query and the first five pages for a novel based on this premise:
(I'll explain why in a second)
Our protagonist has found evidence that the government is being lured into war. If the country engages in the conflict abroad, its military will not be able to deal with an imminent invasion by a rival nation. The problem is that the source of the information is a double-agent, and our protagonist is being set up to cause the war he/she is trying to prevent.
I'm curious to see the following results:
- How good the queries are, and if it seems easier to write a good query than a good novel. I bet we'll see some pretty good queries that don't have a manuscript to back them up.
- The sample pages should shed some light on our fears about a plot/concept being ripped off by another writer. I think the sample pages will illustrate how different each writer's voice is, and even though all submissions are based on the same premise some will be much better than others.
- How different each response is in terms of genre. The premise is vague enough to be fantasy, mystery/thriller, crime, sci-fi, urban fantasy, steampunk, and even YA. I know there are many talented storytellers out there, show us your chops!
Hopefully three-and-a-half weeks will be enough time for you to craft a submission.
Email submissions to rjdaley101071@gmail.com
Each entry will have its own post, and posts will be up on Monday, May 31. Comments and critiques for each post are encouraged, so long as they are polite and professional.
On Friday, June 4, after we have all had several days to read through the submissions, I will post a discussion thread.
There are no prizes. I can dig up the clip about "eternal consciousness" from Caddyshack if you feel the need for a fiscal reward for participating.
Send me a query and the first five pages for a novel based on this premise:
(I'll explain why in a second)
Our protagonist has found evidence that the government is being lured into war. If the country engages in the conflict abroad, its military will not be able to deal with an imminent invasion by a rival nation. The problem is that the source of the information is a double-agent, and our protagonist is being set up to cause the war he/she is trying to prevent.
I'm curious to see the following results:
- How good the queries are, and if it seems easier to write a good query than a good novel. I bet we'll see some pretty good queries that don't have a manuscript to back them up.
- The sample pages should shed some light on our fears about a plot/concept being ripped off by another writer. I think the sample pages will illustrate how different each writer's voice is, and even though all submissions are based on the same premise some will be much better than others.
- How different each response is in terms of genre. The premise is vague enough to be fantasy, mystery/thriller, crime, sci-fi, urban fantasy, steampunk, and even YA. I know there are many talented storytellers out there, show us your chops!
Hopefully three-and-a-half weeks will be enough time for you to craft a submission.
Email submissions to rjdaley101071@gmail.com
Each entry will have its own post, and posts will be up on Monday, May 31. Comments and critiques for each post are encouraged, so long as they are polite and professional.
On Friday, June 4, after we have all had several days to read through the submissions, I will post a discussion thread.
There are no prizes. I can dig up the clip about "eternal consciousness" from Caddyshack if you feel the need for a fiscal reward for participating.
QUERY/ A PLACE TO BE (revised)
Click here to read the original query.
Dear,
I am seeking representation. My novel, A Place to Be, is a piece of literary fiction (95 271 words) that is both plot and character-driven.
Kamala Karthigesu is about to hang herself in Tranquil Asylum where she’s spent the last two years trying to come to terms with the betrayals of her past. Her childhood best friends, Lim Pei Lu and Rashid Mansur were meant to be her constant companions but when they fell in love, Kamala was forced to grapple with her own unrequited love for Rashid and the disintegration of their friendship. Two things happened as a result of her dejection: the start of her “symbol-making” on her arms and her departure from Malaysia for England to pursue her studies.
In England, facing a new and alienating environment, she has multiple affairs with men until she meets Vincent Garland, an artist she falls in love with, seeing him as Rashid’s replacement. After five years, he too betrays her and Kamala undergoes her first mental collapse which she later finds out drove her to perform an unspeakable act, resulting in her return to Malaysia. But Kamala has always been skilled at dodging the realities of her condition either through alcohol, “symbol-making” or downright denial. When she is saved from suicide by Nurse Fatimah who has been taking care of her at the asylum she is forced to face the realities of her past which becomes clear to her through Nurse Fatimah’s confession about her own secret as a murderer.
My poems have been published in several US and UK publications including “Agenda” Broadsheet and The Wolf magazine and my story “Redemption” was shortlisted for the Fish Publishing One-page Story Prize 2010.
Please let me know if you would be interested in reading part or all of A Place to Be.
Thanks for your time and I hope to hear from you soon.
Dear,
I am seeking representation. My novel, A Place to Be, is a piece of literary fiction (95 271 words) that is both plot and character-driven.
Kamala Karthigesu is about to hang herself in Tranquil Asylum where she’s spent the last two years trying to come to terms with the betrayals of her past. Her childhood best friends, Lim Pei Lu and Rashid Mansur were meant to be her constant companions but when they fell in love, Kamala was forced to grapple with her own unrequited love for Rashid and the disintegration of their friendship. Two things happened as a result of her dejection: the start of her “symbol-making” on her arms and her departure from Malaysia for England to pursue her studies.
In England, facing a new and alienating environment, she has multiple affairs with men until she meets Vincent Garland, an artist she falls in love with, seeing him as Rashid’s replacement. After five years, he too betrays her and Kamala undergoes her first mental collapse which she later finds out drove her to perform an unspeakable act, resulting in her return to Malaysia. But Kamala has always been skilled at dodging the realities of her condition either through alcohol, “symbol-making” or downright denial. When she is saved from suicide by Nurse Fatimah who has been taking care of her at the asylum she is forced to face the realities of her past which becomes clear to her through Nurse Fatimah’s confession about her own secret as a murderer.
My poems have been published in several US and UK publications including “Agenda” Broadsheet and The Wolf magazine and my story “Redemption” was shortlisted for the Fish Publishing One-page Story Prize 2010.
Please let me know if you would be interested in reading part or all of A Place to Be.
Thanks for your time and I hope to hear from you soon.
May 4, 2010
QUERY/ A PLACE TO BE
Dear ,
I am seeking representation. My novel, A Place to Be, is a piece of literary fiction (95 271 words) that can be compared to the lyrical yet plot-driven novels by Preeta Samarasan and Arundhati Roy. However, the introspective and psychological bent of my novel makes it more emotionally and psychically gripping.
Kamala Karthigesu has been spending the last two years in a mental asylum in Tanjung Agas, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. She is just about to hang herself when there is a knock on the door. She’s not even allowed to kill herself, it seems.
Her days at the Asylum have mainly been quiet apart from occasional episodes which have come to be regarded by all as “1000 watt” moments. But the past will not let her go. She’s haunted by Pei Lu and Rashid, her childhood friends who betrayed her by falling in love, Tarikh, Rashid’s dead artist uncle whose paintings first inspired her to become an artist, her ex-lover the English painter Vincent Garland and Vairaumati, a character from Paul Gauguin’s paintings whose persona she blames Vincent for imposing on her when they were in love.
It is finally Nurse Fatimah who saves her from suicide. She has been taking care of Kamala at the asylum but their relationship has always been an uneasy one. It is Nurse Fatimah’s confession about her own past that finally gets Kamala to face the ghosts that have been haunting her. But it’s not an easy confrontation. She learns a fact about her past which confirms her mental instability and she is left to wonder about what she will do with her guilt.
Set mainly in contemporary Malaysia and partly in England, the novel looks at the effects of flawed communication between people, the weight of an unexplored past (both private and public- a parallel concern that runs through the novel is the May 13 1969 racial riots in Kuala Lumpur), the power of betrayal and how people create their own victimhood.
My poems have been published in several US and UK publications including “Agenda” Broadsheet and The Wolf magazine. I am a Malaysian by birth, a painter by choice and a writer by necessity.
Please let me know if you would be interested in reading part or all of A Place to Be.
Thanks for your time and I hope to hear from you soon.
I am seeking representation. My novel, A Place to Be, is a piece of literary fiction (95 271 words) that can be compared to the lyrical yet plot-driven novels by Preeta Samarasan and Arundhati Roy. However, the introspective and psychological bent of my novel makes it more emotionally and psychically gripping.
Kamala Karthigesu has been spending the last two years in a mental asylum in Tanjung Agas, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. She is just about to hang herself when there is a knock on the door. She’s not even allowed to kill herself, it seems.
Her days at the Asylum have mainly been quiet apart from occasional episodes which have come to be regarded by all as “1000 watt” moments. But the past will not let her go. She’s haunted by Pei Lu and Rashid, her childhood friends who betrayed her by falling in love, Tarikh, Rashid’s dead artist uncle whose paintings first inspired her to become an artist, her ex-lover the English painter Vincent Garland and Vairaumati, a character from Paul Gauguin’s paintings whose persona she blames Vincent for imposing on her when they were in love.
It is finally Nurse Fatimah who saves her from suicide. She has been taking care of Kamala at the asylum but their relationship has always been an uneasy one. It is Nurse Fatimah’s confession about her own past that finally gets Kamala to face the ghosts that have been haunting her. But it’s not an easy confrontation. She learns a fact about her past which confirms her mental instability and she is left to wonder about what she will do with her guilt.
Set mainly in contemporary Malaysia and partly in England, the novel looks at the effects of flawed communication between people, the weight of an unexplored past (both private and public- a parallel concern that runs through the novel is the May 13 1969 racial riots in Kuala Lumpur), the power of betrayal and how people create their own victimhood.
My poems have been published in several US and UK publications including “Agenda” Broadsheet and The Wolf magazine. I am a Malaysian by birth, a painter by choice and a writer by necessity.
Please let me know if you would be interested in reading part or all of A Place to Be.
Thanks for your time and I hope to hear from you soon.
Query- Little Nightmares
Dear Agent,
I am seeking representation for my 70,000 word YA URBAN FANTASY novel Little Nightmares.
You’d think it would be safe to explore a haunted house when your two best friends are horror stories themselves. Seline Crier finds out differently.
All her life Seline Crier has been ostracized from her family and society because of one little ability. She’s a telekinetic. And when she meets Dmitri, a forty year old vampire trapped in the body of a twelve year old, and Omega, a fledgling werewolf on the eave of his first transformation, she thinks she might be able to pull her family back together again. She just has to brave the horrors of the Wickham House first.
Inside the Wickham House Seline’s life complicates even further as she’s almost scared to death by the House’s two friendly haunts, almost torn apart by Omega, and drawn into a plot to kill Dmitri that will change her life forever. Seline uses her powers to stop the monster threatening her friends, and earns its wrath when she proves unable to kill it. Now Seline must rush to her home before the monster can arrive ahead of her, and take away any chance she ever has of fixing her family and earning their love.
Little Nightmares will appeal to the fans of both paranormal and horror genres. I am a student of history at Concord University and have one prior publication with Concord University’s publication Reflexes.
I would be happy to forward the complete manuscript to you upon your request, and I thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Ryan M. Smith
I am seeking representation for my 70,000 word YA URBAN FANTASY novel Little Nightmares.
You’d think it would be safe to explore a haunted house when your two best friends are horror stories themselves. Seline Crier finds out differently.
All her life Seline Crier has been ostracized from her family and society because of one little ability. She’s a telekinetic. And when she meets Dmitri, a forty year old vampire trapped in the body of a twelve year old, and Omega, a fledgling werewolf on the eave of his first transformation, she thinks she might be able to pull her family back together again. She just has to brave the horrors of the Wickham House first.
Inside the Wickham House Seline’s life complicates even further as she’s almost scared to death by the House’s two friendly haunts, almost torn apart by Omega, and drawn into a plot to kill Dmitri that will change her life forever. Seline uses her powers to stop the monster threatening her friends, and earns its wrath when she proves unable to kill it. Now Seline must rush to her home before the monster can arrive ahead of her, and take away any chance she ever has of fixing her family and earning their love.
Little Nightmares will appeal to the fans of both paranormal and horror genres. I am a student of history at Concord University and have one prior publication with Concord University’s publication Reflexes.
I would be happy to forward the complete manuscript to you upon your request, and I thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Ryan M. Smith
May 3, 2010
QUERY- HAVEN
Dear Agent,
There are a lot of things Scar doesn’t believe in – magic, monsters, a passing grade in history. That all changes the night of her fifteenth birthday (well, except the passing history thing) when she finds out her whole life has been a lie. Told she isn’t human, she is taken to a world of nightmares, a boot camp designed to contain werewolves, witches and vampires (like they think she’s dangerous or something).
Now, in order to survive, she must learn that breaking a witch’s Frisbee can really piss him off, that challenging a werewolf to a foot race is a bad idea – especially if you want to live, that vampires hold serious grudges equipped with mean left hooks, and that sometimes the hardest secrets to keep are the most crucial.
But she has a secret. She is a Dhampir, part-human, part-other, masquerading as a vampire.
When students begin to disappear, Scar starts seeing visions of attacks. A found video places her at one of the crime scenes, turning her into the prime suspect, and now her very survival might be at stake. She must race to prove her innocence before her true nature is exposed.
The only problem is that she’s not entirely sure she’s innocent.
HAVEN is a 65,000-word YA urban fantasy novel. Included below arethe first ten pages. The complete manuscript is available upon your request.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely ...
There are a lot of things Scar doesn’t believe in – magic, monsters, a passing grade in history. That all changes the night of her fifteenth birthday (well, except the passing history thing) when she finds out her whole life has been a lie. Told she isn’t human, she is taken to a world of nightmares, a boot camp designed to contain werewolves, witches and vampires (like they think she’s dangerous or something).
Now, in order to survive, she must learn that breaking a witch’s Frisbee can really piss him off, that challenging a werewolf to a foot race is a bad idea – especially if you want to live, that vampires hold serious grudges equipped with mean left hooks, and that sometimes the hardest secrets to keep are the most crucial.
But she has a secret. She is a Dhampir, part-human, part-other, masquerading as a vampire.
When students begin to disappear, Scar starts seeing visions of attacks. A found video places her at one of the crime scenes, turning her into the prime suspect, and now her very survival might be at stake. She must race to prove her innocence before her true nature is exposed.
The only problem is that she’s not entirely sure she’s innocent.
HAVEN is a 65,000-word YA urban fantasy novel. Included below arethe first ten pages. The complete manuscript is available upon your request.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely ...
Query for NEW BLOOD (repost, sorry left something out)
Click here to read the original query.
195 words. this is raw, and just the basis, none of the agent stuff. Hopefully I understood your advice well enough that I have answered all of your questions.
Being twenty years old, a student, and working; is just the start of things for a barely human girl, in a barely mortal world. Ianna was reincarnated, from an act of love driven by desperation. In her previous life as gypsy born of pure magic; she had cast a soul binding spell to bring her back and insure the survival of her soul mate, Damien; though his survival turned him into a vampire.
The vampire coven that had turned Damien is now hunting Ianna, in a fight to change destiny itself. Ianna loses her mortality when the coven tracks her down in a gruesome attack. Ianna’s death brings her new life as a New Blood, a freshly turned vampire. Though the coven will stop at nothing to destroy Ianna and her family, the war is just beginning.
Becoming a vampire has caused her nightmares to turn to visions that now curse Ianna; causing her to blackout every time she feeds. To make matters worse, Ianna seems to have lost an important piece of her humanity. Though her ability to love is strong; Ianna’s mercilessness for killing has her family worried at what she may become.
195 words. this is raw, and just the basis, none of the agent stuff. Hopefully I understood your advice well enough that I have answered all of your questions.
Being twenty years old, a student, and working; is just the start of things for a barely human girl, in a barely mortal world. Ianna was reincarnated, from an act of love driven by desperation. In her previous life as gypsy born of pure magic; she had cast a soul binding spell to bring her back and insure the survival of her soul mate, Damien; though his survival turned him into a vampire.
The vampire coven that had turned Damien is now hunting Ianna, in a fight to change destiny itself. Ianna loses her mortality when the coven tracks her down in a gruesome attack. Ianna’s death brings her new life as a New Blood, a freshly turned vampire. Though the coven will stop at nothing to destroy Ianna and her family, the war is just beginning.
Becoming a vampire has caused her nightmares to turn to visions that now curse Ianna; causing her to blackout every time she feeds. To make matters worse, Ianna seems to have lost an important piece of her humanity. Though her ability to love is strong; Ianna’s mercilessness for killing has her family worried at what she may become.
Query:Snap
Dear Mr./Ms. Agent,
Julia Turnbolt, couldn’t have predicted that she, her cheating soon to be ex-husband Jack, and their two teenage kids, would end up on a tour boat in the middle of the sea with modern day pirates ready to slit their throats. Sure, if you look at the past year, between finding Jack banging a nineteen year old bimbo, the murder of her best friend and of course Julia’s recent stint in rehab for her raging Oxycontin addiction, this new crock of crap kind of makes sense. But all that was supposed to be behind her when Chelsea, her daughter, won this all-inclusive trip for four to Thailand.
