March 2017 Letter from the Editor

Chances are, if you’re reading this blog, it’s because you’re a writer and/or have an interest in becoming one. Chances are you believe you have some talent, or have always enjoyed storytelling in one form or another. If that’s the case, I’d like to welcome you to Writing from the Peak. 

Writing from the Peak is all about writing – at all levels. Some of our columnists are multi-published; some are just getting started. But mostly they’ve joined Pikes Peak Writers because they’re invested in learning. join  For the record, an established author will never say to you, “I’ve learned everything there is to know about writing.” If anyone says that to you, back away fast, then run. You've encountered a narcissist, not a writer.

 

With every story, with every project, writers start anew. Maybe their last book was a resounding success. Guess what?  On their next project, the proverbial slate is wiped clean and they are challenged to do it again. The beauty—and terror—of writing is it’s a constant series of firsts.

It’s March. We’re approaching spring, and with spring, we have a chance to rejuvenate. If you have a project that's stumping you, perhaps it's time to recommit yourself to finishing it, or to seek ways to find out why you've been derailed. Maybe it's time to check out Pikes Peak Writers Writer's Night, Write Brain or Open Critique. here

In the header of this blog, you'll see sections About PPW, The Conference, Zebulon and Events. Look them over, and be sure to congratulate our 2017 Zebulon contest winners. It's an exciting time for them because they took a risk and put their work out there. What do they get for their trouble? A chance to meet editors and agents. In the future months, you'll read articles by some of our members who applied for scholarships and were amply rewarded for taking a step toward their dreams.  

Finally, if you haven’t checked out the 2017 Pikes Peak Writers Conference, please do so here.  Talk about the ultimate in rejuvenation and an investment in learning. Pikes Peak Writers has much to offer. Welcome aboard. 

Have a fabulous March.


About the Author: Donnell Ann Bell is the managing editor for Writing from the Peak, the coordinator for the monthly Open Critique held on the first Wednesday of every month, and one of Pikes Peak Writer's board members at large. She is a best selling romantic suspense and mystery author. To learn more about her books, find her at www.donnellannbell.com

     

Quote of the Week and the Week to Come

“You don't start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it's good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That's why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence.”  ~ Octavia E. Butler 

Octavia E. Butler Source: Wikipedia and Google

Octavia Estelle Butler (June 22, 1947 – Feb. 24, 2006) was an American science fiction writer. A multiple recipient of both the Hugo and Nebula awards, Butler was one of the best-known women in the field. In 1995, she became the first science fiction writer to receive the MacArthur Fellowship, nicknamed the "Genius Grant"

This week on Writing from the Peak:

March 6        Letter from the Editor – Donnell Ann Bell

March 8        Writing the Historical Series – Jason Evans

March 10      Sweet Success Celebrates Mike Befeler

Pikes Peak Writers March Events

MARCH WRITE BRAIN 

Mar 21, 2017 — 6:30 to 8:30

Location: 1175 Chapel Hills Dr. Colorado Springs, CO 80920

What: Hack Your Reader’s Brain

Who: Jeff Gerke

When: March 21, 2017 – 6:30-8:30pm

Where: Venue@21c (upper floor, to the right if coming in the upper entrance) of Library 21c, 1175 Chapel Hills Dr. Colorado Springs, CO 80920

More Information: Bestselling fiction doesn’t happen because the writer gets all of the so-called rules of fiction right. It’s not about avoiding gerunds or -ly adverbs or head-hopping. People read a book from beginning to end because they’re carried away, fully engaged. They stay interested all the way through. In other words, they don’t get bored. But how do we do that? If only there were some way to tap into how to engage the reader’s brain. Well, there is! Come hear the neuroscience of reader engagement, and learn how to use it to catch your reader’s attention, utterly engage your reader, and keep your reader reading all the way to the end.

About the Speaker: Jeff Gerke writes fiction how-to craft books for Writers Digest. Past titles include “The First 50 Pages,” “Write Your Novel in a Month,” and “Plot Versus Character.” Jeff is a popular teacher at writers conferences across North America. He is a multi-published novelist and founder of an independent publishing house.

WRITER’S NIGHT

Mar 27, 2017 — 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM

Location: Kawa Coffee, 2427 N Union Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO 80909

Writers’ Night is two full hours of discussion, laughter, and fun with other local members of Pikes Peak Writers.

