Novel Query, revised

For those who think it’s hard to write a book, it’s nothing compared to trying to get it published (not counting self-publishing!). And since I don’t write in a hot genre, such as mystery, sci fi, chick lit or erotica, it becomes even more daunting at times, since a genre can give you a good niche to stand on. I am still waiting for the inspiration for a sexy, sci fi mystery book with a chick lit flair to hit me, because then I know I will really have something.

Regardless, I wrote a book. I didn’t choose it. It just came out of me, which is a cool thing, whether I get it published or not. But of course, I would love to get it published and have people read it because making the connection with the reader is the point of it all.

I’m spending what feels like an insane amount of time on the query, synopsis and agent research, but it’s necessary to move forward, despite the odds and despite feeling like I am swimming against the current.

Here is my latest query draft …

Edie Monroe pretends her 17-year-old son Sean is not having sex behind his closed bedroom door with some girl she’s never met. Safe in his bedroom, Sean’s girlfriend Mandy pretends that sleeping with him will erase her childhood memories of abuse. When Edie and Mandy can no longer ignore each other, each must face the pasts they are haunted by. For Mandy, it’s the nights spent with her mother’s boyfriend. For Edie, it’s the day she left her 5-year-old son standing alone and barefoot on the sidewalk and drove away.

Set in America’s heartland, DISAPPEARING ACTS is a 76,000-word novel of Edie’s and Mandy’s alternating first-person narratives, as each discovers that running away from the life she feels trapped in forces her to face reality. When Mandy convinces Sean to run away with her, the novel parallels her journey with Edie’s summer of 1976, when she ran away from her husband and son. A tragic incident brings the two women to a shared loss that impacts each life in a different way.

DISAPPEARING ACTS reveals the hard truth doing the right thing doesn’t guarantee a happy ending and you can’t run away from what is in your heart.

I received my Master’s degree in creative writing (fiction) from the University of Missouri-Columbia. During my studies, I won the Marjorie McKinney award for fiction through the University of Missouri system. I am currently the editor of a local city magazine, Jefferson City Magazine, and I also am a regular freelance writer for publications such as Kansas City Homes & Gardens, St. Louis Homes & Lifestyles and more.