Back into the swing of things here at the QQQE, we have the new year's first query (the critique, as usual, will come tomorrow).
If you don't know Laura, go follow her blog, From the Desk of Laura Stephenson. Go on, do it. Back? Excellent.
Here's her query:
Dear Agent,
Kalara Orlov isn't just any fantastically rich young woman living in a luxury apartment in NYC, attending Columbia University--she's also a mage. While at a dinner party, she discovers the host, Brentley Whitcomb, is also a mage, and lets him know they have that in common in an attempt to network. Unbeknownst to her, Whitcomb is also a powerful necromancer who doesn't want anyone discovering he's selling the souls of the dead who go through his funeral home, so he tries to kill her. The attempt comes too close to working for comfort, and she decides to elicit the help of a devil. The guy who ends up answering her call is Evander, a devil's son who's bad at being bad. He draws up a very fair contract: in return for borrowing his power for five days, she has to give him a heart from one of his enemies so that he may eat and gain the power from it. If she fails to deliver the heart, he eats hers instead.
As the days fly by, Kalara has to balance school, appearances, killing Whitcomb, and finding and killing an enemy of Evander's so she doesn't wind up dead at the end. All the while she's discovering that being evil, which she had been by caring only about riches and style, just doesn't pay off. And all the while, Evander is growing to like her, but since he's obligated to fill his contract or transform into a demon, he hounds her constantly to fill her end of the bargain. But she has too many things on her plate, and it all comes down to the wire.
THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO BEING EVIL, finished at 60,000 words, is a stand-alone comedic Urban Fantasy.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Laura Stephenson
That's it!
Please thank Laura for sharing her query with us, save your feedback for tomorrow, and have a happy Thursday.
12 comments:
*pokes head out of hole in the ground* Happy New Year, Matt! I'll do my utmost back to return and offer feedback tomorrow. *waves to Laura* *sinks back into hole*
Like the title!
this sounds like fun - I'll be back tomorrow to see Matt work his magic :)
IO'm intrigued by the story idea. A mortician selling souls of the dead? I like that. Also love the title. My only thought is, it says it's comedic...but the query seems serious.
Sounds like a good one for your audience to offer feedback. I'll be back tomorrow for Laura's round two.
Geez, it must be hard to balance school with killing things and making deals with the devil... I'd love to know her secret!
Had a hook, this may be too line editorial, but I was pulled out of it when you said all the while twice in the second paragraph. Hope it helps
Will be back tomorrow....
Thanks everyone! I'll be back tomorrow to see what everyone says!
Comedy is pretty difficult to pull off. This book sounds really fun.
Interesting premise for a comedy. I would like to know more. Can't wait to see what you have to say tomorrow.
Love the idea of mages. Happy New Year, Matthew!
Post a Comment