The direction of the meeting is decided by the participants and can include discussions about query letters, obtaining and working with an agent, writing conferences, or other specific points of the craft.  If nothing else, we talk about books!

If you have any questions, or if there is a specific topic you’d like to get on the agenda, send an e-mail to the host, Damon Smithwick, or call him on his cell phone at 719-464-5336.

Meetings are scheduled to start at 6:30 and run until about 8:30. These are drop-in meetings, so feel free to attend all or just part of them.

See you soon!

For this and all other Upcoming Pikes Peak Writers events, including the 2017 Pikes Peak Writers Conference check out https://www.pikespeakwriters.com/ 

Upmarket Your Fiction

By: Deb McLeod

I have the first step to all writing, all marketing, and all book-selling problems! And I'm going to give it to you right here....

Write a story worth reading!

Sounds facetious, doesn’t it? With the advent of self-publishing, standards are slipping. It’s too easy to publish without editing so that’s what a lot of writers are doing. Somewhere along the line a fantasy developed around self-publishing and it’s now deemed a fact. According to the fantasy, all you need to do to make it as a self-published author is to put out more content.

But I’d challenge you to find self-published authors who are making any kind of real sales who have simply slapped up a quick drafty-draft and written another. The exception is erotica. Erotica audiences don’t appear to be too discerning.

While it is important to feed the reader pipeline as quick as possible, what will really make a writer successful is a readership who will not only buy your books but who will become rabid fans. And the key to that is to write a book worth reading. My definition of that is a novel that is both well-written and contains a good, juicy story.

To be really honest, even the writing doesn’t have to be all that great. It’s the story that has to work.

Case(s) in point, among many others: “Fifty Shades of Gray,” “Bridges of Madison County,” Dan Brown’s novels, etc. Just looking at these three, you can note that while the writing isn’t great, the story touches some primal element in a large number of readers. The stories are compelling and that’s what sold these books and built up rabid fans.

I’m a story developer, not without some skill. I’ve been working, studying, teaching, and writing stories for a long time so I know a thing or three.

Recently I was asked what advice I’d give to a new-er writer. Learning story development has to be my first and best advice to any writer.

What is story development?

Story development is a practice based on understanding the dramatic elements of plot and how they work together to create a satisfying and well-paced story. Taking story development one level deeper means understanding the relationship between the structure of a particular story to its content, then letting the content dictate the form.

The three types of fiction: Commercial, literary, and upmarket.

Commercial fiction contains all genre fiction. Its focus is entertainment. Literary fiction strives to make sense of the human condition. It’s focus is generally language. Commercial fiction reads faster than most literary fiction. Commercial fiction generally has a stronger plot element. Literary fiction tends to focus on the quality of the writing over plot elements. Commercial fiction is an easier sell and appeals to a wider audience. Literary fiction is a harder sell and appeals to a narrower audience.

Upmarket fiction holds court somewhere in between. Upmarket fiction contains both excellent writing and a story that appeals to a wide audience. It often genre bends or combines genres. It's new, fresh and sells well.

I teach all my clients, whether commercial or literary, to shoot for the upmarket section on the fiction continuum. If they’re writing in a commercial genre, and they focus on language and the human condition a bit within their genre, is it possible they’ll float to the top of their category? I think so.

Recently a first-time romance author (formerly a literary author) published her book and shot to the top spots on Amazon. She wasn’t even sure when she was writing it if it could be classified as romance. It’s a good story and it’s well written. Now she’s being rewarded for that.

One of my clients last year happened to be someone in my MFA program. She’d written a literary novel but was told by an agent that it would be too hard to sell, unless my friend could rewrite with a tighter plot and some of commercial fiction elements. Basically she would need to bring it closer to Upmarket Fiction. So my friend sent it to me. It was beautifully written but the plot didn’t hold and the character development wasn’t what it could be.

I did a story edit for her. She rewrote it and contacted the agent again. The agent signed her and sold her right out of the gate. It’s difficult to place literary fiction, but my friend had a leg up with that book when she began to understand the plotting elements she needed to change. That will stay with her the next time she writes a novel. And I bet she’ll aim for Upmarket.

But don’t listen to me.

I’m writing this today because I just got off the phone with a new-to-me-client. I don’t do much book doctoring these days. It’s a bit frustrating when someone is already finished with their manuscript before they send it to me and then they find out they have to rewrite. So nowadays, I like to work with people when they’re in the thick of it, as they’re creating the draft or working on their first revision. It saves so much time!

