So, I'm writing a query letter for my novel(s), input appreciated. =)

[NineseveN]

I'm writing my agent query letter, it's a letter that tries to get an agent interested enough in your manuscript/novel that they'll ask for a read (full or partial, usually partial at first). Basically, you send this out to literary agents and then, if upon reading your book, they think it's marketable, they represent you and your works to publishers (pretty much the only way to get a book deal these days). It consists of three parts, the "hook" (a short tag-line of sorts that hooks the reader into the story, condensing the larger elements down into an interesting super-brief synopsis), the "synopsis" (an expanded form of the hook where the larger plot points and the general theme of the story are explored) and the "bio" which is supposed to be about yourself (as it pertains to writing). Since I've never been published, I took some of the advice I read and chose to use this space to explain the literary universe that I am writing about and more information on the book and its sequels. Let me know what you think.

The Bastard Chronicles

One is a force of nature, the other is an aberration of it. When Darius Drake wakes up after a night out on the town to find out that he's on the verge of being caught in the hurricane that was supposed to pass the area by, he soon finds that mother nature is not the only one out to get him. An outbreak of zombies in a hurricane, the ultimate in survival horror stories.

Darius Drake, a weapon systems engineer and self-professed survivalist finds himself being hunted by zombies under the threat of the impending landfall of Hurricane Rita. As he embarks on a journey through the already storm-ravaged New Orleans searching for safety and shelter, his newfound canine companion and a band of strangers they encounter while searching for shelter from the pounding rain, fierce winds and flesh-eating zombies are forced to face not only the dangers that are barreling down on them, but also the conflicts between each other. Drake, a man whose first person account of the incident brings the story to life, finds himself with more responsibility for others than he ever wanted and a determination that everyone gets out alive. But the real world had other plans.

The Bastard Chronicles is a 62,000 word novel, the first in a three book series that details the events during the hurricane and a subsequent investigation into something larger and more sinister than a zombie outbreak that threatens to tear apart our very way of life and everything we thought we knew about the world and our existence. In a broader sense, this novel and the two sequels are the beginnings of a larger literary universe based on the principles of Dr. Stanley Milgram's “Small World Experiment” or a sort of six degrees of separation where there are generally no incidental characters as everyone is interconnected by lines of people that may or may not be visible to them. The challenges and dangers the characters face are merely exciting and vivid backdrops for the human exploration of finding courage, hope, love, strength, instinct and confronting darkness and disaster both externally and within. Even a relatively minor character in one story has their own story to tell or plays their own part in the stories of others, sometimes directly and sometimes separated by a very thin human thread. The two sequels to the Bastard Chronicles are currently being written semi-concurrently while the time line and story notes for all of the interconnected and related characters and tales are also being chronicled to ensure continuity and accuracy. Although The Bastard Chronicles is my first novel, my writing experience ranges from amateur technical briefs, essays and reviews on things ranging from constitutional law to firearms and tactics to computer and network technology published or submitted via the internet.

I'd be happy to send you a complete copy of the manuscript for your review. Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you.