Astral Academy

A Query Letter to the Universe

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Dear Universe,

I’m seeking representation for Astral Academy, an 80,000-word speculative novel with metaphysical elements. The book is written so that the reader experiences real-time awe and wonder about Natasha's story in tandem with real world surrounding them.

After her dad walked out and she lost her mom some years later, Natasha Stepanov expected very little from life. She certainly didn’t expect to inherit an empire. But after the death of an estranged father, she’s dropped into the center of the complex world of ChudaPharma; a three-part powerhouse of a company: pharmaceuticals, research facility, and university. A company that her father, Dr. Stepanov, sacrificed any semblance of normalcy to, in an attempt to prove the Astral Realm's existence. His work was nearly realized before his death, but now his entire legacy is at risk postmortem; mainly threatened by the company’s profit-driven CFO, Tony who is only interested in furthering his drug-derivatives of DMT-in the public markets. Natasha, highly skilled in reading people and creative solutions sees what her father never could: the solution lies in community. More specifically, the answer arrives by assembling a diverse team of gifted students, or Astralnauts. It's their youth, mental malleability, and presumed weaknesses turned strengths, that are necessary to explore the Astral Realm effectively. All the while, the board must balance and consider the ethical boundaries between science and mysticism, as their careers and the youths futures are on the line. Is the Astral Plane just a fantasy, concocted from a mentally-ill scientist? Or, is it the biggest discovery to unearth the nature of our reality as we know it?

Astral Academy is Harry Potter meets Bill Nye, if Bill Nye taught Quantum Theory. It’s set in Georgia, near present day, and the ethereal dreamscape of the Astral Plane. The essence of this novel, is the idea that thoughts have power, and everyone has something to offer. Readers who enjoy the grounded science of Blake Crouch, the magical realism of The Midnight Library, the academic setting of The Magicians, or the thought-invoking philosophy of Three Body Problem, will find much to love in Astral Academy!

In short, Astral Academy explores what happens when human consciousness employs quantum science to gain access to an alternate dimension: The Astral Realm that borders our physical world. It follows a group of diverse students and their mentors who must navigate real-world challenges and dreamlike disorienting worlds to unlock extraordinary abilities, all the while securing their futures in the physical.

My background combines scientific rigor and creative exploration. I earned a Bachelor’s degree in Arts and Sciences for Pre-Veterinary Medicine from Georgia State University before discovering my true calling in Emory’s Creative Writing Program and Pocket MFA. These dual perspectives, scientific inquiry and storytelling, form the foundation of Astral Academy. When I’m not writing (novels, poetry, and philosophical essays) I run Sanity Ranch, a small animal sanctuary in North Georgia. I am a full-time writer, it is my only priority, and I am fully focused on finding a partnership to bring this story forward.

Thank you for your time,

N. J. Simat

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