I mean come on, Julia’s used to slinging fries not fighting blood-thirsty thugs. So even though she can’t swim a stroke and the family’s chances of getting rescued are pretty much nil, Jacks plan for them all to board a flimsy dinghy and set adrift in the sea seems right. Days later when Julia’s way beyond regretting listening to Jack’s hair-brained plan, they find an uninhabited island. Lets face it, finding land after almost dying at sea seems like a step in the right direction, right? Nope, because their supposed sanctuary just happens to be the very same place where their former captors stash their booty. Now with the brutes just a breath away from finding the family’s makeshift camp and Jack laid out with a mysterious fever, Julia’s got one option, fight. Suddenly the new rules are, there aren’t any, and with everyone’s life on the line, doing whatever it takes, and that means whatever, suddenly seems like a pretty decent plan.
Snap is Contemporary Women's Fiction complete at about 80,000. I can be reached at the email address provided. Thank you for your time and consideration, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,Writer
Julia Turnbolt, couldn’t have predicted that she, her cheating soon to be ex-husband Jack, and their two teenage kids, would end up on a tour boat in the middle of the sea with modern day pirates ready to slit their throats. Sure, if you look at the past year, between finding Jack banging a nineteen year old bimbo, the murder of her best friend and of course Julia’s recent stint in rehab for her raging Oxycontin addiction, this new crock of crap kind of makes sense. But all that was supposed to be behind her when Chelsea, her daughter, won this all-inclusive trip for four to Thailand.
I mean come on, Julia’s used to slinging fries not fighting blood-thirsty thugs. So even though she can’t swim a stroke and the family’s chances of getting rescued are pretty much nil, Jacks plan for them all to board a flimsy dinghy and set adrift in the sea seems right. Days later when Julia’s way beyond regretting listening to Jack’s hair-brained plan, they find an uninhabited island. Lets face it, finding land after almost dying at sea seems like a step in the right direction, right? Nope, because their supposed sanctuary just happens to be the very same place where their former captors stash their booty. Now with the brutes just a breath away from finding the family’s makeshift camp and Jack laid out with a mysterious fever, Julia’s got one option, fight. Suddenly the new rules are, there aren’t any, and with everyone’s life on the line, doing whatever it takes, and that means whatever, suddenly seems like a pretty decent plan.
Snap is Contemporary Women's Fiction complete at about 80,000. I can be reached at the email address provided. Thank you for your time and consideration, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,Writer
May 2, 2010
Request for Author Info- Wilder Times
Attention Slushpile readers,
If you wrote the query for Wilder Times, please check the comments on that post and/or this one. An agent has expressed interest and is looking to contact you. Good luck!
A posted query has caught my eye. I am a Lit Agent, accepting new clients. How do I contact the author of the query entitled
"Wilder Times"
Thank you,
Susan
If you wrote the query for Wilder Times, please check the comments on that post and/or this one. An agent has expressed interest and is looking to contact you. Good luck!
A posted query has caught my eye. I am a Lit Agent, accepting new clients. How do I contact the author of the query entitled
"Wilder Times"
Thank you,
Susan
Apr 27, 2010
QUERY - NEW BLOOD
I want to say that my biggest concern with my query is over editing, i.e Cutting too much information from the original.
To the desk of (agent),
Some people are not meant for the mortal world. Ianna’s stagnant life takes quite a twist when she learns the hard lesson that heartbreak isn’t the only possible nasty side effect when you fall in love, at least not when you fall in love with a vampire. Fatal attraction has taken on an entirely new meaning.
Ianna loses her mortality when a dark coven of vampires tracks her down in a gruesome attack. Ianna’s death brings her new life as a New Blood, a freshly turned vampire. For survival of all that she loves, Ianna must learn to control her overwhelming carnality along with her crippling visions from her previous life as a powerful gypsy.
After extensive research, I believe that you and the (***) agency could be an excellent match for my completed 120,000 word Dark Romantic Fantasy, NEW BLOOD. Also, I have a website available for more information. Thank you for all of your time and consideration.
Respectfully,
To the desk of (agent),
Some people are not meant for the mortal world. Ianna’s stagnant life takes quite a twist when she learns the hard lesson that heartbreak isn’t the only possible nasty side effect when you fall in love, at least not when you fall in love with a vampire. Fatal attraction has taken on an entirely new meaning.
Ianna loses her mortality when a dark coven of vampires tracks her down in a gruesome attack. Ianna’s death brings her new life as a New Blood, a freshly turned vampire. For survival of all that she loves, Ianna must learn to control her overwhelming carnality along with her crippling visions from her previous life as a powerful gypsy.
After extensive research, I believe that you and the (***) agency could be an excellent match for my completed 120,000 word Dark Romantic Fantasy, NEW BLOOD. Also, I have a website available for more information. Thank you for all of your time and consideration.
Respectfully,
Apr 26, 2010
Query- THE DRIFTER
Dear Agent,
For sixteen-year-old Pip, knowing everyone’s time of death is growing tiresome. Especially when she can’t stop it. However When a boy named Romeo hits her with his motorcycle she suddenly loses her curse.
Her past a blur and her curse gone, Pip finally sees how it is to be normal and to fall in love. But when Romeo’s father discovers she is a drifter, she is forced to run, Romeo by her side after his father’s last warning. Yet Pip’s recurring hallucinations of the dead keep coming and she is desperate to tell Romeo of her lost curse. Except he would never believe her. Until the night they plan their escape, her curse returns...and Romeo has only one hour left to live.
I’m seeking representation for THE DRIFTER, a 55,000-word paranormal romance novel for young adults. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
A.K.
For sixteen-year-old Pip, knowing everyone’s time of death is growing tiresome. Especially when she can’t stop it. However When a boy named Romeo hits her with his motorcycle she suddenly loses her curse.
Her past a blur and her curse gone, Pip finally sees how it is to be normal and to fall in love. But when Romeo’s father discovers she is a drifter, she is forced to run, Romeo by her side after his father’s last warning. Yet Pip’s recurring hallucinations of the dead keep coming and she is desperate to tell Romeo of her lost curse. Except he would never believe her. Until the night they plan their escape, her curse returns...and Romeo has only one hour left to live.
I’m seeking representation for THE DRIFTER, a 55,000-word paranormal romance novel for young adults. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
A.K.
Query- The History of the Tie Dye Bra and Other Lessons in Me (Revised)
Click here to read the original query.
Dear Agent:
Jaclyn Witt is going to live the rest of her life with the man of her dreams. If only he’d ask her out and her karma would cooperate. The History of the Tie Dye Bra and Other Lessons in Me chronicles the coming-of-age of quirky heroine Jackie Witt, who navigates adolescence with off-beat humor and three unlikely best friends.
There is a reason that Chelsea’s mom nicknamed Jackie, Chelsea, Frankie and Joe
“a strange little family.” They are inseparable, committed to each other despite their differences. Their friendship provides something each of them craves.
For Jackie, it’s an appreciation of her unique outlook on life, from her obsession with game shows, to her infamous drunk dancing episodes, and even for her quest to find the perfect man through an ever-growing list of boyfriend rules. For Frankie, it means protection from the hippie parents who see her love of beef and opposition to marijuana use as a sign of their failure. For Chelsea, it’s an understanding of the vulnerability behind the flirt who declares premarital sex as her college major to finagle free drinks in bars. But what about Joe? Is it about getting attention that was missing in a household focused on his brother’s drug addiction? Or is there something more to Joe’s dedication to his strange little family?
The story takes us from childhood exploits to the end of college, where Jackie finally meets her soul mate. When her friends’ meddling jeopardizes their budding romance, Jackie makes a decision that threatens to destroy her strange little family. So, will the funny foursome go their separate ways, or prevail to protect each other’s frailties and friendship?
I am seeking representation for my first novel, a 50,000-word, humorous YA romance that uses Rachel’s witty narrative to tear at the heart and mend the soul. I read that you were an agent with an interest in YA and romance novels who welcomes first-time authors with a unique voice and humorous perspective, which would make you the perfect fit for this book.
Thank you for taking the time to consider representing my work. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
LL
--------
Thanks to all the great comments I got yesterday, I was able to improve my query. Here's revision #1. Any thoughts?
PS Thanks everyone and especially Rick Daley for this great site!
Dear Agent:
Jaclyn Witt is going to live the rest of her life with the man of her dreams. If only he’d ask her out and her karma would cooperate. The History of the Tie Dye Bra and Other Lessons in Me chronicles the coming-of-age of quirky heroine Jackie Witt, who navigates adolescence with off-beat humor and three unlikely best friends.
There is a reason that Chelsea’s mom nicknamed Jackie, Chelsea, Frankie and Joe
“a strange little family.” They are inseparable, committed to each other despite their differences. Their friendship provides something each of them craves.
For Jackie, it’s an appreciation of her unique outlook on life, from her obsession with game shows, to her infamous drunk dancing episodes, and even for her quest to find the perfect man through an ever-growing list of boyfriend rules. For Frankie, it means protection from the hippie parents who see her love of beef and opposition to marijuana use as a sign of their failure. For Chelsea, it’s an understanding of the vulnerability behind the flirt who declares premarital sex as her college major to finagle free drinks in bars. But what about Joe? Is it about getting attention that was missing in a household focused on his brother’s drug addiction? Or is there something more to Joe’s dedication to his strange little family?
The story takes us from childhood exploits to the end of college, where Jackie finally meets her soul mate. When her friends’ meddling jeopardizes their budding romance, Jackie makes a decision that threatens to destroy her strange little family. So, will the funny foursome go their separate ways, or prevail to protect each other’s frailties and friendship?
I am seeking representation for my first novel, a 50,000-word, humorous YA romance that uses Rachel’s witty narrative to tear at the heart and mend the soul. I read that you were an agent with an interest in YA and romance novels who welcomes first-time authors with a unique voice and humorous perspective, which would make you the perfect fit for this book.
Thank you for taking the time to consider representing my work. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
LL
--------
Thanks to all the great comments I got yesterday, I was able to improve my query. Here's revision #1. Any thoughts?
PS Thanks everyone and especially Rick Daley for this great site!
Apr 25, 2010
Query- History of the Tie Dye Bra
Dear Agent:
Jaclyn Witt is going to live the rest of her life with the man of her dreams. If only he’d cooperate and her three best friends would butt out. The History of the Tie Dye Bra and Other Lessons in Me chronicles the coming-of-age of quirky heroine Jackie Witt, who navigates the awkwardness of adolescence with a sense of humor and three inseparable and unlikely best friends.
Jackie, Francine, Chelsie and Joe grew up in each other's basements and backyards, laughing their way through everything from drunk dancing dilemmas to disastrous first loves. Her off-beat journey takes her to the end of her college days, where her dream romance with “the one” threatens to dismember her “strange little family.” So, do the funny foursome go their separate ways or prevail to protect each other’s frailties and friendship?
I am seeking representation for my first novel, a 50,000-word, humorous YA romance that uses the protagonist's witty narrative to tear at the heart and mend the soul.
I read that you were an agent with an interest in YA and romance novels who welcomes first-time authors with a unique voice and humorous perspective, which would make you the perfect fit for this book.
If you feel like History of the Tie Dye Bra is a project worthy of your time, I would love to forward a synopsis or sample chapters. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
LL
NOTE: I am considering replacing the third paragraph with a risky alternative, only because it parallels the humor of the book:
"And more importantly, will Ms. Agent be interested enough to consider representing this first novel? After all, the closest I’ve ever come to having anything published is my annual Christmas letter. While quite popular around the neighborhood, it certainly doesn’t complete a resume. But I digress. If I could just get her to read it, she’d find that History of the Tie Dye Bra is a 50,000-word, humorous YA romance that uses Jackie’s witty narrative to tear at the heart and mend the soul."
I am leaning towards the first one as it's obviously more professional. Opinions?
Jaclyn Witt is going to live the rest of her life with the man of her dreams. If only he’d cooperate and her three best friends would butt out. The History of the Tie Dye Bra and Other Lessons in Me chronicles the coming-of-age of quirky heroine Jackie Witt, who navigates the awkwardness of adolescence with a sense of humor and three inseparable and unlikely best friends.
Jackie, Francine, Chelsie and Joe grew up in each other's basements and backyards, laughing their way through everything from drunk dancing dilemmas to disastrous first loves. Her off-beat journey takes her to the end of her college days, where her dream romance with “the one” threatens to dismember her “strange little family.” So, do the funny foursome go their separate ways or prevail to protect each other’s frailties and friendship?
I am seeking representation for my first novel, a 50,000-word, humorous YA romance that uses the protagonist's witty narrative to tear at the heart and mend the soul.
I read that you were an agent with an interest in YA and romance novels who welcomes first-time authors with a unique voice and humorous perspective, which would make you the perfect fit for this book.
If you feel like History of the Tie Dye Bra is a project worthy of your time, I would love to forward a synopsis or sample chapters. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
LL
NOTE: I am considering replacing the third paragraph with a risky alternative, only because it parallels the humor of the book:
"And more importantly, will Ms. Agent be interested enough to consider representing this first novel? After all, the closest I’ve ever come to having anything published is my annual Christmas letter. While quite popular around the neighborhood, it certainly doesn’t complete a resume. But I digress. If I could just get her to read it, she’d find that History of the Tie Dye Bra is a 50,000-word, humorous YA romance that uses Jackie’s witty narrative to tear at the heart and mend the soul."
I am leaning towards the first one as it's obviously more professional. Opinions?
Apr 24, 2010
Query: FOCUS, SAM (Revision 2)
Click here to read the original query.
Click here to read the first revision.
Dear Ms./Mr. Agent:
After doing my research, I believe you are interested in commercial fiction. I hope you will like my novel entitled, FOCUS, SAM.
Sameer Sathe fell for seven women in his lifetime. One of them is going to save his life.
Sameer is good with books in his bookshop, but with nothing else, including growing up. He also has a problem – his once a year accidents. After his twenty fifth accident a mystic tells him that there is a curse on him and that he will be dead after his next mishap. There is a saviour – one of the women Sameer fell in love with. The issue is, though he did fall in love with many women, not many women fell in love with him.
Sameer reconnects with all the seven women. From the girl he promised to marry when they both were seven year olds (she rejected him) to the woman who broke their engagement (he thinks she did it because he hates people who don't know Stephen King). He realizes that he affected their lives profoundly, and most often in a terrible way. Sameer has just two weeks with every woman to perhaps undo the damage he caused.
In his quest Sameer learns why his life is worth saving.
My 78,000 words ladlit FOCUS, SAM, will appeal to the readers of Nick Hornby.
Would you like to see the sample chapters?
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Kind regards,
Rohit Gore
-----------------
Thank you all for the help! Please rip it apart!
The query for my first novel received overwhelming response after it got fine - tuned on Public Query Slushpile (About 40 agents, including some of the biggest names asked for fulls/partials). The novel is unfortunately condemned to stay in my hard disk, as I have a long way to go before I become a half-decent writer. I hope something works for this one.
Click here to read the first revision.
Dear Ms./Mr. Agent:
After doing my research, I believe you are interested in commercial fiction. I hope you will like my novel entitled, FOCUS, SAM.
Sameer Sathe fell for seven women in his lifetime. One of them is going to save his life.
Sameer is good with books in his bookshop, but with nothing else, including growing up. He also has a problem – his once a year accidents. After his twenty fifth accident a mystic tells him that there is a curse on him and that he will be dead after his next mishap. There is a saviour – one of the women Sameer fell in love with. The issue is, though he did fall in love with many women, not many women fell in love with him.
Sameer reconnects with all the seven women. From the girl he promised to marry when they both were seven year olds (she rejected him) to the woman who broke their engagement (he thinks she did it because he hates people who don't know Stephen King). He realizes that he affected their lives profoundly, and most often in a terrible way. Sameer has just two weeks with every woman to perhaps undo the damage he caused.
In his quest Sameer learns why his life is worth saving.
My 78,000 words ladlit FOCUS, SAM, will appeal to the readers of Nick Hornby.
Would you like to see the sample chapters?
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Kind regards,
Rohit Gore
-----------------
Thank you all for the help! Please rip it apart!
The query for my first novel received overwhelming response after it got fine - tuned on Public Query Slushpile (About 40 agents, including some of the biggest names asked for fulls/partials). The novel is unfortunately condemned to stay in my hard disk, as I have a long way to go before I become a half-decent writer. I hope something works for this one.
Apr 23, 2010
Query: Launch On Need (first revision)
Click here to read the original query.
Dear Agent,
The war with Iraq is imminent, America’s wounds of 9/11 still weep, and former CNN science correspondent John Stangley is desperate to restart his life after losing Claire to cancer.
When Stangley receives a scoop from a source at NASA, the ten-month-long depressive fog lifts, and the spirit that once impassioned him, returns.
Stangley convinces CNN to let him do an exclusive live report from the Kennedy Space Center. During the seven o’clock newscast he tells his audience how Columbia’s international crew of seven may be in grave danger.
Mission management chair Julie Pollard watches the clock, as every minute it seems, Columbia’s problems grow in scale and complexity. First the media learns foam struck Columbia’s wing during launch, then shadowy, satellite images of Columbia prove inconclusive. Finally, a spacewalk confirms catastrophic wing damage. But Pollard has an idea. She wants to use Atlantis to rescue the crew of Columbia.
