Finally, the Query Letter

Here, finally, (and with a lot of help from my book coach Jennie,) is the letter that will (fingers crossed) launch my fiction writing career:

Dear [Name of Agent] (yes, yes, I’ll put in the real names of the literary agents I send this letter to, don’t worry…)

Seventeen-year-old Lyra Harmon is immortal—and she hates it. She’s the only person on the planet known to have phoenix cells, which regenerate no matter the injury or illness. Military researchers want to clone her to create an undefeatable army, doctors want to experiment on her to cure a pandemic, and her parents want to protect her from being a pawn in anyone else’s scheme. As a result, she has no life. For more than nine years, Lyra and her parents have been on the run, living a lonely, isolated existence.

When she secretly befriends a young girl orphaned by the plague, Lyra takes a stand. She won’t run again. But her impulsive decision has devastating consequences. Her parents contract the deadly virus, and they only have three days to live—unless Lyra undertakes a daring attempt to save them. With time running out, Lyra must decide what it means to make her own choices about her body and her life—and how they’ll affect the people she loves. Can she learn how to find her purpose and make her life her own with the one she’s been given—and not the one she wishes she had?

Amaranth is YA dystopian. It is complete at 80,000 words. It shares a similarly intense world of viruses, genetic engineering and questions about mortality as Lauren DeStefano’s Wither and Krista McGee’s Anomaly, but it also takes inspiration from Rebecca’s Skloot’s nonfiction book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

I am a high school English and Writer’s Craft teacher who gets to connect with YA readers everyday. I have a degree in journalism from Carleton University and am also a graduate of the Humber College Creative Writing program.

[Here is where I’ll personalize information about each agent and why I chose to submit to them specifically.]

I appreciate your consideration, so thank you for your time and attention.

Sincerely,

Jen Braaksma

Good enough? When I start to query agents next week, we’ll find out. Wish me luck!