Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Kristen Wixted's Current Query

Good morning friends. I'm not really here, I'm revising. Shh, don't tell my book. I just wanted to drop in quick and share a query with you guys. It's not really blogging, because all I have to do is paste it, like Zuzu's petals, and then I can get back to work. The hard part is tomorrow, with the red ink.

So anyway, before I get to the query, please go follow Kristen at her blog: Don't Forget the Samovar. Go on.

Back? All right. I'm sure you remember the rules. Today is just for introductions, please save your feedback for tomorrow.

The query:

Dear Mr./Ms. Agent:

I’ve read your profiles and interviews on xxx blogs/web-sites, and I am impressed with your sincerity and your passion for good quality children’s writing. I hope you will consider my middle grade novel, SILVER POOL OF LIGHT, for your list.

Eleven-year-old Eve Tilton, a self-proclaimed “blossoming” celebrity, has been afraid of the ocean since living through a horrible sailing accident at the age of five. When she spends the month of July on Martha’s Vineyard with her step-siblings and great aunt, she hopes for privacy. Lately Eve’s been forced to share so many personal details on celebrity blogs and the ever-growing iGirl website…it’s becoming tedious.

Plus, Eve has a secret friend—she doesn’t want her step-sibs snooping around in Aunt Tibby’s attic when she’s writing to eleven year old Jane Mayhew. Because Jane lives in 1874. Eve doesn’t know how it works—maybe the diary they write in time-travels, or maybe the sea chest the diary is kept in. But if she writes in the diary and places it in the chest, and waits…Jane writes back. From 1874.

It’s pre-occupying, writing back and forth with a girl from more than a hundred years ago. They write about what they have in common: funny aunts, clueless fathers, acquaintances with more interesting lives than their own. But just as Eve is invited to hob-nob with film stars, she discovers that Jane is going to board a doomed whaling ship. Eve enlists Liam, her twelve-year-old, slightly smelly step-brother, to help her keep Jane off the ship. As they plot and plan, she tries to focus on Jane, but it’s so hard to concentrate on tempests, malaria, and whale blubber when you’re invited to a movie star’s private beach…. Eve faces difficult choices, knowing that if Jane boards that ship, she will die in an accident eerily similar to the one Eve survived the day her mother died.

SILVER POOL OF LIGHT is complete at 48,000 words. Last summer I completed the advanced novel workshop at the University of Iowa, and have attended numerous SCBWI writing workshops. I hold a certificate in Children’s Writing from Emerson College and am a member of SCBWI. Please visit my writer’s blog: Don’t Forget the Samovar, at blogspot.com.

Per your submission guidelines I have pasted in the first 5/10 pages below. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Kristen Wixted

That's it.

So please tell Kristen hello in the comments, thank her for sharing her query, and then bite your tongue until tomorrow. Thanks!

24 comments:

Jessica Bell said...

LOL. If I see any of your comments popping up in my email I'm going to virtually slap you. Go revise!

Just Another Day in Paradise said...

Hi Kristen: You are very brave. Thanks for the opportunity to look over your shoulder and learn.

Sarah said...

I already follow Kristen, and it's great to see this query! There's a lot of fabulous story going on here--I'll try to make it back tomorrow to comment!

Natalie Aguirre said...

Thanks for sharing your query Kristen. Sounds like a great story and it's good to see another middle grade writer here.

Kristen Wixted said...

Thanks everyone, so excited!

Old Kitty said...

Oh it's GOOD!! Take care
x

Kittie Howard said...

Thanks, Kristen, for sharing.

Samantha VĂ©rant said...

I'll try and pop back tomorrow. If I don't, just pop me in the head with a reminder.

Marta Szemik said...

Hey Kristen,
Brave of you to share your query. I don't think I could do it. Hope all goes well and good luck!

Anonymous said...

Current query read. I'm hoping I can find time tomorrow to get over here for the critique, otherwise the next day...maybe? I'll reserve notes for after yours.

Slamdunk said...

I won't tell. On the way over to Krisen's place.

Anita said...

Every time I come here, my tongue so hurts from the biting!

Jess said...

Wow, the Iowa Writer's Workshop is supposed to be fantastic!

Bryan Russell said...

Intriguing! And having Iowa in the bio always looks good. :)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I'll be back tomorrow. And I won't tell anyone I saw you here...

Dianne K. Salerni said...

Hi, Kristen! This is an intriguing premise! I'll ponder the query and be back tomorrow!

Michael Offutt, Phantom Reader said...

I love getting a chance to take a look at so many queries. Hello Kristen and I shall await with baited breath for Wednesday.

Ninja Girl said...

This sounds great! Love the title. Hope your revisions are going well, Matt.
Ninja Girl

Laila Knight said...

I really need to stop here more often. You appear to be so much help with querries and I totally suck at them. :)

Johanna Garth said...

Hi Kristen, just stopped by your blog. Intereting query and I like the story concept.

Nancy Thompson said...

Isn't it nerve wracking, Kristen? My query will be going up sometime soon & I'm petrified! Still, Matthew & his followers seem so helpful, I couldn't pass up the chance. The query is well-done & the story interesting. I'll be back tomorrow to see what's said. Good luck!

Carolina M. Valdez Schneider said...

Hm, definitely great potential in this! Love the concept already ;)

For the moment, I'll just say good luck! This is the place to find some great query help!

Susan Fields said...

Hello Kristen - thanks for sharing!

Bethany Elizabeth said...

This looks interesting!