Winning Query Letter / 52 Likes by Medeia Sharif

The Winning Query Letters feature showcases queries from published authors. My hope is that sharing these great queries will help and inspire writers out there who are struggling with query writing.

Today’s winning query letter is from Medeia Sharif!

Medeia Sharif had already published a few books when she shopped around for her YA novel, 52 Likes, but being published doesn’t always mean you’ll land the first agent you query. 52 Likes has scenes and a subject matter that not many agents feel comfortable with, so she had to write a perfect query letter to interest an agent. And she did!

Query Letter:

To whom it may concern:

In my paranormal YA novel, 52 LIKES, Valerie is a young lady with a past and a bad reputation, none of which she deserves. During a night when she's supposed to go to a party at an abandoned house, she goes to the wrong address. A man follows her inside and rapes her. He tries to kill her afterwards, but a bystander steps in and scares him away.

Wanting closure and healing, she has no idea how to go about achieving those things, especially when she’s bullied about a stupid thing she did a year ago and harassed about a new rumor—classmates are saying that during the night of her rape, she had willing sex. A rape counselor, her best friend, and her loving mom all try to help the best they can but then someone, or something, reaches out to her.

She receives assistance from the ghostly realm, and these entities of past victims hover around her and haunt her through her phone and social media accounts. They have a message about her rapist, their rapist and murderer, that she must find out who he is. The closer Valerie gets to discovering his identity, the more likely he’ll come after her to finish the job.

By day I’m an English teacher, and by night I’m a YA and MG writer. [brief list of publications] I hope to interest you in my latest edgy novel complete at 47,000 words.

Sincerely,

Medeia Sharif 

Amazon

Thank you for sharing your query letter with us, Medeia!

Winning Query Letter / White Light by Anna Simpson

The Winning Query Letter feature showcases queries from published authors. My hope is that sharing these great queries will help and inspire writers out there who are struggling with query writing.

Today’s winning query letter is from Anna Simpson!

Anna Simpson participated in #WritePit on Twitter and gained the interest of an editor at a small press who requested the complete manuscript from Anna. Below is her winning tweet and query letter that helped her to land a contract for her book, WHITE LIGHT.

Tweet: Anna Simpson @emaginette When a psychic warns two busybodies where danger lies, she doesn't let her death stop her from joining the fun #WritePit #A Myst

Query Letter:

Dear [editor],

I’d like to thank you for asking me to submit. It made an exciting day perfect.

Emma learns that keeping a secret in a small town is near impossible. As the town folk beg for psychic readings from Alice, Emma's alter personality, Mrs. Perkins, a nosy neighbour and super sleuth wannabe, drags the young woman to an anniversary party.

Their presence triggers an attack and the further random accidents threaten their benevolent host's safety. All Emma and Mrs. Perkins have to do is convince their bull-headed host that his life is in danger before he pays the ultimate price and a killer gets away with murder.

Even if it means going back to the psyche ward, Emma will protect her friend and this innocent man. What good is freedom if it's haunted with guilt?

White Light is a quirky mystery that is finished at 65k. Although I followed most of the cozy mystery guidelines, I did stray, adding some humour, paranormal and psychological elements.

My online persona is emaginette. I have three short fictions and one non-fiction published. My latest fiction is Mexmur, The Huntress published in Portals: A Fantasy Anthology (June 2014) with Roane Publishing. The non-fiction piece, A Complete Thought, was published in the Insecure Writer's Support Group Guide to Publishing and Beyond (Dec 2014). I have also earned an honourable mention from the Writer's of the Future contest in 2014 for a science fiction submission

Sincerely,

Anna Simpson 

Amazon

Thank you for sharing your query letter with us, Anna!

Winning Query Letter / Our Little Secret by Ashelyn Drake

For the time being I am postponing my Dear Writer posts to do a new feature. I noticed that there are many query critiques here on Unicorn Bell and thought a great addition would be to share winning query letters from published authors. My hope is that sharing these great queries will help and inspire writers out there who are struggling with query writing.

Today’s winning query letter is from Kelly Hashway under her pen name Ashelyn Drake.

Kelly had been previously agented but found herself needing new representation, a task as daunting as having to find your first agent. I love that her query letter is the first for this feature as it gives us more examples for writers in every stage and situation. 

Query Letter:

Dear [agent]:

When my agent left the business, leaving me in need of representation once again, the first name that popped into my head was yours. I've followed your blog for years and commented numerous times about how your wealth of knowledge astounds me. I can't think of another agent I'd want to represent me more. While I know contemporary isn't your favorite genre, it is what I'm querying with now. I do, however, have a young adult fantasy and a young adult paranormal, each in different stages of revision. So as you can see, I plan to keep writing all three genres in the future. 

My young adult contemporary romance, Our Little Secret, is complete at 63,000 words and is written under my pen name, Ashelyn Drake. The manuscript is currently being considered by an agent who requested the full, but I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to query you.

Toby Michaels is the guy every girl at Lansfield High wants, including seventeen-year-old Becca Daniels. There’s just one problem: Toby is Tori’s twin brother. Tori, as in Becca’s best friend. And Tori is sick of girls falling all over her brother. So how does Becca tell Tori that she has feelings for Toby?

When Becca catches Toby sneaking glances at her and sending her late night texts, Becca can’t ignore her feelings any longer. Life becomes one big complication having to sneak around behind Tori’s back. And when her relationship with Toby threatens to destroy more than just her friendship with Tori, Becca will have to figure out what she’s willing to risk to keep the guy of her dreams.

I am the author of the Touch of Death series through Spencer Hill Press. My upcoming titles include The Monster Within, which is releasing in 2014 through Spencer Hill Press, and Into the Fire, which publishes in 2014 through Month9Books. I have also released one novella series, Campus Crush, under my pen name.

As per your submission guidelines, I've pasted my synopsis and first five pages below. Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Kelly Hashway/Ashelyn Drake

Amazon

Thank you for sharing your query letter with us, Kelly!