Query Letter Example That Landed an agent (Source: QueryTracker):
Dear X,
I’m looking for representation for my 38,000 word literary horror novel, Owls Don’t Have Teeth. Haunted by otherworldly creatures and the crushing weight of motherhood, Rowan’s body and mind unravel as she struggles to understand what is happening to herself and her children. Owls Don’t Have Teeth sits in the lovely liminal space between feminine dread and surreal body horror with prose that leans poetic and visceral. I like to think you’d find it on a bookshelf alongside Rachel Yoder’s Nightbitch, Megan Hunter’s The Harpy, and Samanta Schweblin’s Fever Dream.
Rowan is a mother. She is certain of that much, even when everything else - her memories, her children, her body - feels unreliable. When a six-foot-tall owl appears in her home and her eldest son’s baby teeth grow back in jagged and sharp, Rowan suspects something is deeply wrong. But she has learned, like all mothers, to endure, to stretch herself thin, to convince herself that things are normal when they are anything but. As her house becomes a labyrinth, her flesh hardens into something other than skin, and her youngest son looks up at her with knowing eyes, Rowan is forced to confront the truth before she disappears completely.
I am a 27-year-old British woman living in Vancouver, Canada, who recently completed the Faber online writing a novel course. I’ve had poetry published in Moss Puppy and Lavender Bones literary magazines, and was drawn to query you because of your interest in explorations of female rage, and voice-led perspectives. I’m very interested in unique voices, and love playing with structure in order to blur poetry and prose. Owls Don’t Have Teeth explores the insidious ways women are expected to surrender their autonomy, their ambition, and, eventually, themselves.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my submission,
Query Letter Example That Landed an agent (Source: QueryTracker):
Dear First and Last Name:
Princess Elianna Durand will do anything to marry the man of her dreams, even if that means running away from her home and the safety of Coral Palace. When he is killed on their wedding night, Ellie vows to find his killer and seek her revenge. But finding her husband’s assassin will bring her back to the palace, a place she never expected to see again.
Ellie's parents demand she fulfill the obligation she ran away from: she must marry a stranger to solidify an alliance. After all, she was meant to bear kings. As long-dead magic begins to rear its head and her kingdom heads toward revolution, Ellie soon finds the cost of vengeance might be too high to pay.
Unable to bear the thought of being chained to another man, Ellie turns to new friends for help: a brooding palace guard and a patriarchy burning lady of the court. Together they will hunt for a killer amid the palace walls and try to stand up against the archaic laws of the land. But will they survive?
THE EMERALD DAGGER (82,000 words) is NA fantasy about the dangers of true love and the tangled web of family secrets. With political intrigue and an elemental magic system similar to Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, it will appeal to readers of The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan and fans of the CW’s Reign.
I’m an attorney living in Flint, MI. I’ve worked with victims of trauma and their ability to rise above it all and persevere gave me the inspiration to tell Ellie’s story. When I am not writing, you can find me tangled in the leashes of my six rescues or up to my elbows in brownie batter.
This is great!
Thank you :) I’ve learned all the ways to do it wrong, let’s see if I can get it right. ;)
Query Letter Example That Landed an agent (Source: QueryTracker):
Dear X,
I’m looking for representation for my 38,000 word literary horror novel, Owls Don’t Have Teeth. Haunted by otherworldly creatures and the crushing weight of motherhood, Rowan’s body and mind unravel as she struggles to understand what is happening to herself and her children. Owls Don’t Have Teeth sits in the lovely liminal space between feminine dread and surreal body horror with prose that leans poetic and visceral. I like to think you’d find it on a bookshelf alongside Rachel Yoder’s Nightbitch, Megan Hunter’s The Harpy, and Samanta Schweblin’s Fever Dream.
Rowan is a mother. She is certain of that much, even when everything else - her memories, her children, her body - feels unreliable. When a six-foot-tall owl appears in her home and her eldest son’s baby teeth grow back in jagged and sharp, Rowan suspects something is deeply wrong. But she has learned, like all mothers, to endure, to stretch herself thin, to convince herself that things are normal when they are anything but. As her house becomes a labyrinth, her flesh hardens into something other than skin, and her youngest son looks up at her with knowing eyes, Rowan is forced to confront the truth before she disappears completely.
I am a 27-year-old British woman living in Vancouver, Canada, who recently completed the Faber online writing a novel course. I’ve had poetry published in Moss Puppy and Lavender Bones literary magazines, and was drawn to query you because of your interest in explorations of female rage, and voice-led perspectives. I’m very interested in unique voices, and love playing with structure in order to blur poetry and prose. Owls Don’t Have Teeth explores the insidious ways women are expected to surrender their autonomy, their ambition, and, eventually, themselves.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my submission,
K. Ward
Query Letter Example That Landed an agent (Source: QueryTracker):
Dear First and Last Name:
Princess Elianna Durand will do anything to marry the man of her dreams, even if that means running away from her home and the safety of Coral Palace. When he is killed on their wedding night, Ellie vows to find his killer and seek her revenge. But finding her husband’s assassin will bring her back to the palace, a place she never expected to see again.
Ellie's parents demand she fulfill the obligation she ran away from: she must marry a stranger to solidify an alliance. After all, she was meant to bear kings. As long-dead magic begins to rear its head and her kingdom heads toward revolution, Ellie soon finds the cost of vengeance might be too high to pay.
Unable to bear the thought of being chained to another man, Ellie turns to new friends for help: a brooding palace guard and a patriarchy burning lady of the court. Together they will hunt for a killer amid the palace walls and try to stand up against the archaic laws of the land. But will they survive?
THE EMERALD DAGGER (82,000 words) is NA fantasy about the dangers of true love and the tangled web of family secrets. With political intrigue and an elemental magic system similar to Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, it will appeal to readers of The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan and fans of the CW’s Reign.
I’m an attorney living in Flint, MI. I’ve worked with victims of trauma and their ability to rise above it all and persevere gave me the inspiration to tell Ellie’s story. When I am not writing, you can find me tangled in the leashes of my six rescues or up to my elbows in brownie batter.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
KT Misch.