Query Hell
I thought it might be fun to take a break from the writing and think about what I will eventually say when it comes time to look for an agent. As unpublished writers, we tend to build our dream team and long for sending out that first letter (to probably be rejected) (over and over again). So I wanted to share an early draft of my query letter with you and let you comment on what you like or don’t like about it to help me revise that later. If you post yours let me know so I can return the favor.
Dear Agent McAgentson,
I am writing today to query my YA cyberpunk Terra Nova which is completed at 65,000 words.
I live in the Silicon Valley and am married to a Senior UI Prototype Developer who works for Yahoo! doing very secret things. Tech and industry secrets are a huge part of my day to day life.
If I were to sum Terra Nova up in one sentence I would say:
If your Sims were sentient, would you play God?
Longer Summary:
When Joel is asked by long-time friend Chrissy if he would like to move from San Francisco to Japan and work for the largest virtual reality landscape company in the world he quickly agrees.
Upon starting his job and finishing his first prototype -Mika – A London tour guide- he realizes something is off at Terra Nova.
Mika is sentient and Joel is asked to delete her and her landscape from the system.
This command from the higher ups sends Joel on a journey of right vs. wrong – full of life or death decisions and situations. Secrets and betrayal lurk behind every closed door – real or virtual- and there is seemingly no where to go that Terra Nova can’t reach him.
Will Joel be able to complete his mission and save Mika before time runs out?
I have been blogging about kidlit at Bookalicio.us for four years. I also write for the San Francisco Book Review and YA Warehouse. I partner my blog with my local independent bookstore Hicklebee’s in sunny San Jose California. I also record podcast reviews for Brain Burps and video blog at Youtube Channel InterrobangYA, I am a judge in speculative fiction for the Indie Lit Awards. I have a short story in the unCONventional anthology coming in January of 2012. Member of SCWBI, a critique group, NCIBA, NCCBA and NBCC.
Best,
Pam van Hylckama Vlieg
Top ten things to do instead of write reviews
I have become the master of procrastination. I will share my secrets with you. The decision to do so was not easy, I even procrastinated this minor blog all day.
- Make a list of things you need to do, and just stop there. By making the list you have alerted yourself. You have done enough.
- Read a book and tell yourself you have to get this book read first before you can review the other 7 you just read. I mean you have to read to review right?
- Watch the movie of a book you recently read. Heck go on out and watch Percy and the Olympians or The Lovely Bones in the theater. Call it review research.
- Write a quick blog like this one instead.
- Write your own book.. and then read it.
- Play Farmville with your book blogging buddies. (Laura is like a master farmer.)
- Do site maintenance, comment everyone back on your blog and then go comment their blogs.
- Cook a huge Southern dinner like Amma in Beautiful Creatures. Still book related.
- Make a Team Gale needlepoint for Michelle
- Meet me Thursday night at Books Inc in Palo Alto at 7 to see Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.
With a little hard work and a can do attitude you too can be a level 7 master procrastinator.