While engineers work to implement Pollard’s idea, NASA’s public relations department begins an ambitious program to rekindle America’s interest in the space program by granting the media unprecedented access. Stangley covers everything from rescue crew training, prayer vigils in towns across the country, public taste tests of astronaut food such as thermostabilized tortellini, and each milestone Atlantis reaches en route to the launch pad.
As Columbia’s seven astronauts wait to learn their fate, orbiting an impossible twenty-five days aboard a battered, powered-down spacecraft, one thought never leaves their minds. If the ground crews can’t ready Atlantis in time, a simple sensor fails at the launch pad, or a winter storm closes the launch window, they die in space.
Launch On Need, complete at 97,000 words, is a novelization of NASA’s rescue plan as detailed in the final report from the Columbia Accident Investigation Board.
Dear Agent,
The war with Iraq is imminent, America’s wounds of 9/11 still weep, and former CNN science correspondent John Stangley is desperate to restart his life after losing Claire to cancer.
When Stangley receives a scoop from a source at NASA, the ten-month-long depressive fog lifts, and the spirit that once impassioned him, returns.
Stangley convinces CNN to let him do an exclusive live report from the Kennedy Space Center. During the seven o’clock newscast he tells his audience how Columbia’s international crew of seven may be in grave danger.
Mission management chair Julie Pollard watches the clock, as every minute it seems, Columbia’s problems grow in scale and complexity. First the media learns foam struck Columbia’s wing during launch, then shadowy, satellite images of Columbia prove inconclusive. Finally, a spacewalk confirms catastrophic wing damage. But Pollard has an idea. She wants to use Atlantis to rescue the crew of Columbia.
While engineers work to implement Pollard’s idea, NASA’s public relations department begins an ambitious program to rekindle America’s interest in the space program by granting the media unprecedented access. Stangley covers everything from rescue crew training, prayer vigils in towns across the country, public taste tests of astronaut food such as thermostabilized tortellini, and each milestone Atlantis reaches en route to the launch pad.
As Columbia’s seven astronauts wait to learn their fate, orbiting an impossible twenty-five days aboard a battered, powered-down spacecraft, one thought never leaves their minds. If the ground crews can’t ready Atlantis in time, a simple sensor fails at the launch pad, or a winter storm closes the launch window, they die in space.
Launch On Need, complete at 97,000 words, is a novelization of NASA’s rescue plan as detailed in the final report from the Columbia Accident Investigation Board.
Apr 22, 2010
Query: FOCUS, SAM (Revision 1)
Click here to read the original query.
Dear Agent:
Sameer Sathe fell for seven women in his life. One of them is going to save his life.
Sameer is good with books in his bookshop, but with nothing else, including growing up. He also has a problem – his once a year accidents. A mystic tells him after his twenty fifth accident that there is a curse on him and that he will be dead after his next mishap. However, there is a saviour – one of the women Sameer fell in love with. The issue is, though he did fall in love with many women, not many women fell in love with him.
Sameer begins his quest, starting with the girl he promised to marry when they both were seven year olds (she rejected him) to the woman who broke their engagement (he thinks she did it because he hates people who don't know Stephen King) he reconnects with all of them. He realizes that he affected their lives profoundly, and most often in a terrible way. Sameer has just two weeks with every woman to perhaps undo the damage he caused.
Is Sameer able to rid himself of the curse?
My 78,000 words ladlit FOCUS, SAM, will appeal to the readers of Nick Hornby.
Would you like to see the sample chapters?
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Kind regards,
Rohit Gore
Dear Agent:
Sameer Sathe fell for seven women in his life. One of them is going to save his life.
Sameer is good with books in his bookshop, but with nothing else, including growing up. He also has a problem – his once a year accidents. A mystic tells him after his twenty fifth accident that there is a curse on him and that he will be dead after his next mishap. However, there is a saviour – one of the women Sameer fell in love with. The issue is, though he did fall in love with many women, not many women fell in love with him.
Sameer begins his quest, starting with the girl he promised to marry when they both were seven year olds (she rejected him) to the woman who broke their engagement (he thinks she did it because he hates people who don't know Stephen King) he reconnects with all of them. He realizes that he affected their lives profoundly, and most often in a terrible way. Sameer has just two weeks with every woman to perhaps undo the damage he caused.
Is Sameer able to rid himself of the curse?
My 78,000 words ladlit FOCUS, SAM, will appeal to the readers of Nick Hornby.
Would you like to see the sample chapters?
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Kind regards,
Rohit Gore
Query - Whispers in the Dark (take 3)
Click here to read the original query.
Click here to read the first revision.
TWRP requires a short synopsis with their queries, not actual pages. (Just FYI for GJ)
Here goes:
Dear Mr. or Ms. Agent,
I am seeking publication for Whispers in the Dark, my 47,000 word paranormal romance novella, with your Faery Rose Press division.
Jazz Cornier, Slayer for Everto in Unum, ancient vampyre destroyers, loses her entire family during a last-minute raid. In the days following the tragedy and in the midst of her mourning, a dark stranger invades her life declaring her the prophesized, reincarnated Goddess with the faculty to cure vampyrism.
Instead of staking him where he stands, Jazz dismisses Kayne Sutrey's unsubstantiated claims and begins to move on with her life; or so she thinks. She soon finds herself needing Kayne's vampyric strengths and protection against another who seeks to make Jazz his own in order to prevent the prophecy from being fulfilled. A prophecy she doesn’t believe in.
Kayne knows Jazz is his chance for mortality, if only he could convince her of her destiny. Instead, he finds himself wanting her for reasons much more personal. He must decide if his love for her overrides his quest for mortality.
My recent publication credits include AnnWenn: Dawn of Destruction, a short story published by Lame Goat Press in Kings of the Realm: A Dragon Anthology and Rebirth, another short story to be featured in Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror 2010 by Sonar4 Publications.
I’ve also recently accepted an editing position with Strong Truths, a YA publisher.
Attached, in the body of this email, is a short synopsis.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Dawn Hullender
Click here to read the first revision.
TWRP requires a short synopsis with their queries, not actual pages. (Just FYI for GJ)
Here goes:
Dear Mr. or Ms. Agent,
I am seeking publication for Whispers in the Dark, my 47,000 word paranormal romance novella, with your Faery Rose Press division.
Jazz Cornier, Slayer for Everto in Unum, ancient vampyre destroyers, loses her entire family during a last-minute raid. In the days following the tragedy and in the midst of her mourning, a dark stranger invades her life declaring her the prophesized, reincarnated Goddess with the faculty to cure vampyrism.
Instead of staking him where he stands, Jazz dismisses Kayne Sutrey's unsubstantiated claims and begins to move on with her life; or so she thinks. She soon finds herself needing Kayne's vampyric strengths and protection against another who seeks to make Jazz his own in order to prevent the prophecy from being fulfilled. A prophecy she doesn’t believe in.
Kayne knows Jazz is his chance for mortality, if only he could convince her of her destiny. Instead, he finds himself wanting her for reasons much more personal. He must decide if his love for her overrides his quest for mortality.
My recent publication credits include AnnWenn: Dawn of Destruction, a short story published by Lame Goat Press in Kings of the Realm: A Dragon Anthology and Rebirth, another short story to be featured in Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror 2010 by Sonar4 Publications.
I’ve also recently accepted an editing position with Strong Truths, a YA publisher.
Attached, in the body of this email, is a short synopsis.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Dawn Hullender
Apr 21, 2010
Query - Whispers in the Dark (revised courtesy of a friend!)
Click here to read the original query.
Query - Whispers in the Dark (revised courtesy of a friend!)
Dear Mr. or Ms. Agent,
Whispers in the Dark, my 47,000 word paranormal romance novella, is perfect for the Faery Rose Press division. I’ve been published several times in the past but my most recent credits include: AnnWenn: Dawn of Destruction, a short story published by Lame Goat Press in Kings of the Realm: A Dragon Anthology and Rebirth, another short story to be featured in Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror 2010 by Sonar4 Publications. I’ve also recently accepted an editing position with Strong Truths, a YA publisher.
In Whispers in the Dark, tragedy strikes Jazz Cornier when her entire family is brutally murdered by the very vampyres she slays. Emotionally weak, a mysterious vampyre invades her life and declares her a Goddess reincarnate—the one who can cure vampirism. She dismisses the whole idea and, in the wake of her family’s death, she lets the vampyre go unharmed.
But there is another who also believes she is the Goddess with the power to cure the thirst of blood—the insatiable need. But he doesn’t want to be freed; he wants to stop her. To protect Jazz, Kayne—the mysterious vampyre—returns to her. In an ever growing battle to stay alive, Jazz accepts his protection, even if she believes the whole idea is ludicrous.
As Kayne uses the very powers he wants her to destroy to defend her, he discovers his protection isn’t only for his mortality, but for reasons much more personal. Will his love override his dreams for mortality? Will it be enough to convince her to embrace her destiny?
Attached, in the body of this email, is a short synopsis.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Dawn Hullender
Query - Whispers in the Dark (revised courtesy of a friend!)
Dear Mr. or Ms. Agent,
Whispers in the Dark, my 47,000 word paranormal romance novella, is perfect for the Faery Rose Press division. I’ve been published several times in the past but my most recent credits include: AnnWenn: Dawn of Destruction, a short story published by Lame Goat Press in Kings of the Realm: A Dragon Anthology and Rebirth, another short story to be featured in Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror 2010 by Sonar4 Publications. I’ve also recently accepted an editing position with Strong Truths, a YA publisher.
In Whispers in the Dark, tragedy strikes Jazz Cornier when her entire family is brutally murdered by the very vampyres she slays. Emotionally weak, a mysterious vampyre invades her life and declares her a Goddess reincarnate—the one who can cure vampirism. She dismisses the whole idea and, in the wake of her family’s death, she lets the vampyre go unharmed.
But there is another who also believes she is the Goddess with the power to cure the thirst of blood—the insatiable need. But he doesn’t want to be freed; he wants to stop her. To protect Jazz, Kayne—the mysterious vampyre—returns to her. In an ever growing battle to stay alive, Jazz accepts his protection, even if she believes the whole idea is ludicrous.
As Kayne uses the very powers he wants her to destroy to defend her, he discovers his protection isn’t only for his mortality, but for reasons much more personal. Will his love override his dreams for mortality? Will it be enough to convince her to embrace her destiny?
Attached, in the body of this email, is a short synopsis.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Dawn Hullender
Query- Coming Around Again (revision 2)
Click here to read the original query.
Click here to read the first revision.
When Maggie jumped into the ocean to save a young girl, she never expected that the course of her life would change, but it did.
Four year before when her husband and two kids died in a car accident, Maggie had pulled the shutters down on her soul. But those few moments in the cold Atlantic waters catapulted Maggie back to life with a vengeance. Feelings she had long since locked away came bursting back - anger, grief and surprisingly, happiness, in the form of the drowning girl’s father, Connor McGowan.
Not so recently divorced, Connor is the town’s new Police Chief and Maggie is fascinated by him. Connor is charming and has an easy confidence that draws Maggie out of her shell. Soon she is spending all of her time with him, loving life – loving him.
Until she realizes she is pregnant. Loving a grown, capable man is one thing but opening herself to a child, and possibly losing a child again, is more than Maggie can bear. Driven by fear, she leaves Connor without telling him of her condition. Away from Connor, she can see how barren an existence she had led and realizes she is not prepared to lose him; even if it means she must face her fears at last.
COMING AROUND AGAIN, a contemporary romance novel complete at 90,000 words, may appeal to readers of Susan Wiggs or Barbara Delinsky. I appreciate your consideration.
Click here to read the first revision.
When Maggie jumped into the ocean to save a young girl, she never expected that the course of her life would change, but it did.
Four year before when her husband and two kids died in a car accident, Maggie had pulled the shutters down on her soul. But those few moments in the cold Atlantic waters catapulted Maggie back to life with a vengeance. Feelings she had long since locked away came bursting back - anger, grief and surprisingly, happiness, in the form of the drowning girl’s father, Connor McGowan.
Not so recently divorced, Connor is the town’s new Police Chief and Maggie is fascinated by him. Connor is charming and has an easy confidence that draws Maggie out of her shell. Soon she is spending all of her time with him, loving life – loving him.
Until she realizes she is pregnant. Loving a grown, capable man is one thing but opening herself to a child, and possibly losing a child again, is more than Maggie can bear. Driven by fear, she leaves Connor without telling him of her condition. Away from Connor, she can see how barren an existence she had led and realizes she is not prepared to lose him; even if it means she must face her fears at last.
COMING AROUND AGAIN, a contemporary romance novel complete at 90,000 words, may appeal to readers of Susan Wiggs or Barbara Delinsky. I appreciate your consideration.
Apr 20, 2010
Query - Whispers In The Dark
Dear Mr or Ms. Agent,
I am seeking publication for Whispers In The Dark, my 47,000 word paranormal romance novella, with your Name Deleted division.
Kayne Sutrey became a vampyre against his will. Now, two hundred years later, he must rely on an ancient prophecy for his final redemption. If only that prophecy wasn’t the embodiment of a sexy vampyre slayer intent on eradicating his kind.
Instead of staking him on sight, Everto in Unum leader Jazz Cornier grants Kayne the chance she's never given before. To join in her quest for retribution against the vampyre who killed her entire family. Unbeknownst to Jazz, Kayne knows more about the one they hunt, for the monster used to be his brother.
When Jazz learns Kayne believes she’s the prophesized reincarnated Goddess with the power to cure vampyrism, Jazz reveals she’s no Goddess nor mere mortal. She’s a Felix – a natural born vampyre.
Instead of Kayne’s salvation, Jazz may be his damnation.
Together, they must elude the vampyre cult screaming for Jazz’s death long enough to figure out where they each stand in the world of paranormal, because their love has become more important than any battle ever fought.
My recent publication credits include AnnWenn: Dawn Of Destruction, a short story published by Lame Goat Press in Kings of the Realm: A Dragon Anthology and Rebirth, another short story to be featured in Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror 2010 by Sonar4 Publications. I’ve also recently accepted an editing position with Strong Truths, a YA publisher.
Attached, in the body of this email, is a short synopsis.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Dawn Hullender
I am seeking publication for Whispers In The Dark, my 47,000 word paranormal romance novella, with your Name Deleted division.
Kayne Sutrey became a vampyre against his will. Now, two hundred years later, he must rely on an ancient prophecy for his final redemption. If only that prophecy wasn’t the embodiment of a sexy vampyre slayer intent on eradicating his kind.
Instead of staking him on sight, Everto in Unum leader Jazz Cornier grants Kayne the chance she's never given before. To join in her quest for retribution against the vampyre who killed her entire family. Unbeknownst to Jazz, Kayne knows more about the one they hunt, for the monster used to be his brother.
When Jazz learns Kayne believes she’s the prophesized reincarnated Goddess with the power to cure vampyrism, Jazz reveals she’s no Goddess nor mere mortal. She’s a Felix – a natural born vampyre.
Instead of Kayne’s salvation, Jazz may be his damnation.
Together, they must elude the vampyre cult screaming for Jazz’s death long enough to figure out where they each stand in the world of paranormal, because their love has become more important than any battle ever fought.
My recent publication credits include AnnWenn: Dawn Of Destruction, a short story published by Lame Goat Press in Kings of the Realm: A Dragon Anthology and Rebirth, another short story to be featured in Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror 2010 by Sonar4 Publications. I’ve also recently accepted an editing position with Strong Truths, a YA publisher.
Attached, in the body of this email, is a short synopsis.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Dawn Hullender
Apr 19, 2010
Query: FOCUS, SAM
Dear Agent:
When Sameer Sathe, an eternal escapist, is told by a mystic that the reason he has an accident every year is a curse which can only be lifted by a woman he fell for, he begins his frantic quest to trace every single woman he at some point in life considered his soul-mate, and Sameer has just one year to do so, because his next accident could well be his last.
Sameer has a problem from childhood - his recurring accidents. At least one of his limbs was useless for a large part of the year and that made him a soft target in the school. Kids in similar situations almost always become miserable outcasts, but Sameer embraced his pariah status and is very proud of it. When a mystic tells him after his twenty fifth accident that there is a curse on him and that he will be dead after his next accident, Sameer believes his inconsequential life will surely end. However, there is a saviour – one of the women Sameer fell in love with. A woman, the sage says, Sameer has to find within a year.
One thing Sameer is extremely good at is staying below the radar. Get average grades, have no ambition, attach yourself to nothing and no one. The only thing he loves is books and believes his redemption is in literature. Now, Sameer has to confront his past in the most agonizing way – convincing all the women he fell for to allow him to intrude their lives for two weeks. The problem is, though he did fall in love with many women, not many women fell in love with him.
