Thursday 5 July 2012

Query Hell

If you are a writer, there are few things more daunting then a query letter/synopsis. They are so stinking hard to write it makes me want to pull out my hair. Which is ridiculous. I wrote the book, I should be able to summarize it in one page and make you wanna read it. Right....right??

Ugh.

So, I'm going to put it below...and you tell me if this makes you want to read it....then I'll tell you a funny story later about a condom and a very pleasant Mormon man.


Dear Dream Agent,

Seventeen-year-old Melia Dawson has been in and out of the Royal Alexander Center for Mental Health since she was six years olds. Convinced she can breathe underwater, Melia has spent the majority of her young life waiting to complete her transformation into a mermaid. What her parents think are multiple suicide attempts are actually Melia’s way of trying to begin her life, not end it. When her most recent stunt at the local pool lands her back in the Center, she meets fellow patient Kass Mercer. To Melia, It seems like the stars have finally aligned; not only does Kass believe that she can breathe underwater, Kass thinks he can fly.  Somewhere between broken curfews and lame horror movies, Kass and Melia fall in love. Together they explore the boundaries of their supernatural abilities through skydiving lessons and late night swims, all while appeasing their therapist, Rick.

When a fellow patient dies unexpectedly, Melia begins to question whether she and Kass are special, or just sick.  Worried for her safety, Rick sends her on a surprise trip to the ocean, where she can finally complete her transformation. When the experiment doesn’t go as planned, Melia sinks into depression, dragging Kass down with her. Together they teeter between reality and delusion as they struggle to accept themselves for who they truly are, before one of them pushes their limits too far.

Washed Up is a contemporary young adult novel, complete at 57,000 words.
My name is Jenna Lehne and I live in Calgary, Alberta with my husband and 2.5 dogs. My debut novel, Second Hand Lace, is due for release April of 2013 by Turquoise Morning Press.

Thank you for your time,

Jenna etc.



Well there it is folks.....I'm off to find a patio and a slushy drink.

I'll be back.

4 comments:

  1. 'since she was six-years-old. (no s :) )

    This reads fine - you might want to try to compact the first paragraph a bit.

    You don't need 'my name is'.
    Second Hand Lace - hmmm... I remember that query. Glad to see it worked out for you!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Congrats on getting through in Xmas in July, this sounds fab and I wish you luck with it. Will be following ;)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Query is awesome! But I'm totally curious about the 2.5 dogs... Is there a third one who's missing his legs or something? :P

    ReplyDelete
  4. @VikLit Thanks!! I'm so excited!!

    @Amber LoL My hubby and I foster rescue puppies :) Sometimes we have 3, sometimes we only have our 2.

    ReplyDelete