The Saturday Slash
Don't be afraid to ask for help with the most critical first step of your writing journey - the query.
I’ve been blogging since 2011 and have critiqued over 200 queries here on the blog using my Hatchet of Death. This is how I edit myself, it is how I edit others. If you think you want to play with me and my hatchet, shoot me an email.
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My thoughts are in blue, words to delete are in red, suggested rephrasing is in orange.
I am seeking representation for my debut novel, THE INVISIBLE WAR, a YA contemporary fantasy complete at 89,275 words. I’d describe it as C.L. Herman’s THE DROWNING SUMMER meets Irish mythology. Based on your interest in young adult fantasy, I thought it might be a good fit for your list. Good work on this. Clear, concise, reasonable word count, you've identified your genre, etc. Typically I like to see people lead with their hook, but this is business-like and professoinal so I say stick with it.
In San Diego, California, a criminal organization known as Harbingers work with demons to commit murders. Eight years ago, Terra Murphy watched them kill her father and brother. That same night, she gained two things: an anxiety disorder, and the ability to turn invisible. I mean - awesome. I'm sold. My only question is what is the purpose of these murders, and why were her father and brother targeted?
No one can tell her where her ability came from. Not the demon hunters who took her in, nor the neighborhood crows that only she seems able to understand. But one night, she meets a boy named Ben who claims Harbingers are not murderers, but people granted magical abilities by death gods after witnessing someone die. They can do everything from heal panic attacks to see the future. And according to Ben, Terra - chosen by the Morrigan, Irish goddess of death - is one of them. Confused - so are the Harbingers behind her family's deaths or not? So she IS a Harbinger, but isn't part of this organizaton? Is it just for Harbingers gone bad? Does everyone who witnesses someone die become a Harbiner, or does there have to be special circumstances? A lot of people witness someone die, honestly, so if that's all it takes being a Harbinger wouldn't be all that special of a thing, and neither would having these abilities.
Eager to find out whether Ben is telling the truth (not to mention meet these people who can supposedly heal panic attacks), Terra accepts Ben’s invitation to join the Harbingers. However, as her friendship with Ben grows, so does her increasing realization that he knows something about the night her family died – something that makes him a hated outcast among his own kind. So he is also a Harbinger? And when Terra’s attempts to uncover Ben’s secret puts his life at risk, she learns that the truth behind her family’s murder is darker than she ever imagined - and that mortals are more dangerous than gods. Confused about why she would join the organization that is behind her family's death, and why her family was targeted. The end here is really vague - secrets, learned truths, danger - that's about all I'm getting here, which can be applied to just about any thriller/suspense novel.
The first chapter of THE INVISIBLE WAR won a Best First Chapter contest held by the League of Utah Writers. As a person living with an anxiety disorder myself, I feel especially equipped to describe the quirks of my mental illness through Terra, which I feel readers with similar mental health struggles will relate to. Really, really great bio. You need to address the questions I posed above, and be more specific with the query in terms of plot. Voice is good, and I like the premise!