Sameer begins his quest, starting with the girl he promised to marry when they both were seven year olds to the woman who broke their engagement (he thinks she did it because he hates people who don't know who Hemmingway is), he reconnects with all of them. After living with every woman, he realizes that he affected their lives profoundly and in a terrible way. Sameer has just two weeks to perhaps undo the damage he caused. Every woman reveals secrets about Sameer making him realize what the most important things in life are.
Is Sameer able to rid himself of the curse?
My 78,000 words ladlit FOCUS, SAM, will appeal to the readers of Nick Hornby.
Would you like to see the sample chapters?
Kind regards,
Rohit Gore
When Sameer Sathe, an eternal escapist, is told by a mystic that the reason he has an accident every year is a curse which can only be lifted by a woman he fell for, he begins his frantic quest to trace every single woman he at some point in life considered his soul-mate, and Sameer has just one year to do so, because his next accident could well be his last.
Sameer has a problem from childhood - his recurring accidents. At least one of his limbs was useless for a large part of the year and that made him a soft target in the school. Kids in similar situations almost always become miserable outcasts, but Sameer embraced his pariah status and is very proud of it. When a mystic tells him after his twenty fifth accident that there is a curse on him and that he will be dead after his next accident, Sameer believes his inconsequential life will surely end. However, there is a saviour – one of the women Sameer fell in love with. A woman, the sage says, Sameer has to find within a year.
One thing Sameer is extremely good at is staying below the radar. Get average grades, have no ambition, attach yourself to nothing and no one. The only thing he loves is books and believes his redemption is in literature. Now, Sameer has to confront his past in the most agonizing way – convincing all the women he fell for to allow him to intrude their lives for two weeks. The problem is, though he did fall in love with many women, not many women fell in love with him.
Sameer begins his quest, starting with the girl he promised to marry when they both were seven year olds to the woman who broke their engagement (he thinks she did it because he hates people who don't know who Hemmingway is), he reconnects with all of them. After living with every woman, he realizes that he affected their lives profoundly and in a terrible way. Sameer has just two weeks to perhaps undo the damage he caused. Every woman reveals secrets about Sameer making him realize what the most important things in life are.
Is Sameer able to rid himself of the curse?
My 78,000 words ladlit FOCUS, SAM, will appeal to the readers of Nick Hornby.
Would you like to see the sample chapters?
Kind regards,
Rohit Gore
Apr 18, 2010
Query- Coming Around Again (Revised)
Click here to read the original query.
Maggie Sloan sat alone on the beach – alone being her favorite state since the death of her husband and kids four years earlier. When a young girl disappears under the waves Maggie over-rides her own instinct for self-preservation and jumps in to pull the young girl out. The incident not only brings crashing back all the feelings of grief Maggie has worked so hard to suppress but it also brings the little girl’s father to her door; and Maggie is completely unprepared for Connor McGowan.
Connor moved to the North Carolina coastal town for two reasons; to fill the position of Chief of Police and spend more time with his three kids. His life in Chicago had cost him a lot and this is his chance to turn his life around. Even before she saves his daughter, Connor is captivated by his new neighbor; she is a fascinating blend of strong and fragile and he has already decided he wants to get to know her.
As Connor pursues Maggie, she finds herself drawn in by his confidence, his strength and his dedication. Little by little she opens herself to the possibility that she may be brave enough to risk loving someone again.
Then she finds out she is pregnant. She is prepared to love a capable, grown man; but a child is another thing entirely. Uncertain she can face the risk of loving and losing again, Maggie bolts, leaving Connor behind with little explanation, certainly not that she is pregnant. But Connor is determined to live life to the fullest; and that includes Maggie. He just has to convince her.
COMING AROUND AGAIN, a contemporary romance novel complete at 90,000 words, may appeal to readers of Susan Wiggs or Barbara Delinsky. I appreciate your consideration.
Maggie Sloan sat alone on the beach – alone being her favorite state since the death of her husband and kids four years earlier. When a young girl disappears under the waves Maggie over-rides her own instinct for self-preservation and jumps in to pull the young girl out. The incident not only brings crashing back all the feelings of grief Maggie has worked so hard to suppress but it also brings the little girl’s father to her door; and Maggie is completely unprepared for Connor McGowan.
Connor moved to the North Carolina coastal town for two reasons; to fill the position of Chief of Police and spend more time with his three kids. His life in Chicago had cost him a lot and this is his chance to turn his life around. Even before she saves his daughter, Connor is captivated by his new neighbor; she is a fascinating blend of strong and fragile and he has already decided he wants to get to know her.
As Connor pursues Maggie, she finds herself drawn in by his confidence, his strength and his dedication. Little by little she opens herself to the possibility that she may be brave enough to risk loving someone again.
Then she finds out she is pregnant. She is prepared to love a capable, grown man; but a child is another thing entirely. Uncertain she can face the risk of loving and losing again, Maggie bolts, leaving Connor behind with little explanation, certainly not that she is pregnant. But Connor is determined to live life to the fullest; and that includes Maggie. He just has to convince her.
COMING AROUND AGAIN, a contemporary romance novel complete at 90,000 words, may appeal to readers of Susan Wiggs or Barbara Delinsky. I appreciate your consideration.
Apr 16, 2010
Query- The Ice King (third revision)
Click here to read the original query.
Click here to read the first revision.
Click here to read the second revision.
Dear XXXX,
Joshua has always been a sheltered king, oblivious to who he truly is and what he is destined to do – forced out of the safety of his castle and accompanied by two powerful immortals: a tiny-brave princess, who must teach him how to control the chaotic power growing inside of him and a shapeshifter, who has sworn to protect him at any cost – together they must go on a journey that will change his life forever.
When the Ice King’s only daughter is taken from her tower room by a Fire Dragon, the Ice King conjures a blanket of ice and snow that covers all of the realms in hopes to have his daughter returned safely. In doing so, three mischievous and malicious sisters have awakened an ancient power within Joshua and force an almost impossible quest upon him.
During Joshua’s quest he has to fight off a clan of dwarfs, is almost eaten by a fierce harpy, and converses with a wise-old dragon, all while trying to learn and control his newfound powers. If Joshua fails at his task, he will unknowingly die by the one he trusts and loves the most: a tiny-brave princess.
Accepting his fate and changing his destiny is the only way he will survive and bring back peace and harmony to all the realms affected by the Ice King’s magic.
THE ICE KING is an 83,000-word YA fantasy novel. May I send you the complete manuscript for your review?
Click here to read the first revision.
Click here to read the second revision.
Dear XXXX,
Joshua has always been a sheltered king, oblivious to who he truly is and what he is destined to do – forced out of the safety of his castle and accompanied by two powerful immortals: a tiny-brave princess, who must teach him how to control the chaotic power growing inside of him and a shapeshifter, who has sworn to protect him at any cost – together they must go on a journey that will change his life forever.
When the Ice King’s only daughter is taken from her tower room by a Fire Dragon, the Ice King conjures a blanket of ice and snow that covers all of the realms in hopes to have his daughter returned safely. In doing so, three mischievous and malicious sisters have awakened an ancient power within Joshua and force an almost impossible quest upon him.
During Joshua’s quest he has to fight off a clan of dwarfs, is almost eaten by a fierce harpy, and converses with a wise-old dragon, all while trying to learn and control his newfound powers. If Joshua fails at his task, he will unknowingly die by the one he trusts and loves the most: a tiny-brave princess.
Accepting his fate and changing his destiny is the only way he will survive and bring back peace and harmony to all the realms affected by the Ice King’s magic.
THE ICE KING is an 83,000-word YA fantasy novel. May I send you the complete manuscript for your review?
Apr 15, 2010
Query- Four Thousand Miles (revised)
Click here to read the original query.
Hopefully, this is the last version...
When Natalie Spencer loses her job, she returns home unexpectedly to find her husband in bed with his business partner… Jeremy. In shock, Natalie boards the first flight to the English-speaking destination on the United Airlines flight board – London, England. Armed with only her purse, Natalie is nearly mugged in a Tube station. Her attackers are scared off by an introverted songwriter Gavin Ashby. Recognizing Natalie’s fragile state, Gavin offers help and eventually invites her to recuperate from her trauma at his home in Pluckley, Kent.
Unaccustomed to the role of “damsel in distress,” Natalie gets her strength back by helping others. She encourages Gavin to reinvigorate his music career, provides mentorship to girls at the farm, and very reluctantly supports her husband via email while he deals with his new, publicly gay life. Gavin’s family and friends begin to accept Natalie into their lives, particularly his niece. Natalie finds healing in the Kent countryside, but continues to look at her time in England as a break from her “real life,” not a permanent option. When Gavin’s best friend, Avery, asks Natalie on a date, Gavin realizes his feelings for Natalie go beyond friendship and makes his move. Just when the pair seems to be heading in the right direction, a car accident involving the niece and a verbal attack on Natalie by Gavin’s sister bring the budding relationship to a halt. Natalie must choose whether to abandon her old life for Gavin or to flee once again.
Complete at 95,000 words, Four Thousand Miles is women's fiction. My short story “Death of a Woman” was published in the Detroit literary magazine, The Furnace. Attached you will find the first three chapters of my novel. Thank you for your time.
Hopefully, this is the last version...
When Natalie Spencer loses her job, she returns home unexpectedly to find her husband in bed with his business partner… Jeremy. In shock, Natalie boards the first flight to the English-speaking destination on the United Airlines flight board – London, England. Armed with only her purse, Natalie is nearly mugged in a Tube station. Her attackers are scared off by an introverted songwriter Gavin Ashby. Recognizing Natalie’s fragile state, Gavin offers help and eventually invites her to recuperate from her trauma at his home in Pluckley, Kent.
Unaccustomed to the role of “damsel in distress,” Natalie gets her strength back by helping others. She encourages Gavin to reinvigorate his music career, provides mentorship to girls at the farm, and very reluctantly supports her husband via email while he deals with his new, publicly gay life. Gavin’s family and friends begin to accept Natalie into their lives, particularly his niece. Natalie finds healing in the Kent countryside, but continues to look at her time in England as a break from her “real life,” not a permanent option. When Gavin’s best friend, Avery, asks Natalie on a date, Gavin realizes his feelings for Natalie go beyond friendship and makes his move. Just when the pair seems to be heading in the right direction, a car accident involving the niece and a verbal attack on Natalie by Gavin’s sister bring the budding relationship to a halt. Natalie must choose whether to abandon her old life for Gavin or to flee once again.
Complete at 95,000 words, Four Thousand Miles is women's fiction. My short story “Death of a Woman” was published in the Detroit literary magazine, The Furnace. Attached you will find the first three chapters of my novel. Thank you for your time.
Apr 13, 2010
Query: Wilder Times / Genre: YA
Dear Agent,
Ben Wilder never really dreamt about becoming a rock star. It was more of a given—his throne to inherit.
Not that Ben doesn’t want to be the next “it” guy. And not that he lacks the necessary talent. He’s got what it takes—the voice, the charisma, the looks. For the most part, he’s more than happy to fulfill his destiny. To be a rock god. Just as long as he doesn’t become him: the legendary eighties rocker Ben calls dad.
For Kat Hayes, life is a bit more simple. She is just an average high school girl. And high school girls dream about rock stars. She dreams about one in particular: Ben Wilder.
Kat’s been in love with Ben ever since she was twelve, when his first teen pop album was released. Now, four years later, she finally has the chance to meet him. So what if it takes a tiny little lie—a lie that puts her best friend, Jackson, in jeopardy of losing his new job. To Kat, Ben is worth any risk.
What seemed like a one-time meeting quickly turns into romance and Kat finds that her lie is impossible to recall. Her once-simple life turns into a blitz of popularity and paparazzi—which is sorta cool. At first. Until a media-fueled competition for Ben’s attention erupts between Kat and a voluptuous swimsuit model—and Kat doesn’t see how her unaltered sixteen-year-old body can measure up.
But again, Kat’s problems are rather simple. She’s not the one having nightmares about her dead dad. Ben is. The more his life mirrors his dad’s, the more the ghosts from his dad’s past seem to seep through the cracks of Ben’s carefully constructed life, threatening to ensnare him with remnants of abuse and addiction. Unbidden memories of his dad—and his ill-fated death—dominate Ben’s sleep. And in his waking hours, Ben finds that he must face the music (cliché-ish pun intended) and prove to the world—and himself—that he’s not plagiarizing dear old dad.
Wilder Times is complete at—take a deep breath—112,000 words. Ahem. You still with me? Wilder Times is intended to be a three book series drawing on the rock star phenomenon that continues to dominate teen culture, including TV, video games, and clothing—but seems to be a relatively untouched aspect of Young Adult Fiction.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Me
Ben Wilder never really dreamt about becoming a rock star. It was more of a given—his throne to inherit.
Not that Ben doesn’t want to be the next “it” guy. And not that he lacks the necessary talent. He’s got what it takes—the voice, the charisma, the looks. For the most part, he’s more than happy to fulfill his destiny. To be a rock god. Just as long as he doesn’t become him: the legendary eighties rocker Ben calls dad.
For Kat Hayes, life is a bit more simple. She is just an average high school girl. And high school girls dream about rock stars. She dreams about one in particular: Ben Wilder.
Kat’s been in love with Ben ever since she was twelve, when his first teen pop album was released. Now, four years later, she finally has the chance to meet him. So what if it takes a tiny little lie—a lie that puts her best friend, Jackson, in jeopardy of losing his new job. To Kat, Ben is worth any risk.
What seemed like a one-time meeting quickly turns into romance and Kat finds that her lie is impossible to recall. Her once-simple life turns into a blitz of popularity and paparazzi—which is sorta cool. At first. Until a media-fueled competition for Ben’s attention erupts between Kat and a voluptuous swimsuit model—and Kat doesn’t see how her unaltered sixteen-year-old body can measure up.
But again, Kat’s problems are rather simple. She’s not the one having nightmares about her dead dad. Ben is. The more his life mirrors his dad’s, the more the ghosts from his dad’s past seem to seep through the cracks of Ben’s carefully constructed life, threatening to ensnare him with remnants of abuse and addiction. Unbidden memories of his dad—and his ill-fated death—dominate Ben’s sleep. And in his waking hours, Ben finds that he must face the music (cliché-ish pun intended) and prove to the world—and himself—that he’s not plagiarizing dear old dad.
Wilder Times is complete at—take a deep breath—112,000 words. Ahem. You still with me? Wilder Times is intended to be a three book series drawing on the rock star phenomenon that continues to dominate teen culture, including TV, video games, and clothing—but seems to be a relatively untouched aspect of Young Adult Fiction.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Me
Apr 12, 2010
QUERY: OF POETS AND ANGELS
Dear [Agent],
A murder in the corrupt and polluted city of Lambria sends a poet on a desperate chase for an ancient artifact
Ethan has a rare gift. His poetry can do more than captivate audiences: it can command thoughts, or even alter reality itself. As Ethan struggles to control his new abilities, he stumbles upon a grisly murder that threatens to attract the attention of the dreaded Inquisition, if he doesn't solve it first. Ethan's investigations reveal much more than a simple murder, the victim was an operative of the Inquisition. Sent to retrieve a dangerous artifact from a hidden shrine, the murdered agent was betrayed by his partner, and now the artifact is missing. Without the artifact, Ethan's home, once a safe haven from the bustle and pollution of the city, is suddenly fraught with misfortune and danger. At first trying to avoid trouble and stay out of the hands of the Inquisition, Ethan seeks only to further his poetry career. But with his friends in danger and Ethan pursued by the Inquisition, he can no longer remain uninvolved. Forced to confront his own cowardice, Ethan must make a choice: continue to hide in coffee shops and gin-dens, or learn to control his gift and find the artifact before the home he loves is torn apart.
My novel OF POETS AND ANGELS, is a 96,000-word SteamPunk-Fantasy, that will appeal to readers of China Mielville and Bruce Sterling alike.
Thank you considering my submission, the manuscript is available upon request.
Sincerely,
C. Scott Morris
A murder in the corrupt and polluted city of Lambria sends a poet on a desperate chase for an ancient artifact
Ethan has a rare gift. His poetry can do more than captivate audiences: it can command thoughts, or even alter reality itself. As Ethan struggles to control his new abilities, he stumbles upon a grisly murder that threatens to attract the attention of the dreaded Inquisition, if he doesn't solve it first. Ethan's investigations reveal much more than a simple murder, the victim was an operative of the Inquisition. Sent to retrieve a dangerous artifact from a hidden shrine, the murdered agent was betrayed by his partner, and now the artifact is missing. Without the artifact, Ethan's home, once a safe haven from the bustle and pollution of the city, is suddenly fraught with misfortune and danger. At first trying to avoid trouble and stay out of the hands of the Inquisition, Ethan seeks only to further his poetry career. But with his friends in danger and Ethan pursued by the Inquisition, he can no longer remain uninvolved. Forced to confront his own cowardice, Ethan must make a choice: continue to hide in coffee shops and gin-dens, or learn to control his gift and find the artifact before the home he loves is torn apart.
