Query Quest
I've had trouble getting my brain in gear this week (or in the RIGHT gear, anyway. It was firmly stuck in gear for web development instead), so even though I hoped to be updating on Thursdays with creative writing exercises by now, I'm just not there yet. But I do have a little project that I can share with you: the query for Flotsam! This is a nice teaser for the book, or just an example of a query letter that's been worked on with a coaching editor who, by day, is an acquiring editor for a small publishing company. That's a little insight that's yummy to peek at, yeah? Flotsam Query (Present-tense, Spike format, highlighting the conflict between two characters) DearTalis tries to do right by the small crew of her airship, Wind Sabre. It’s not easy. When your work isn’t legal, you take the contracts you can get. Her ledgers drip with expenses that she has no idea how to cover. Not with the work they’ve been getting lately. When an anonymous client offers a small fortune to make a salvage run for some old ring, Talis accepts the contract, no questions asked.
Hankirk’s skills are wasted. His forefather led a revolt against the domineering Gods of Peridot. But the Order of Chymists Rising who carry on that legacy, only want Hankirk to symbolize their legitimacy. To prove he is more than a figurehead, he needs an ancient ring that was almost lost to time. When the Chymist Council rejects his proposal, Hankirk turns elsewhere to get the ring.
And who better than his old girlfriend-turned-criminal, Talis, to snatch it up for him?
Talis puts what little cash she has left into the salvage operation and banks on the big payday. Which works until the anonymous client turns out to be Hankirk. Her instincts tell her to keep the ring as far away from him as possible. The smart thing to do would be drop the ring overboard again, but she still needs to get paid.
Written under the pen name R J Theodore, FLOTSAM is an action-packed ensemble space pop opera of 103,844 words. Containing creaking airships, deadly magic, and powerful aliens, there is far more room for additional adventures set in this unique world.
Thank you for your time and consideration.