The time has come, the time that every author looks forward to with great anticipation and also with great dread. It’s time to query.
For those of you not familiar with the ins and outs of acquiring a literary agent, an author writes a query letter and sends it out to agents, hoping to grab their attention and make them want to know more. Condensing your 95,000 word book into a few paragraphs is a challenge itself, but then to make it interesting enough that the agent is asking for more– let’s just say it takes more than a few tries.
Below is my query for Chosen, in its current state. This is probably Version #5, which is actually a low number for most queries. Now if I can get the courage to send it out into the world and hope SOMEONE likes it.
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Dear Superstar Agent:
Everything Emma Thompson owns fits in a suitcase. She moves from one roach infested motel to another, running from the men intent on taking Jake, her five-year-old son who can see the future. She will do anything to protect him, even it means accepting the help of a stranger named Will. Jake insists she needs him, but Emma’s never needed help before, and even though she’s learned to trust her son, it doesn’t mean she trusts Will.
Mercenary Will Davenport lives in the moment. Hauling Emma to South Dakota should have been an easy job, but his employer neglected to tell him about Emma’s freaky son and the gunmen hot on her trail. Instinct tells Will this job is trouble, but he didn’t expect Jake’s proclamation that Will fulfills a centuries old prophecy:
Will is The Chosen One. He is to protect Emma from the men who hunt her for the power she has to offer. A power she doesn’t know she possesses.
Will protects Emma and Jake on a cross-country chase from the men pursuing them, while trying to ignore the memories that keep surfacing, his apprehension of Jake, and his growing attraction to Emma. Will’s overwhelming urge to protect Emma surprises him, especially since it has nothing to do with his paycheck and possibly everything to do with the tattoo Jake branded on his arm. As they run, all three must come to terms with their destiny.
CHOSEN is a paranormal/thriller complete at 95,000 words. Thank you for your consideration.
Denise Swank