My novel OF POETS AND ANGELS, is a 96,000-word SteamPunk-Fantasy, that will appeal to readers of China Mielville and Bruce Sterling alike.
Thank you considering my submission, the manuscript is available upon request.
Sincerely,
C. Scott Morris
Apr 10, 2010
Query- Four Thousand Miles
Dear Ms. (AGENT NAME),
When twenty-eight year old Natalie Spencer’s entire life unravels in a single morning, she hops an impromptu flight to England where she drops into the life of Gavin Ashby, a reclusive songwriter from rural Kent. Four Thousand Miles is a completed 93,000 word, character driven novel written under the influence of Diana Gabaldon, Kristen Hannah, Jennifer Weiner and Jane Austen with the quarter-life crisis in mind. Female readers will relate to Natalie’s perfect-on-paper life and her need to discover herself in order to start over again.
Natalie Spencer has a good life in Milwaukee, Wisconsin - not an exciting life, or even a very interesting one at that, but a good life nonetheless. However, when her career meets an abrupt end and she returns home to find her perfect husband in bed with his best friend, Jeremy, Natalie learns just how fragile her world is. In a state of shock, Natalie’s instincts take over and she boards a plane to the first English speaking destination on the United Airlines flight board – London, England. Alone and armed with nothing but her purse, Natalie narrowly escapes being mugged in a Tube station and is rescued by a Brit with rugged good looks by the name of Gavin Ashby. Having spent most of his adult life in a self-imposed limbo, Gavin Ashby recognizes his kindred spirit in Natalie. He invites her to recuperate from her emotional trauma at his home in Pluckley, Kent, where he lives above his family’s restaurant with his possessive sister and her deaf daughter. Through their strong friendship, Natalie and Gavin are able to heal from their wounds and discover the strength to go after the lives they’ve always wanted.
After falling victim to the tidal wave of corporate downsizing myself, I have pressed my own reset button by dusting off my Bachelors in English and re-kindling my love of writing. Four Thousand Miles is my first completed novel and fits solidly into the chick-lit genre. My only other publishing credit is a short story entitled “Death of a Woman,” which had been published in the Detroit literary magazine, The Furnace in 2000. Attached you will find the first three chapters of my novel for your review. The completed manuscript is available on request. Thank you very much for taking the time to consider Four Thousand Miles. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Jessica Riggles
(MY INFO HERE)
When twenty-eight year old Natalie Spencer’s entire life unravels in a single morning, she hops an impromptu flight to England where she drops into the life of Gavin Ashby, a reclusive songwriter from rural Kent. Four Thousand Miles is a completed 93,000 word, character driven novel written under the influence of Diana Gabaldon, Kristen Hannah, Jennifer Weiner and Jane Austen with the quarter-life crisis in mind. Female readers will relate to Natalie’s perfect-on-paper life and her need to discover herself in order to start over again.
Natalie Spencer has a good life in Milwaukee, Wisconsin - not an exciting life, or even a very interesting one at that, but a good life nonetheless. However, when her career meets an abrupt end and she returns home to find her perfect husband in bed with his best friend, Jeremy, Natalie learns just how fragile her world is. In a state of shock, Natalie’s instincts take over and she boards a plane to the first English speaking destination on the United Airlines flight board – London, England. Alone and armed with nothing but her purse, Natalie narrowly escapes being mugged in a Tube station and is rescued by a Brit with rugged good looks by the name of Gavin Ashby. Having spent most of his adult life in a self-imposed limbo, Gavin Ashby recognizes his kindred spirit in Natalie. He invites her to recuperate from her emotional trauma at his home in Pluckley, Kent, where he lives above his family’s restaurant with his possessive sister and her deaf daughter. Through their strong friendship, Natalie and Gavin are able to heal from their wounds and discover the strength to go after the lives they’ve always wanted.
After falling victim to the tidal wave of corporate downsizing myself, I have pressed my own reset button by dusting off my Bachelors in English and re-kindling my love of writing. Four Thousand Miles is my first completed novel and fits solidly into the chick-lit genre. My only other publishing credit is a short story entitled “Death of a Woman,” which had been published in the Detroit literary magazine, The Furnace in 2000. Attached you will find the first three chapters of my novel for your review. The completed manuscript is available on request. Thank you very much for taking the time to consider Four Thousand Miles. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Jessica Riggles
(MY INFO HERE)
Iron Thirst - Urban Fantasy (revised)
Click here to read the previous version.
Dear Mr. Awesome,
Looking for an escape from the norm, Felicity Johnson dresses for trouble, and finds it when she attends DragonCon – the convention that celebrates everything sci-fi and fantasy. When she slid on her fake fangs that morning, she wasn’t aware that DragonCon was swarming with real vampires who use this weekend to take off their disguises and blend in with the other costumed attendees.
When her best friend disappears while they are at the Con, she turns to Blake Richmond—new crush, attorney, and leader of a team designed to keep the vampires in line and out of view. To make matters worse, Felicity attracts the attention of a vampire that develops a thirst for the iron running through her veins. Blake strives to keep her heart beating, but the search for her best friend leads her down a path that could leave her either dead or with the ultimate makeover—one that cannot be undone without a stake to the heart.
Iron Thirst is an 88,000-word urban fantasy. I am a member of the Atlanta Writers Club and Sisters in Crime. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Appreciative de Critique
Dear Mr. Awesome,
Looking for an escape from the norm, Felicity Johnson dresses for trouble, and finds it when she attends DragonCon – the convention that celebrates everything sci-fi and fantasy. When she slid on her fake fangs that morning, she wasn’t aware that DragonCon was swarming with real vampires who use this weekend to take off their disguises and blend in with the other costumed attendees.
When her best friend disappears while they are at the Con, she turns to Blake Richmond—new crush, attorney, and leader of a team designed to keep the vampires in line and out of view. To make matters worse, Felicity attracts the attention of a vampire that develops a thirst for the iron running through her veins. Blake strives to keep her heart beating, but the search for her best friend leads her down a path that could leave her either dead or with the ultimate makeover—one that cannot be undone without a stake to the heart.
Iron Thirst is an 88,000-word urban fantasy. I am a member of the Atlanta Writers Club and Sisters in Crime. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Appreciative de Critique
Apr 9, 2010
QUERY- COMING AROUND AGAIN
Maggie Sloan has given up on life. The day her husband and two children died in a car accident, life stopped for her. Fleeing the bad memories, she leaves Boston and moves to the quiet North Carolina coast. For the next four years she lives in relative obscurity, hiding from life and the possibility of hurt – as well as happiness. That is until the house next door is bought by the new police chief.
Connor McGowan is chasing life. Having spent years as a Chicago detective he watched his marriage die and his ex-wife and three kids move 1,000 miles away. After a brutal attack that left his best friend dead and almost killed him, Connor leaves Chicago determined to turn his life around. He takes a job as Chief of Police in a small North Carolina town intending to spend as much time as he can with his children and be the father he always thought he could be. His plans don’t include romance until he meets his quiet neighbor.
When Connor’s daughter almost drowns, Maggie jumps in to save her. In a split second Maggie has been thrust back into life. Forced to face not only the memories of the car accident where her family died but also six feet of confident and charismatic male, Maggie finds she wants a new chance at life, a new chance for love.
But her unplanned pregnancy revives Maggie’s fears of loss and grief. Trying to avoid potential heartache, Maggie returns to Boston and must face the ghosts of her past and ultimately decide how she can face the future.
COMING AROUND AGAIN, a contemporary romance novel complete at 90,000 words, may appeal to readers of Susan Wiggs or Barbara Delinsky. I appreciate your consideration.
Connor McGowan is chasing life. Having spent years as a Chicago detective he watched his marriage die and his ex-wife and three kids move 1,000 miles away. After a brutal attack that left his best friend dead and almost killed him, Connor leaves Chicago determined to turn his life around. He takes a job as Chief of Police in a small North Carolina town intending to spend as much time as he can with his children and be the father he always thought he could be. His plans don’t include romance until he meets his quiet neighbor.
When Connor’s daughter almost drowns, Maggie jumps in to save her. In a split second Maggie has been thrust back into life. Forced to face not only the memories of the car accident where her family died but also six feet of confident and charismatic male, Maggie finds she wants a new chance at life, a new chance for love.
But her unplanned pregnancy revives Maggie’s fears of loss and grief. Trying to avoid potential heartache, Maggie returns to Boston and must face the ghosts of her past and ultimately decide how she can face the future.
COMING AROUND AGAIN, a contemporary romance novel complete at 90,000 words, may appeal to readers of Susan Wiggs or Barbara Delinsky. I appreciate your consideration.
Apr 6, 2010
Query - FORGOTTEN WINGS, Fantasy YA
Dear Awesome Agent,
Eleanora doesn't shapeshift on purpose. After sixteen years of friends scaring the owl wings out of her, she'd die for a better knee-jerk reaction. But that's the problem; if word ever got out that the human princess actually descended from a skrÃmsli, or shapechanger, the draconic lawmakers would rip her to shreds. No children born outside of marriage, no exceptions.
Fortunately, her kennari can erase the memories of witnesses. It's truly a no-brainer why her mother sent her to the middle of nowhere to study Artistries with him.
Oopsies get tricky though when Eleanora's assigned as a noble representative to a military fortress along a crucial trade route. She's torn from the safety of her kennari and thrown into a whole new crowd of faces to befriend and deceive, including green-eyed Melidor and mysterious Ben. She can't figure out what about the new locale disconcerts her more: the looming threat of dragons; the cloaked figures in the night; or the two knights vying for her heart.
No use making a decision when she has to answer to all of them.
FORGOTTEN WINGS is a 110,000-word fantasy young adult novel. It's designed as the first of a series but is capable of standing alone. It has the same high-paced fantasy appeal of Kristin Cashore's GRACELING. It is my first novel.
[Insert why I chose this agent.]
I am a Californian copywriter that homes both my copy samples and FORGOTTEN WING's first chapter at www.kourtnie.net.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Kourtnie
[Insert contact info - didn't delete this from the first comment, whoops! :)]
Eleanora doesn't shapeshift on purpose. After sixteen years of friends scaring the owl wings out of her, she'd die for a better knee-jerk reaction. But that's the problem; if word ever got out that the human princess actually descended from a skrÃmsli, or shapechanger, the draconic lawmakers would rip her to shreds. No children born outside of marriage, no exceptions.
Fortunately, her kennari can erase the memories of witnesses. It's truly a no-brainer why her mother sent her to the middle of nowhere to study Artistries with him.
Oopsies get tricky though when Eleanora's assigned as a noble representative to a military fortress along a crucial trade route. She's torn from the safety of her kennari and thrown into a whole new crowd of faces to befriend and deceive, including green-eyed Melidor and mysterious Ben. She can't figure out what about the new locale disconcerts her more: the looming threat of dragons; the cloaked figures in the night; or the two knights vying for her heart.
No use making a decision when she has to answer to all of them.
FORGOTTEN WINGS is a 110,000-word fantasy young adult novel. It's designed as the first of a series but is capable of standing alone. It has the same high-paced fantasy appeal of Kristin Cashore's GRACELING. It is my first novel.
[Insert why I chose this agent.]
I am a Californian copywriter that homes both my copy samples and FORGOTTEN WING's first chapter at www.kourtnie.net.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Kourtnie
[Insert contact info - didn't delete this from the first comment, whoops! :)]
Query- The Keeper
Dear Public Query Slushpile,
There were signs all along, but signs get missed when you’re struggling just to make it through the day.
After her father’s death, Rachel Goode is determined to rebuild her life a thousand miles away from the only home she’s ever known. Sent with her brother to live at the boarding school where their uncle is Headmaster, she doesn’t expect to ever be happy again. Nor does she expect to find her soul mate, a mysterious boy with a secret connection to Rachel’s family and a world she never imagined existed.
Rachel’s attraction to Talan is instantaneous, consuming, and reciprocated. But standing in the way of her newfound happiness with Talan is the second soul that resides in him. Talan confesses not only to a growing love for Rachel, but that he is possessed by a “keeper,” an entity with a mission to guard her through a supernatural purpose. Can Rachel convince Talan that the “keeper” is just an illusion, an unnecessary barrier to the normal, happy life she desperately craves? Or will she have to come to terms with her role as a “chosen one” and accept that she has a purpose larger than her tragic circumstances reveal?
I am seeking representation for my first novel, a completed 99,000 word YA, paranormal romance titled The Keeper. What makes The Keeper unique is that it operates as two separate stories on two separate levels, one of which is only revealed in the ending. In fact, if you reread the book a second time, a whole different story floats to the surface like seaweed kicked up from the ocean floor.
On the surface, The Keeper uses Rachel’s first-person voice to share a love story that tears at the heart and mends the soul. But a secondary layer of symbolism and allegory emerges towards the ending to give Keeper a deeper relevance. It should appeal to paranormal romance readers as well as anyone seeking an uplifting message and an ending that leaves you thinking for days.
I would appreciate the chance to share a few chapters at your request. Please feel free to contact me at ---@gmail.com . Thank you for your valuable time and consideration.
Sincerely,
LL
There were signs all along, but signs get missed when you’re struggling just to make it through the day.
After her father’s death, Rachel Goode is determined to rebuild her life a thousand miles away from the only home she’s ever known. Sent with her brother to live at the boarding school where their uncle is Headmaster, she doesn’t expect to ever be happy again. Nor does she expect to find her soul mate, a mysterious boy with a secret connection to Rachel’s family and a world she never imagined existed.
Rachel’s attraction to Talan is instantaneous, consuming, and reciprocated. But standing in the way of her newfound happiness with Talan is the second soul that resides in him. Talan confesses not only to a growing love for Rachel, but that he is possessed by a “keeper,” an entity with a mission to guard her through a supernatural purpose. Can Rachel convince Talan that the “keeper” is just an illusion, an unnecessary barrier to the normal, happy life she desperately craves? Or will she have to come to terms with her role as a “chosen one” and accept that she has a purpose larger than her tragic circumstances reveal?
I am seeking representation for my first novel, a completed 99,000 word YA, paranormal romance titled The Keeper. What makes The Keeper unique is that it operates as two separate stories on two separate levels, one of which is only revealed in the ending. In fact, if you reread the book a second time, a whole different story floats to the surface like seaweed kicked up from the ocean floor.
On the surface, The Keeper uses Rachel’s first-person voice to share a love story that tears at the heart and mends the soul. But a secondary layer of symbolism and allegory emerges towards the ending to give Keeper a deeper relevance. It should appeal to paranormal romance readers as well as anyone seeking an uplifting message and an ending that leaves you thinking for days.
I would appreciate the chance to share a few chapters at your request. Please feel free to contact me at ---@gmail.com . Thank you for your valuable time and consideration.
Sincerely,
LL
Apr 5, 2010
Slushpile Reader
This came through the Submissions queue. I'm not affiliated with SlushpileReader.com. I did look at the site and think it's laid out nicely and the concept is interesting.
Rick
Hello, what an excellent thing you have going here! I hope you do not mind if I am post some information about Slush Pile Reader here as it might be of interest to your readers and contributors?
Slush Pile Reader is a social community for readers and writers from all over the world.
At www.slushpilereader.com authors are welcome to submit their manuscripts, readers read, comment and vote for their favorites. Slush Pile Reader will then publish the most popular manuscript(s).
Apart from the selection process Slush Pile Reader works like any traditional publisher - we will edit, distribute and market selected books. As such, of course there are no fees or costs involved for the authors what so ever.
Everyone is welcome to submit their manuscripts, become a member and read and vote for their favorite manuscripts. Also, there is a lively forum with interesting discussions, writers tags and a chance to make new friends and talk about writing and reading with interesting people from all over!
Welcome to Slush Pile Reader!
If you have any questions please email me (johanna@slushpilereader.com)
or check out the site at www.slushpilereader.com.
Rick
Hello, what an excellent thing you have going here! I hope you do not mind if I am post some information about Slush Pile Reader here as it might be of interest to your readers and contributors?
Slush Pile Reader is a social community for readers and writers from all over the world.
At www.slushpilereader.com authors are welcome to submit their manuscripts, readers read, comment and vote for their favorites. Slush Pile Reader will then publish the most popular manuscript(s).
Apart from the selection process Slush Pile Reader works like any traditional publisher - we will edit, distribute and market selected books. As such, of course there are no fees or costs involved for the authors what so ever.
Everyone is welcome to submit their manuscripts, become a member and read and vote for their favorite manuscripts. Also, there is a lively forum with interesting discussions, writers tags and a chance to make new friends and talk about writing and reading with interesting people from all over!
Welcome to Slush Pile Reader!
If you have any questions please email me (johanna@slushpilereader.com)
or check out the site at www.slushpilereader.com.
Apr 1, 2010
QUERY - LOST ANGEL
Dear OpenQuery/Rick,
Some people wonder. They wonder what happens to stillborn babies, or how in the world God manages to listen to millions of prayers a day, or what, exactly, is an angel, and what they look like.
