Below is my first attempt at a query letter for Finding Meara. Even if you're not participating in the blog hop and want to share some of your wisdom, I'd really appreciate it if you'd leave a comment.
Dear Agent:
In Finding Meara, my 80,000 word adult contemporary-fantasy, Hazel Michelli’s life is turned inside out when she is mistaken for a girl
named Meara, kidnapped from her Denver apartment by a winged creature, and taken to the Realm, a
parallel world where magic and monsters exist.
Upon learning she is to be sacrificed for some nefarious purpose, Hazel narrowly escapes the Realm with the help of Frederick, a fire-cat, and Arden, the cryptic keeper of the forest.
Back in Colorado, Hazel’s world is further turned inside out when she learns she was adopted as a baby, and dysfunctional doesn't even begin to describe her family of origin. Her adoptive parents are distant cousins to her mother, an Earthforce magician who fled the Realm to protect Hazel when she was an infant. Meara is her four-year-old half-sister, and their father, Lucian Rosen, is a sadistic Lifeforce magician desperate to sacrifice his daughter to maintain his immortality.
The only problem is Meara has disappeared, and not even Lucian knows where she is. Furthermore, Lucian realizes Hazel is his lost daughter, and if he can sacrifice her, he will obtain the Earthforce magic in her blood and take over the Realm.
Guilted to action by her adoptive mother, Hazel races between the Realm and Colorado, trying to find the four-year-old and stay one step ahead of Lucian, so she doesn’t end up becoming the sacrifice that would give him control over the Realm.
While written with light-hearted humor, Finding Meara deals with themes of sacrifice, selflessness and family.
I am a school social worker, mother and wife. I have had two short horror stories published in printed anthologies. My contemporary fantasy story, Bear Hug, is published in the February 2012 issue of the online journal, Hogglepot.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Lara Schiffbauer
Thanks so much, everyone, for all your helpful feedback! Have a happy hop!
Upon learning she is to be sacrificed for some nefarious purpose, Hazel narrowly escapes the Realm with the help of Frederick, a fire-cat, and Arden, the cryptic keeper of the forest.
Back in Colorado, Hazel’s world is further turned inside out when she learns she was adopted as a baby, and dysfunctional doesn't even begin to describe her family of origin. Her adoptive parents are distant cousins to her mother, an Earthforce magician who fled the Realm to protect Hazel when she was an infant. Meara is her four-year-old half-sister, and their father, Lucian Rosen, is a sadistic Lifeforce magician desperate to sacrifice his daughter to maintain his immortality.
The only problem is Meara has disappeared, and not even Lucian knows where she is. Furthermore, Lucian realizes Hazel is his lost daughter, and if he can sacrifice her, he will obtain the Earthforce magic in her blood and take over the Realm.
Guilted to action by her adoptive mother, Hazel races between the Realm and Colorado, trying to find the four-year-old and stay one step ahead of Lucian, so she doesn’t end up becoming the sacrifice that would give him control over the Realm.
While written with light-hearted humor, Finding Meara deals with themes of sacrifice, selflessness and family.
I am a school social worker, mother and wife. I have had two short horror stories published in printed anthologies. My contemporary fantasy story, Bear Hug, is published in the February 2012 issue of the online journal, Hogglepot.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Lara Schiffbauer
Thanks so much, everyone, for all your helpful feedback! Have a happy hop!