Precocious twelve-year-old Angel Trainee Evangeline Blackwell doesn't need to wonder. She knows it all (or almost). One thing she doesn't know, however is who her parents are. But she intends to find out. And then she does. And it turns out, the truth does hurt, especially when you aren't officially allowed to know. And especially when your best friend is a practiced rule-breaker [troublemaker] and you're the youngest in a group of intelligent and, more importantly, insubordinate friends who insist on dragging you along on their journey along the dangerously fine line between mischievous celestial defiance and open rebellion. When they are caught red-handed breaking yet another rule from God's List of Things an Angel is Not Allowed to Do, things take a turn for the worse and Evangeline and her friends must choose between what they think is right, and what the all-knowing God says is right.
LOST ANGEL, complete at 100,000 words, is a Young Adult Fantasy novel. I am a student currently residing in France and have been writing as a hobby for over five years.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
[Name]
Some people wonder. They wonder what happens to stillborn babies, or how in the world God manages to listen to millions of prayers a day, or what, exactly, is an angel, and what they look like.
Precocious twelve-year-old Angel Trainee Evangeline Blackwell doesn't need to wonder. She knows it all (or almost). One thing she doesn't know, however is who her parents are. But she intends to find out. And then she does. And it turns out, the truth does hurt, especially when you aren't officially allowed to know. And especially when your best friend is a practiced rule-breaker [troublemaker] and you're the youngest in a group of intelligent and, more importantly, insubordinate friends who insist on dragging you along on their journey along the dangerously fine line between mischievous celestial defiance and open rebellion. When they are caught red-handed breaking yet another rule from God's List of Things an Angel is Not Allowed to Do, things take a turn for the worse and Evangeline and her friends must choose between what they think is right, and what the all-knowing God says is right.
LOST ANGEL, complete at 100,000 words, is a Young Adult Fantasy novel. I am a student currently residing in France and have been writing as a hobby for over five years.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
[Name]
Query- To Catch a Rainbow Butterfly
In a parallel world, four coma patients battle for a rainbow butterfly in order to wake up and return to their loved ones in To Catch a Rainbow Butterfly, a contemporary fantasy at 80,000 words.
Three days. Four competitors. One butterfly. One winner. The odds are stacked against 20-year-old Molly Weaver. But despite years of cruelty and neglect, Molly’s determination to find happiness and purpose in life is strong. Open doors lead her to new places while closed doors are off limits. Treacherous weather, dehydration, and tragic memories threaten her. Some of the competitors are willing to kill for the butterfly, putting Molly’s life in further jeopardy. Sharpay Wang, who believes she’s trapped in a hallucination, is the only one eager to help Molly. As time runs short, Molly bonds with her contenders and discovers a connection that ties them together in the real world. Will her feelings get in the way of catching the butterfly or will she figure out a way to save everyone?
In addition to writing novels, I am a playwright. My one-act play, Walking Off Pluto, premiered at the Laurel Mill Playhouse and went on to compete in the Maryland One Act Festival. My full-length play, Samson and Ms. Delilah, was recently selected for the Essential Theatre Playwriting Series. As a writer, it is my ultimate goal to entertain my audience while teaching valuable lessons about life and what it means to be human.
To Catch a Rainbow Butterfly is ready to be sent at your request. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.
Three days. Four competitors. One butterfly. One winner. The odds are stacked against 20-year-old Molly Weaver. But despite years of cruelty and neglect, Molly’s determination to find happiness and purpose in life is strong. Open doors lead her to new places while closed doors are off limits. Treacherous weather, dehydration, and tragic memories threaten her. Some of the competitors are willing to kill for the butterfly, putting Molly’s life in further jeopardy. Sharpay Wang, who believes she’s trapped in a hallucination, is the only one eager to help Molly. As time runs short, Molly bonds with her contenders and discovers a connection that ties them together in the real world. Will her feelings get in the way of catching the butterfly or will she figure out a way to save everyone?
In addition to writing novels, I am a playwright. My one-act play, Walking Off Pluto, premiered at the Laurel Mill Playhouse and went on to compete in the Maryland One Act Festival. My full-length play, Samson and Ms. Delilah, was recently selected for the Essential Theatre Playwriting Series. As a writer, it is my ultimate goal to entertain my audience while teaching valuable lessons about life and what it means to be human.
To Catch a Rainbow Butterfly is ready to be sent at your request. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.
Mar 31, 2010
Query- Facets of Sorrow (revised)
Click here to read the original query.
Dear (Agent’s Name),
Facets of Sorrow is a work of women’s fiction, which is complete at 95,000 words.
Seven months after Gemma Allen’s first date with Aaron Dullis, he takes her to a hotel to celebrate her nineteenth birthday. She falls asleep in his arms, oblivious to the hints he’s been trying to give her: It will be their last night together because when he leaves for his commitment to the Marines, he’s not taking a commitment to her with him. He does leave, and she is heartbroken.
Two years later, Gemma meets Kyle Johnson. She’s not sure what to make of the gorgeous lawyer. Who gives a woman an ant farm on the first date… or any date? He may be odd, but he introduces something new into her life, something she needs: joy.
After a few years of marriage to Kyle, his secretive behavior and mysterious business trips have Gemma convinced he’s not who she thought he was. Her confusion worsens when Aaron returns and says he needs her in his life. She’s not sure which man she should be with – the one who needs her or the one she needs.
When Gemma learns Kyle’s secret, her determination to protect it unfurls a chain of events that land her in a hospital bed, Aaron in handcuffs and Kyle in a legal and ethical dilemma as he tries to clean up the mess they’ve all made.
I have a B.A. in English from the University of Texas. My previous writing experience includes serving as a ghostwriter for Life Builders, a nationwide mentoring ministry.
Thank you for your time and for considering my novel.
Sincerely,
Genevieve Wilson
Dear (Agent’s Name),
Facets of Sorrow is a work of women’s fiction, which is complete at 95,000 words.
Seven months after Gemma Allen’s first date with Aaron Dullis, he takes her to a hotel to celebrate her nineteenth birthday. She falls asleep in his arms, oblivious to the hints he’s been trying to give her: It will be their last night together because when he leaves for his commitment to the Marines, he’s not taking a commitment to her with him. He does leave, and she is heartbroken.
Two years later, Gemma meets Kyle Johnson. She’s not sure what to make of the gorgeous lawyer. Who gives a woman an ant farm on the first date… or any date? He may be odd, but he introduces something new into her life, something she needs: joy.
After a few years of marriage to Kyle, his secretive behavior and mysterious business trips have Gemma convinced he’s not who she thought he was. Her confusion worsens when Aaron returns and says he needs her in his life. She’s not sure which man she should be with – the one who needs her or the one she needs.
When Gemma learns Kyle’s secret, her determination to protect it unfurls a chain of events that land her in a hospital bed, Aaron in handcuffs and Kyle in a legal and ethical dilemma as he tries to clean up the mess they’ve all made.
I have a B.A. in English from the University of Texas. My previous writing experience includes serving as a ghostwriter for Life Builders, a nationwide mentoring ministry.
Thank you for your time and for considering my novel.
Sincerely,
Genevieve Wilson
Mar 30, 2010
QUERY - MIRANDA'S FIRE
Dear Agent,
Miranda Dakin is a modern day Fire Mage three days shy of turning sixteen – the age at which Mages can compete in The Tournament and use magic without supervision. Her already extraordinary life is turned upside down when a horde of supposedly-extinct demons attack The Tournament, killing or kidnapping every adult Mage.
After receiving a message from her Psychic Mage mother, Miranda is charged with rescuing the surviving Mages from a place she was told doesn't exist. She sets off on a cross-country rescue mission with three others: a young man belonging to a race she also thought extinct, her Witch of a best friend, and a powerful young Water Mage she's known since birth.
An intimate betrayal, public demon attacks, and an unexpected affection complicate matters when all Miranda wants is her mother safely back at home. Miranda grapples with a seductive ancient knowledge while discovering most of what she has been taught about her world is a strategic lie.
MIRANDA'S FIRE is a 60,000 word YA urban fantasy novel. Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Sarah N. Fisk
Miranda Dakin is a modern day Fire Mage three days shy of turning sixteen – the age at which Mages can compete in The Tournament and use magic without supervision. Her already extraordinary life is turned upside down when a horde of supposedly-extinct demons attack The Tournament, killing or kidnapping every adult Mage.
After receiving a message from her Psychic Mage mother, Miranda is charged with rescuing the surviving Mages from a place she was told doesn't exist. She sets off on a cross-country rescue mission with three others: a young man belonging to a race she also thought extinct, her Witch of a best friend, and a powerful young Water Mage she's known since birth.
An intimate betrayal, public demon attacks, and an unexpected affection complicate matters when all Miranda wants is her mother safely back at home. Miranda grapples with a seductive ancient knowledge while discovering most of what she has been taught about her world is a strategic lie.
MIRANDA'S FIRE is a 60,000 word YA urban fantasy novel. Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Sarah N. Fisk
Query for YA fantasy: THE DESTINY STONE
Dear Agent,
Ploughing the fields was a part of daily life for seventeen-year-old Haythem. He dreams of adventure, but never expects to leave Turig until the day his mother appears – a mother he grew up believing dead. She pleads with him to leave at once, telling him he needs to find the courage to embrace his destiny and to assume his rightful place among her people the Elves. Haythem is curious to learn more and so he leaves, taking with him an old map and a stone she cautions him to protect.
With the help of Arygos, a mysterious young man, and Tarquin, an ancient creature of great wisdom, Haythem uncovers the truth about the stone and how the King’s desire to possess it is connected to unrest in the Empire. He also learns the stone gives him the power to wield magic. This newfound knowledge forces Haythem to come face to face with the true legacy of the stone. He is disturbed by what he discovers – the stone is an extension of his own magic and if he is to have mastery over it he must bind himself to its will in order to rid the Empire of the cruel King.
THE DESTINY STONE is a fast paced young adult fantasy and is complete at 115,000 words. It explores the joy of love, the pain of loss and the power of courage and sacrifice. I have a M.A. in anthropology and have experience teaching university level Sociology and Anthropology courses.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Aspiring Writer
Ploughing the fields was a part of daily life for seventeen-year-old Haythem. He dreams of adventure, but never expects to leave Turig until the day his mother appears – a mother he grew up believing dead. She pleads with him to leave at once, telling him he needs to find the courage to embrace his destiny and to assume his rightful place among her people the Elves. Haythem is curious to learn more and so he leaves, taking with him an old map and a stone she cautions him to protect.
With the help of Arygos, a mysterious young man, and Tarquin, an ancient creature of great wisdom, Haythem uncovers the truth about the stone and how the King’s desire to possess it is connected to unrest in the Empire. He also learns the stone gives him the power to wield magic. This newfound knowledge forces Haythem to come face to face with the true legacy of the stone. He is disturbed by what he discovers – the stone is an extension of his own magic and if he is to have mastery over it he must bind himself to its will in order to rid the Empire of the cruel King.
THE DESTINY STONE is a fast paced young adult fantasy and is complete at 115,000 words. It explores the joy of love, the pain of loss and the power of courage and sacrifice. I have a M.A. in anthropology and have experience teaching university level Sociology and Anthropology courses.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Aspiring Writer
QUERY - DIARY OF A HOT PINK PARTY GIRL
Click here to read the sample pages.
In only a few months, sixteen year-old Tawny Childers has gone from major slacker to straight A student, but convincing anyone that she’s shed the hard core, party girl reputation is going to take more than good grades.
Her mother’s commitment to give up drinking inspired Tawny to change her own life. While spending the summer in an anonymous support group, Tawny shares an unlikely friendship with star quarterback, Drew Strunkler.
But when junior year begins, neither can allow their very different paths to cross. Drew’s father, like Tawny’s mother is a recently recovered alcoholic, but he’s also a teacher at their school. Revealing Coach Strunkler’s secret is too big a risk for Tawny and Drew to attempt an in-school friendship, not to mention Drew’s cheer bitch girlfriend and Tawny share the common ground of complete hatred for one another.
Now Tawny’s alone, trying to find a new place among hundreds of students who see nothing but the easy girl any guy could nail. At least that’s what’s written on the walls of the boy’s locker room.
She’s thrilled when the editor of the school paper requests her anonymous blog be a part of the Warrior News. Hot Pink Party Girl becomes a huge hit among her classmates. Tawny knows she’s fooling them into seeing the ugliest side to her wild days- alcohol, drugs, and more than a few random hookups.
When Tawny’s feelings for Drew deepen, it doesn’t go unnoticed and only takes a little snooping for someone to discover the truth about Drew’s father and force Tawny into telling her story – the whole story. Hearing details about her past with the clarity of being sober is like reliving it and threatens to send her spiraling back to old habits.
The biggest challenge lies in convincing herself she truly isn’t that girl and maybe she is worthy of having a guy like Drew Strunkler love her back or anyone for that matter. DIARY OF A HOT PINK PARTY GIRL is a young adult novel complete at 80,000 words.
In only a few months, sixteen year-old Tawny Childers has gone from major slacker to straight A student, but convincing anyone that she’s shed the hard core, party girl reputation is going to take more than good grades.
Her mother’s commitment to give up drinking inspired Tawny to change her own life. While spending the summer in an anonymous support group, Tawny shares an unlikely friendship with star quarterback, Drew Strunkler.
But when junior year begins, neither can allow their very different paths to cross. Drew’s father, like Tawny’s mother is a recently recovered alcoholic, but he’s also a teacher at their school. Revealing Coach Strunkler’s secret is too big a risk for Tawny and Drew to attempt an in-school friendship, not to mention Drew’s cheer bitch girlfriend and Tawny share the common ground of complete hatred for one another.
Now Tawny’s alone, trying to find a new place among hundreds of students who see nothing but the easy girl any guy could nail. At least that’s what’s written on the walls of the boy’s locker room.
She’s thrilled when the editor of the school paper requests her anonymous blog be a part of the Warrior News. Hot Pink Party Girl becomes a huge hit among her classmates. Tawny knows she’s fooling them into seeing the ugliest side to her wild days- alcohol, drugs, and more than a few random hookups.
When Tawny’s feelings for Drew deepen, it doesn’t go unnoticed and only takes a little snooping for someone to discover the truth about Drew’s father and force Tawny into telling her story – the whole story. Hearing details about her past with the clarity of being sober is like reliving it and threatens to send her spiraling back to old habits.
The biggest challenge lies in convincing herself she truly isn’t that girl and maybe she is worthy of having a guy like Drew Strunkler love her back or anyone for that matter. DIARY OF A HOT PINK PARTY GIRL is a young adult novel complete at 80,000 words.
QUERY - MEND (Revised)
Click here to read the original query.
He attacks. He springs upon his victims with hatred and blind fury, slashing their bodies and shredding the peace of The City Too Busy to Hate. He kills. With no evidence left behind, four Atlanta families have fallen in his wake, and he is not finished.
Fifteen years have passed since the day Jacob Santos opened his eyes and found his mother brutally murdered. For years he has been tormented by an unattainable desire for revenge. Unattainable, until now. Following a murder in a downtown Atlanta neighborhood, a murder that mirrors his mother’s, Jacob receives a message:
“Got another for you.”
It is an invitation from the man Jacob has spent his entire adult life envisioning killing; a provocation to come out and play a deadly game of cat and mouse. And Jacob does just that. The only help the self-proclaimed investigator receives comes from an unorthodox source; the ghost of a childhood friend that haunts both him and the killer alike. Hidden behind the specter’s cryptic messages lays the true link between the hunter and the hunted, and the only means to decipher which is which.
However, unveiling the secret might come at too high a price for the lone investigator’s fragile mind, since the killer he so desperately seeks has never been further than a mere glimpse in the mirror. Now Jacob must find a way to mend is fractured psyche, before the police catch up to him, before another family is slaughtered, before his mind and his soul are lost forever. He cannot fail. Doing so will turn him from the best hope to stop the killings, and into the catalyst of an unprecedented murderous rampage.
He attacks. He springs upon his victims with hatred and blind fury, slashing their bodies and shredding the peace of The City Too Busy to Hate. He kills. With no evidence left behind, four Atlanta families have fallen in his wake, and he is not finished.
Fifteen years have passed since the day Jacob Santos opened his eyes and found his mother brutally murdered. For years he has been tormented by an unattainable desire for revenge. Unattainable, until now. Following a murder in a downtown Atlanta neighborhood, a murder that mirrors his mother’s, Jacob receives a message:
“Got another for you.”
It is an invitation from the man Jacob has spent his entire adult life envisioning killing; a provocation to come out and play a deadly game of cat and mouse. And Jacob does just that. The only help the self-proclaimed investigator receives comes from an unorthodox source; the ghost of a childhood friend that haunts both him and the killer alike. Hidden behind the specter’s cryptic messages lays the true link between the hunter and the hunted, and the only means to decipher which is which.
However, unveiling the secret might come at too high a price for the lone investigator’s fragile mind, since the killer he so desperately seeks has never been further than a mere glimpse in the mirror. Now Jacob must find a way to mend is fractured psyche, before the police catch up to him, before another family is slaughtered, before his mind and his soul are lost forever. He cannot fail. Doing so will turn him from the best hope to stop the killings, and into the catalyst of an unprecedented murderous rampage.
Query- THE DESTINY STONE
Dear Agent,
Ploughing the fields was a part of daily life for seventeen-year-old Haythem. He dreams of adventure, but never expects to leave Turig until the day his mother appears – a mother he grew up believing dead. She pleads with him to leave at once, telling him he needs to find the courage to embrace his destiny and to assume his rightful place among her people the Elves. Haythem is curious to learn more and so he leaves, taking with him an old map and a stone she cautions him to protect.
With the help of Arygos, a mysterious young man, and Tarquin, an ancient creature of great wisdom, Haythem uncovers the truth about the stone and how the King's desire to possess it, is connected to unrest in the Empire. He also learns the stone gives him the power to wield magic. This newfound knowledge forces Haythem to come face to face with the true legacy of the stone. He is disturbed by what he discovers – the stone is an extension of his own magic and if he is to have mastery over it he must bind himself to its will in order to rid the Empire of the cruel King and fulfill his destiny.
THE DESTINY STONE is a fast-paced young adult fantasy and is complete at 115,000 words. It explores the joy of love, the pain of loss and the power of courage and sacrifice. I have a M.A. in anthropology and have experience teaching university level Sociology and Anthropology courses.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Aspiring Writer
Don't miss a beat Get Messenger on your phone
Ploughing the fields was a part of daily life for seventeen-year-old Haythem. He dreams of adventure, but never expects to leave Turig until the day his mother appears – a mother he grew up believing dead. She pleads with him to leave at once, telling him he needs to find the courage to embrace his destiny and to assume his rightful place among her people the Elves. Haythem is curious to learn more and so he leaves, taking with him an old map and a stone she cautions him to protect.
With the help of Arygos, a mysterious young man, and Tarquin, an ancient creature of great wisdom, Haythem uncovers the truth about the stone and how the King's desire to possess it, is connected to unrest in the Empire. He also learns the stone gives him the power to wield magic. This newfound knowledge forces Haythem to come face to face with the true legacy of the stone. He is disturbed by what he discovers – the stone is an extension of his own magic and if he is to have mastery over it he must bind himself to its will in order to rid the Empire of the cruel King and fulfill his destiny.
THE DESTINY STONE is a fast-paced young adult fantasy and is complete at 115,000 words. It explores the joy of love, the pain of loss and the power of courage and sacrifice. I have a M.A. in anthropology and have experience teaching university level Sociology and Anthropology courses.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Aspiring Writer
Don't miss a beat Get Messenger on your phone
Mar 29, 2010
QUERY - MOURN THEIR COURAGE
Click here to read the original query.
Click here to read the first revision.
Click here to read the second revision.
Liu Jie fears losing family members more than anything, so he raises an army when his nephew, the Ron Emperor, requires protection from Yellow Turban rebels. With the help of Aiyu, an orphaned boy Jie saved, the rebels are destroyed. However, Jie does not believe they were the Emperor’s true threat. He suspects the Imperial Chancellor intends to usurp the throne. Rather than waging war and risking the lives of thousands, Jie attacks the Chancellor during a chance meeting. The attack fails and Jie, his family and Aiyu flee, continuing their struggle to survive amidst drought and warfare. Bitter loss continues to overshadow Jie until he must choose between the safety of his family or his Empire’s survival.
MOURN THEIR COURAGE is a 94,000-word fantasy based on Chinese folktales collectively called “The Romance of the Three Kingdoms.” Though adapted for film, comics and video game serialization, there are no modern English novelizations of this treasure. MOURN THEIR COURAGE may interest fans of Eric Flint, Cindy Pon and Guy Gavriel Kay and is similar in setting to Kay’s “Under Heaven,” due April 27th.
I have published fiction in several online publications and am a member of the Wuxia Society and The China History Forum Online, where I contribute book reviews. I am also an active book reviewer on two blogs.
Saving an orphan launches Jie on an epic journey where ghosts are guides and heroes are traitors. I invite you to experience MOURN THEIR COURAGE. Thank you so much for this opportunity. I look forward to your suggestions.
Click here to read the first revision.
Click here to read the second revision.
Liu Jie fears losing family members more than anything, so he raises an army when his nephew, the Ron Emperor, requires protection from Yellow Turban rebels. With the help of Aiyu, an orphaned boy Jie saved, the rebels are destroyed. However, Jie does not believe they were the Emperor’s true threat. He suspects the Imperial Chancellor intends to usurp the throne. Rather than waging war and risking the lives of thousands, Jie attacks the Chancellor during a chance meeting. The attack fails and Jie, his family and Aiyu flee, continuing their struggle to survive amidst drought and warfare. Bitter loss continues to overshadow Jie until he must choose between the safety of his family or his Empire’s survival.
MOURN THEIR COURAGE is a 94,000-word fantasy based on Chinese folktales collectively called “The Romance of the Three Kingdoms.” Though adapted for film, comics and video game serialization, there are no modern English novelizations of this treasure. MOURN THEIR COURAGE may interest fans of Eric Flint, Cindy Pon and Guy Gavriel Kay and is similar in setting to Kay’s “Under Heaven,” due April 27th.
I have published fiction in several online publications and am a member of the Wuxia Society and The China History Forum Online, where I contribute book reviews. I am also an active book reviewer on two blogs.
Saving an orphan launches Jie on an epic journey where ghosts are guides and heroes are traitors. I invite you to experience MOURN THEIR COURAGE. Thank you so much for this opportunity. I look forward to your suggestions.
Mar 26, 2010
Query- Snare
College freshman Chloe Shepherd’s knows that guys like Dylan Hughes don’t fall for girls like her. So, when he seems equally smitten, Chloe is ecstatic – and totally unprepared for the girl in the corridor. She grills Chloe about her date with Dylan, finishing with a terse, “Don’t like him too much. The last girl who did ended up dead.”
The words ring in Chloe’s head. Are they a warning or a sinister promise? She can’t ask Dylan; he doesn’t speak to her now. He won’t even look at her as they sit next to each other in class. Yet months later Dylan confesses that he’s missed her, and Chloe dives headlong into his words despite his admission that the dead girlfriend is the least of it. She’s been waiting for this, and if that explosive first kiss is anything to go by, so has he.
But, Dylan warns her – he’s still not a good bet. That hasn’t changed. He and his family are part of the great Rayhm clan of witches; the symbol of the clan burned into his skin is testament to how very powerful he is. Yet, to Chloe, they are just two ordinary people falling extraordinarily in love.
Who knows how long it might have stayed that way if she hadn’t eavesdropped on him in the library? Now she realizes what he’s been keeping from her. For every secret he’s revealed, there’s a deeper one. Because of her, Dylan will be forced to defend his birthright. Chloe is the only person in the world who can give him the one thing he’s never wanted – the power to rule the Rayhm.
Snare is a YA/New Adult paranormal romance, complete at 94,000 words.
Personal info below.
Thank you for your consideration.
Brenda St John Brown
The words ring in Chloe’s head. Are they a warning or a sinister promise? She can’t ask Dylan; he doesn’t speak to her now. He won’t even look at her as they sit next to each other in class. Yet months later Dylan confesses that he’s missed her, and Chloe dives headlong into his words despite his admission that the dead girlfriend is the least of it. She’s been waiting for this, and if that explosive first kiss is anything to go by, so has he.
But, Dylan warns her – he’s still not a good bet. That hasn’t changed. He and his family are part of the great Rayhm clan of witches; the symbol of the clan burned into his skin is testament to how very powerful he is. Yet, to Chloe, they are just two ordinary people falling extraordinarily in love.
Who knows how long it might have stayed that way if she hadn’t eavesdropped on him in the library? Now she realizes what he’s been keeping from her. For every secret he’s revealed, there’s a deeper one. Because of her, Dylan will be forced to defend his birthright. Chloe is the only person in the world who can give him the one thing he’s never wanted – the power to rule the Rayhm.
Snare is a YA/New Adult paranormal romance, complete at 94,000 words.
Personal info below.
Thank you for your consideration.
Brenda St John Brown
QUERY- IRON THIRST - Urban Fantasy
Click here to read the last query.
*trying something new here. Want to see if less is more - or just more confusing.*
Dear Most Awesome Agent Ever,
The why I picked you paragraph.
Looking for an escape from the norm, Felicity Johnson dresses for trouble, and finds it when she attends DragonCon – the convention that celebrates everything sci-fi and fantasy. Felicity meets a love interest, discovers the dead body of a friend, and stumbles over a real vampire, who develops a thirst for the iron running through her veins. The trip that started as a search for adventure leads her down a path that could leave her either dead or with the ultimate makeover, one that can't be undone without a stake to the heart.
Iron Thirst is an 88,000 word urban fantasy. I am a member of the Atlanta Writers Club and Sisters in Crime.
Sincerely,
Would be nicest client ever.
*trying something new here. Want to see if less is more - or just more confusing.*
Dear Most Awesome Agent Ever,
The why I picked you paragraph.
Looking for an escape from the norm, Felicity Johnson dresses for trouble, and finds it when she attends DragonCon – the convention that celebrates everything sci-fi and fantasy. Felicity meets a love interest, discovers the dead body of a friend, and stumbles over a real vampire, who develops a thirst for the iron running through her veins. The trip that started as a search for adventure leads her down a path that could leave her either dead or with the ultimate makeover, one that can't be undone without a stake to the heart.
Iron Thirst is an 88,000 word urban fantasy. I am a member of the Atlanta Writers Club and Sisters in Crime.
Sincerely,
Would be nicest client ever.
sample pages -DIARY OF A HOT PINK PARTY GIRL
I should have known Drew Strunkler, Skunkler, would morph into a big, giant douche bag the second school started. Like I was just some fly he could flick right off his shoulder. I mean, seriously, the guy wasn’t even capable of intelligent thought.
As if to prove my point, he was trying to kick a football over the roof of the school building with his other brainless jock friends.
I tugged at the collar of my shirt, feeling the heat creep all the way up to my face. Ugh! Did my eyes actually light up when I saw him? It didn’t matter because Drew Strunkler was too busy winning a bet. I wonder which pinhead will have to moon poor Mrs. Elkin, the librarian.
“The book lady’s gonna get another piece of ass today, huh?”
Alex Stoner slid into the bench beside me and I turned to him and laughed. “You would think she’d wear a blindfold by now, with all the butt cracks she’s had flashed in front of her.”
We watched Drew back up, his face tight with concentration. The broad and brawny William Peckman (aka – Pecker), with his tiny head and giant body held the football upright in the grass by his fingertips. A guy that huge had to be covering some other insecurity, like a small penis.
With a graceful swing of his leg, Drew’s foot made perfect contact with the ball and it sailed over the roof.
“Damn,” Pecker muttered.
Drew punched him in the arm, laughing like the stupid-ass idiot he was. “Somebody’s dropping his pants today.”
And just like that, his eyes turned in my direction and paused.
“Tawny,” Alex whispered. “Did Strunkler just look at you?”
I shrugged, but my heart was pounding. “Yeah, for about a quarter of a second.”
Alex flipped back the mop of dark, curly hair falling in his eyes. “Looked like he was checking you out.”
“Like I care. Let’s go inside, its five minutes till homeroom.” I was nearly twenty feet away before I realized Alex wasn’t following. He stood in the middle of the grass gaping at me like an imbecile. “What?”
He shook his head and grinned. “Sorry, I’m still not used to the good Tawny. The one who actually cares about being on time.”
“I’ve been here all summer. Caring about school has become an annoying habit.” I reached for the door, but another hand beat me to it. Both Alex and I jumped back as Drew Strunkler flung the door open. His gaze went straight over my head and then he turned quickly and raced into the school building before us.
“So rude,” Alex said.
I sucked in a breath wishing I was less observant. The way his eyes conveniently traveled over my head when we should have been face-to-face. It was intentional. He planned to ignore me on the first day of school.
I groaned. It sucks to care.
Alex and I headed to my locker when Mr. Feldman the vice principal jumped in front of us, blocking my way. “Miss Childers, I see an entire summer hasn’t knocked some sense into you?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I responded.
Alex snorted back laughter and I jabbed my elbow into his side.
Mr. Feldman shoved his glasses further up his nose and returned to crossing his arms. “I’m referring to your blatant disregard for school dress code.”
He picked up a lock of my blonde hair, the chunk with the pink streak and tugged on it. I jerked away from his touch. “Actually, I decided to make it permanent over the summer.”
“Detention, today after school,” he growled.
“I’d die before I missed spending an afternoon with you.” We ran around him and blended in with the mob of students, all dressed in navy and khaki, flooding the halls.
***
By the time I collapsed into my seat for study hall it was apparent that junior year was going to be a much bigger pill to swallow than last year. And to top it off, Drew Strunkler and Pecker sat right behind me.
Damn!
I pulled out a magazine and lifted my black boots onto the table, relieved to have forty minutes of peace before yet another mind-numbing class.
“Hey Strunk, listen to this,” Pecker said to Drew from behind me.
I glanced under my arm and saw his cell phone lay on his lap.
“Hey everyone and happy first day of school,” Pecker read aloud. “Hot Pink Party girl has had one busy summer. Do you realize how many guys are willing to get to second base while completely loaded? Yeah, pretty much all of them. Okay, so one turned me down and I had to listen to him yap and quote biblical scripture for twenty tortuous minutes. If that doesn’t put out your fire, I don’t know what does. My summer total was over fifty guys and let me tell you I’ve seen more little firemen (some smaller than others) in three months than I thought possible-”
“Quiet Mr. Peckman! This is study hall!” the teacher shouted from the front of the large lecture hall.
“Dude, this chick sounds so hot. I’d love to nail her,” Pecker whispered to Drew.
They both chuckled and I turned a little, lowering my copy of National Geographic just enough to lift one eyebrow in Drew’s direction.
A silent warning.
His smile faded and he dropped his gaze to the Algebra book in front of him. I stifled a laugh. That’s right, be afraid, be very afraid ‘cause I know all your secrets Drew Strunkler. All your virgin secrets.
***
“You do realize I won’t budge on school dress code,” Mr. Feldman said to me as I walked into detention.
“She knows,” Alex said.
I grinned at him. “How did you end up in here?”
“What are friends for? Couldn’t leave you all by yourself.”
In other words, he wasn’t going to tell me in front of Mr. Feldman. We moved to the back of the room and scooted our desks closer together.
“Okay, so I was in the locker room changing after gym class.” Alex made a face. Hand eye coordination was not something he’d been blessed with so gym was torture for a kid like him. “Anyway, Strunkler and what’s that dude’s name? The one that hikes the ball to the thrower guy?”
I laughed. Alex had only been at West Montgomery High for a year and didn’t know everyone’s name like I did. Nor did he have any knowledge of football. “You’re talking about the center and his name is Patrick Johnson.”
“Right, Strunkler and Johnson were tossing towels over the lockers and they still hadn’t changed yet out of their gym clothes. Johnson was being an ass, shoving all the freshman midgets out of his way and so I just snatched his clothes off the bench when he wasn’t looking and tossed them in an open locker.”
“You didn’t!”
He nodded proudly. “It was an unassigned locker and since we’ve got those built in locks, he had to go out of the changing room in a towel to Coach Strunkler’s office to have him look up the combination.”
I busted out laughing and Mr. Feldman glared in our direction. “Alex, you are far braver than I ever gave you credit for.”
He beamed. “It was a shining moment.”
“Yeah, just like winning an Olympic medal.” I lowered my voice. “So you have Coach Strunkler for P.E.?”
“Yeah, why?”
“So Drew’s in his dad’s class?”
“Hey, if it isn’t the legend, Tawny Childers.”
I spun in my chair to face the wild haired boy. “Lenny, I thought you were dropping out.”
“My parents say they’ll keep making my car payments if I pass most of my classes.”
“Cool,” I said.
“You missed an awesome party last night,” Lenny said.
“Why don’t you fill me in,” I said.
His face broke into vacant, “I’m drunk off my ass,” stupid grin that hadn’t changed in two years. Mostly because Lenny hadn’t changed. “Well, my brother pulled through and got us a keg. Razor’s band played and they were so on fire. This chick they’ve got singing for them is like . . . mega hot.”
I listened intently for at least ten minutes, absorbing every detail of that party. The old Tawny’s life. The one I still struggled to shed.
“It was a damn good party,” Alex said. “A lot of people asked about you.”
Lenny leaned his head closer to me and Alex. “I’ve got a massive bottle of Jack Daniels in the back of my car. You guys want to drive out to the lake after this school shit is over?”
Alex looked at me and shrugged, but I shook my head. “I’ve got a meeting.”
“Bummer. Sucks to be you, all academic and committed. How do you survive?” Lenny asked.
I rolled my eyes. “People survive one school day without getting loaded. I’m not a freakin’ saint or anything.”
Lenny put a hand over his heart. “You’re my hero, Tawny.”
Feldman was glaring again so Lenny turned back to the open text book on his desk. He raised it up a little and slipped a copy of Hustler inside. So predictable.
Alex nudged me in the shoulder. “You’re still doing that group thing?” he whispered.
“Yes.”
“All summer, while I was gone?”
“Yes.” I blew the hair off my face, trying to give off the leave-me-alone-vibe.
“Don’t they have bring a friend day or something?”
“Why would they have that? And why are you so curious all of a sudden?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s like this big part of your life and you could be at a strip club for all I know.”
“Why would I be at a strip club?”
“Quit answering my questions with a question. At least tell me where it is.”
This was a joke to him. It was last year and it still is. “You know I can’t do that.”
“What if I needed to join? Is anybody I know in your group?”
I turned my eyes away from him and pulled out one of the many thick textbooks taking up space in my bag. “You don’t need to go. And there’s no one you know.”
“Whatever,” he said.
He was pissed. But even if I wanted to tell him, I couldn’t.
As if to prove my point, he was trying to kick a football over the roof of the school building with his other brainless jock friends.
I tugged at the collar of my shirt, feeling the heat creep all the way up to my face. Ugh! Did my eyes actually light up when I saw him? It didn’t matter because Drew Strunkler was too busy winning a bet. I wonder which pinhead will have to moon poor Mrs. Elkin, the librarian.
“The book lady’s gonna get another piece of ass today, huh?”
Alex Stoner slid into the bench beside me and I turned to him and laughed. “You would think she’d wear a blindfold by now, with all the butt cracks she’s had flashed in front of her.”
We watched Drew back up, his face tight with concentration. The broad and brawny William Peckman (aka – Pecker), with his tiny head and giant body held the football upright in the grass by his fingertips. A guy that huge had to be covering some other insecurity, like a small penis.
With a graceful swing of his leg, Drew’s foot made perfect contact with the ball and it sailed over the roof.
“Damn,” Pecker muttered.
Drew punched him in the arm, laughing like the stupid-ass idiot he was. “Somebody’s dropping his pants today.”
And just like that, his eyes turned in my direction and paused.
“Tawny,” Alex whispered. “Did Strunkler just look at you?”
I shrugged, but my heart was pounding. “Yeah, for about a quarter of a second.”
Alex flipped back the mop of dark, curly hair falling in his eyes. “Looked like he was checking you out.”
“Like I care. Let’s go inside, its five minutes till homeroom.” I was nearly twenty feet away before I realized Alex wasn’t following. He stood in the middle of the grass gaping at me like an imbecile. “What?”
He shook his head and grinned. “Sorry, I’m still not used to the good Tawny. The one who actually cares about being on time.”
“I’ve been here all summer. Caring about school has become an annoying habit.” I reached for the door, but another hand beat me to it. Both Alex and I jumped back as Drew Strunkler flung the door open. His gaze went straight over my head and then he turned quickly and raced into the school building before us.
“So rude,” Alex said.
I sucked in a breath wishing I was less observant. The way his eyes conveniently traveled over my head when we should have been face-to-face. It was intentional. He planned to ignore me on the first day of school.
I groaned. It sucks to care.
Alex and I headed to my locker when Mr. Feldman the vice principal jumped in front of us, blocking my way. “Miss Childers, I see an entire summer hasn’t knocked some sense into you?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I responded.
Alex snorted back laughter and I jabbed my elbow into his side.
Mr. Feldman shoved his glasses further up his nose and returned to crossing his arms. “I’m referring to your blatant disregard for school dress code.”
He picked up a lock of my blonde hair, the chunk with the pink streak and tugged on it. I jerked away from his touch. “Actually, I decided to make it permanent over the summer.”
“Detention, today after school,” he growled.
“I’d die before I missed spending an afternoon with you.” We ran around him and blended in with the mob of students, all dressed in navy and khaki, flooding the halls.
***
By the time I collapsed into my seat for study hall it was apparent that junior year was going to be a much bigger pill to swallow than last year. And to top it off, Drew Strunkler and Pecker sat right behind me.
Damn!
I pulled out a magazine and lifted my black boots onto the table, relieved to have forty minutes of peace before yet another mind-numbing class.
“Hey Strunk, listen to this,” Pecker said to Drew from behind me.
I glanced under my arm and saw his cell phone lay on his lap.
“Hey everyone and happy first day of school,” Pecker read aloud. “Hot Pink Party girl has had one busy summer. Do you realize how many guys are willing to get to second base while completely loaded? Yeah, pretty much all of them. Okay, so one turned me down and I had to listen to him yap and quote biblical scripture for twenty tortuous minutes. If that doesn’t put out your fire, I don’t know what does. My summer total was over fifty guys and let me tell you I’ve seen more little firemen (some smaller than others) in three months than I thought possible-”
“Quiet Mr. Peckman! This is study hall!” the teacher shouted from the front of the large lecture hall.
“Dude, this chick sounds so hot. I’d love to nail her,” Pecker whispered to Drew.
They both chuckled and I turned a little, lowering my copy of National Geographic just enough to lift one eyebrow in Drew’s direction.
A silent warning.
His smile faded and he dropped his gaze to the Algebra book in front of him. I stifled a laugh. That’s right, be afraid, be very afraid ‘cause I know all your secrets Drew Strunkler. All your virgin secrets.
***
“You do realize I won’t budge on school dress code,” Mr. Feldman said to me as I walked into detention.
“She knows,” Alex said.
I grinned at him. “How did you end up in here?”
“What are friends for? Couldn’t leave you all by yourself.”
In other words, he wasn’t going to tell me in front of Mr. Feldman. We moved to the back of the room and scooted our desks closer together.
“Okay, so I was in the locker room changing after gym class.” Alex made a face. Hand eye coordination was not something he’d been blessed with so gym was torture for a kid like him. “Anyway, Strunkler and what’s that dude’s name? The one that hikes the ball to the thrower guy?”
I laughed. Alex had only been at West Montgomery High for a year and didn’t know everyone’s name like I did. Nor did he have any knowledge of football. “You’re talking about the center and his name is Patrick Johnson.”
“Right, Strunkler and Johnson were tossing towels over the lockers and they still hadn’t changed yet out of their gym clothes. Johnson was being an ass, shoving all the freshman midgets out of his way and so I just snatched his clothes off the bench when he wasn’t looking and tossed them in an open locker.”
“You didn’t!”
He nodded proudly. “It was an unassigned locker and since we’ve got those built in locks, he had to go out of the changing room in a towel to Coach Strunkler’s office to have him look up the combination.”
I busted out laughing and Mr. Feldman glared in our direction. “Alex, you are far braver than I ever gave you credit for.”
He beamed. “It was a shining moment.”
“Yeah, just like winning an Olympic medal.” I lowered my voice. “So you have Coach Strunkler for P.E.?”
“Yeah, why?”
“So Drew’s in his dad’s class?”
“Hey, if it isn’t the legend, Tawny Childers.”
I spun in my chair to face the wild haired boy. “Lenny, I thought you were dropping out.”
“My parents say they’ll keep making my car payments if I pass most of my classes.”
“Cool,” I said.
“You missed an awesome party last night,” Lenny said.
“Why don’t you fill me in,” I said.
His face broke into vacant, “I’m drunk off my ass,” stupid grin that hadn’t changed in two years. Mostly because Lenny hadn’t changed. “Well, my brother pulled through and got us a keg. Razor’s band played and they were so on fire. This chick they’ve got singing for them is like . . . mega hot.”
I listened intently for at least ten minutes, absorbing every detail of that party. The old Tawny’s life. The one I still struggled to shed.
“It was a damn good party,” Alex said. “A lot of people asked about you.”
Lenny leaned his head closer to me and Alex. “I’ve got a massive bottle of Jack Daniels in the back of my car. You guys want to drive out to the lake after this school shit is over?”
Alex looked at me and shrugged, but I shook my head. “I’ve got a meeting.”
“Bummer. Sucks to be you, all academic and committed. How do you survive?” Lenny asked.
I rolled my eyes. “People survive one school day without getting loaded. I’m not a freakin’ saint or anything.”
Lenny put a hand over his heart. “You’re my hero, Tawny.”
Feldman was glaring again so Lenny turned back to the open text book on his desk. He raised it up a little and slipped a copy of Hustler inside. So predictable.
Alex nudged me in the shoulder. “You’re still doing that group thing?” he whispered.
“Yes.”
“All summer, while I was gone?”
“Yes.” I blew the hair off my face, trying to give off the leave-me-alone-vibe.
“Don’t they have bring a friend day or something?”
“Why would they have that? And why are you so curious all of a sudden?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s like this big part of your life and you could be at a strip club for all I know.”
“Why would I be at a strip club?”
“Quit answering my questions with a question. At least tell me where it is.”
This was a joke to him. It was last year and it still is. “You know I can’t do that.”
“What if I needed to join? Is anybody I know in your group?”
I turned my eyes away from him and pulled out one of the many thick textbooks taking up space in my bag. “You don’t need to go. And there’s no one you know.”
“Whatever,” he said.
He was pissed. But even if I wanted to tell him, I couldn’t.
Mar 24, 2010
Query- Launch On Need
Dear (Agent),
For more than two decades, NASA launch-imaging expert Ken Brown complained to upper management that debris would eventually bring down a shuttle. They didn’t listen. Brown could only watch as wayward pieces of foam and falling daggers of ice, threatened to wreck his birds.
Then on January 17th, 2003, Brown’s worst fear is realized while reviewing the previous day’s launch film: a small-suitcase-sized debris chunk smashed into Columbia’s wing during her ride to orbit.
Brown knows that if Columbia’s heat shield has been damaged, that in fourteen days the seven person international crew will perish in the inferno of reentry.
Although Brown contacts the necessary NASA officials about his findings, he is skeptical that sufficient action will be taken by management in time to save the crew. He decides to leak his findings to his friend John Stangley, a former CNN senior science correspondent.
NASA suddenly finds itself forced to respond to the international media’s demand for answers. Satellite imaging of Columbia is ordered, but the photos prove inconclusive. NASA then calls on two Columbia astronauts to perform an emergency wing inspection spacewalk, that reveals catastrophic wing damage.
NASA is challenged to solve the highest profile problem they’ve ever faced. The whole world watches and waits while NASA figures out how and if, it can safely bring the crew home.
The Columbia Accident Investigation Board was formed only hours after Columbia’s break-up February 1st, 2003. NASA engineers were asked by the Board if anything could have been done to save the crew. The Board’s final report published late 2003, contained a 22 page document created by NASA engineers, that outlined in detail how the crew might have been rescued.
Launch On Need, complete at 98,000 words, is a fictionalization of NASA’s rescue plan.
Thank you for your time considering my project for representation.
Sincerely,
Daniel Guiteras
(Address)
(Phone)
For more than two decades, NASA launch-imaging expert Ken Brown complained to upper management that debris would eventually bring down a shuttle. They didn’t listen. Brown could only watch as wayward pieces of foam and falling daggers of ice, threatened to wreck his birds.
Then on January 17th, 2003, Brown’s worst fear is realized while reviewing the previous day’s launch film: a small-suitcase-sized debris chunk smashed into Columbia’s wing during her ride to orbit.
Brown knows that if Columbia’s heat shield has been damaged, that in fourteen days the seven person international crew will perish in the inferno of reentry.
Although Brown contacts the necessary NASA officials about his findings, he is skeptical that sufficient action will be taken by management in time to save the crew. He decides to leak his findings to his friend John Stangley, a former CNN senior science correspondent.
NASA suddenly finds itself forced to respond to the international media’s demand for answers. Satellite imaging of Columbia is ordered, but the photos prove inconclusive. NASA then calls on two Columbia astronauts to perform an emergency wing inspection spacewalk, that reveals catastrophic wing damage.
NASA is challenged to solve the highest profile problem they’ve ever faced. The whole world watches and waits while NASA figures out how and if, it can safely bring the crew home.
The Columbia Accident Investigation Board was formed only hours after Columbia’s break-up February 1st, 2003. NASA engineers were asked by the Board if anything could have been done to save the crew. The Board’s final report published late 2003, contained a 22 page document created by NASA engineers, that outlined in detail how the crew might have been rescued.
Launch On Need, complete at 98,000 words, is a fictionalization of NASA’s rescue plan.
Thank you for your time considering my project for representation.
Sincerely,
Daniel Guiteras
(Address)
(Phone)
Query- Facets of Sorrow
Dear (Agent’s Name),
Thank you for allowing me to introduce my novel to you. Facets of Sorrow is a work of women’s fiction, which is complete at 95,000 words.
Gemma Allen knows sorrow – she knows him well. He overwhelmed her with his confidence, seduced her with his charm and injured her with his strength. His name is Aaron Dullis, and if she would just stop needing him maybe he could stop loving her. She refuses to give him that satisfaction.
When Gemma meets Kyle Johnson, she thinks he’s the one person who can bring her joy, and he does. The problem with loving two men, however, is that she’s not sure how to balance her need for each of them with her desire for them both. It seems an impossible choice – maybe it is, but she knows she must choose.
Gemma and Kyle marry, but after a few years of marriage his secretive behavior and mysterious business trips have Gemma convinced he’s not who she thought he was. She’s right. He has a past of his own, full of his own sorrow and regret. When Gemma is forced to protect Kyle’s secret, she makes decisions that land her in a hospital bed, Aaron in handcuffs and Kyle in a legal and ethical dilemma as he tries to clean up the mess they’ve all made.
I have a B.A. in English from the University of Texas. My previous writing experience includes serving as a ghostwriter for Life Builders, a nationwide mentoring ministry.
Thank you so much for your time and for considering my novel.
Sincerely,
Genevieve Wilson
Thank you for allowing me to introduce my novel to you. Facets of Sorrow is a work of women’s fiction, which is complete at 95,000 words.
Gemma Allen knows sorrow – she knows him well. He overwhelmed her with his confidence, seduced her with his charm and injured her with his strength. His name is Aaron Dullis, and if she would just stop needing him maybe he could stop loving her. She refuses to give him that satisfaction.
When Gemma meets Kyle Johnson, she thinks he’s the one person who can bring her joy, and he does. The problem with loving two men, however, is that she’s not sure how to balance her need for each of them with her desire for them both. It seems an impossible choice – maybe it is, but she knows she must choose.
Gemma and Kyle marry, but after a few years of marriage his secretive behavior and mysterious business trips have Gemma convinced he’s not who she thought he was. She’s right. He has a past of his own, full of his own sorrow and regret. When Gemma is forced to protect Kyle’s secret, she makes decisions that land her in a hospital bed, Aaron in handcuffs and Kyle in a legal and ethical dilemma as he tries to clean up the mess they’ve all made.
I have a B.A. in English from the University of Texas. My previous writing experience includes serving as a ghostwriter for Life Builders, a nationwide mentoring ministry.
Thank you so much for your time and for considering my novel.
Sincerely,
Genevieve Wilson
Mar 22, 2010
Middle Grade/Joshua and the Fantastic Forest (revision #3)
Click here to read the original query.
Click here to read the first revision.
Click here to read the second revision.
Twelve-year old Joshua Cooper finds out a walk in the woods can change his life – or end it.
Bored as the new kid in town he is desperate for adventure. He finds it in the forest when he befriends talking animals transformed accidentally from DNA of the same highly-evolved animals that lived millions of years ago and died out. He shares his magical world with two unlikely friends he rescues and they vow to protect the secret of their forest friends.
When a power-hungry fox secretly transforms thousands of animals with his prehistoric DNA into his allies to rule the forest, Joshua must find a way to save his captured friends and stop the fox. He rallies his comrades to raise their own army and build an arsenal of weapons to defend themselves against the evil hoard in the battle of their lives.
I am seeking your representation for my manuscript, JOSHUA AND THE FANTASTIC FOREST, a 52,000-word middle grade adventure that appeals to boys. I am a freelance writer with a background in reporting and marketing.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Click here to read the first revision.
Click here to read the second revision.
Twelve-year old Joshua Cooper finds out a walk in the woods can change his life – or end it.
Bored as the new kid in town he is desperate for adventure. He finds it in the forest when he befriends talking animals transformed accidentally from DNA of the same highly-evolved animals that lived millions of years ago and died out. He shares his magical world with two unlikely friends he rescues and they vow to protect the secret of their forest friends.
When a power-hungry fox secretly transforms thousands of animals with his prehistoric DNA into his allies to rule the forest, Joshua must find a way to save his captured friends and stop the fox. He rallies his comrades to raise their own army and build an arsenal of weapons to defend themselves against the evil hoard in the battle of their lives.
I am seeking your representation for my manuscript, JOSHUA AND THE FANTASTIC FOREST, a 52,000-word middle grade adventure that appeals to boys. I am a freelance writer with a background in reporting and marketing.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
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