But this person had a draft already done. She knew there was something not quite right with it and she contracted to have me read it and provide advice.

She's multi-published; she’s a literary women's fiction author who was writing a sequel to a novel that was already out there. She had traditionally published that novel and had some success with it.

Before I got the manuscript I read the first book so I could familiarize myself with the story and be ready when it was time to dive into the second. I read the manuscript, made my recommendations and sent it off to her. I always include a section to be sure and call with questions, or to talk about solutions I posed or to brainstorm new ones. I love to do that!

Unfortunately, the manuscript she sent does not work. In my reply to her I used her first story to illustrate why book one works and book two doesn't. She did call that analysis brilliant. And understood a bit of what she had to revise.

After all my work with story these past three years her problems were clear as clear to me. What she needed to consider in order to fix it was also clear to me. She emailed me and thanked me for my comments. Two days later, she emailed again and asked if we could set up a phone appointment.

I thought she wanted to talk about solutions I had posed or to do some brainstorming. But what she really wanted to do was to defend her work to me. I tried hard to stay in observer mode and watch the writerly machinations to prove that the story works (when it doesn't). It so reminded me of being in a critique group. I know I have done this myself so I don't really fault her. It's hard to hear that a piece of work you think is done, really isn’t done. And not only not done, but if there are story problems, that means that down at the bones it doesn't work. This is the exact reason I developed the writing program I have so I’m not trying to convince someone “after the fact” that the story doesn’t work. Because by then, they’re invested in the way they told it.
So, while she talked, I tried hard to bite my tongue and listen, to not get into an attitude of "I'm right" even though I am, but to stay in compassion-mode when what I really wanted to do was to tell her to stop being so obtuse and wasting all that time, effort, and hope on something that could be fixed if she was merely open enough to hear solutions.

Let me digress for a second and remind you she’s a literary writer and her criticisms of my suggestions had to do with the fact that they were “commercial fiction” suggestions about plot.

If you knew me from the old days of writing (the 90s), you would know how frustrating I find the literary vs commercial issue. Each camp could learn a boatload from the other. I know I have. I have a formal literary creative writing education and an informal commercial self-study education.

When I write, I try to be right in the middle between the two. I want to focus on character and language and be respected for my literary prowess. But I want a story that works and one that sells, too. I think I'm smart. I want to be Andre Dubois III when I grow up. He writes in the middle with a nudge toward literary. But his stories are good stories. His novels have plot. I write with nudge toward commercial. When I'm rich and famous I'll lean in his direction. But for now, I've got a plan.

So back to my client. She kept dropping names of people she's studied with and giving their blanket statements about writing. NEVER plot was one of the maxims. How do you fight that ridiculousness?

I let her wind down, tried to tune out and let her defend a turn of her plot that took her heroine out of the story, breaking all forward momentum and basically caused the story to fall apart. As she defended her decision, I typed up her bill.

When we were finished, I began to think about why that conversation had to come into my world. And why it wouldn’t leave me alone. I kept thinking about what she said. So, as with all things in my world, I had to reframe it so I could let it go. And as I thought about it, I began to be grateful for the conversation. I believe in the way I write and what I teach.

I can’t connect with everyone and I’m not right all the time, but I was pretty sure I was right in this case. So after thinking about it, I’m grateful for the conversation, because I came up with a new tagline:

"Work with me and write a book worth reading."

About the Author: Deb McLeod, MFA, practices novel research immersion. For her novel, The Train to Pescara, Deb journeyed to Sardinia to study ancient goddess worship and spent time in the Abruzzi village her great-grandparents left in 1905. Her metaphysical knowledge for the Angel Thriller, The Julia Set, culminates from four years of studying and teaching meditation, clairvoyance and chakra healing. For over fourteen years, Deb McLeod has been a creative writing coach helping other writers to embrace their passion and get their words on the page. For more, see www.debmcleod.com.

Working the Workshops: the 2017 Pikes Peak Writers Conference

By: Darby Karchut

Writing conferences are glorious events for us writers. But attending one comes at a cost. We spend some serious time and money to get there, and we’re eager to mine every little nugget out of each workshop.

But conferences can also be taxing, both mentally and physically. How do we get the most of the workshops without overloading on the whole experience? It’s all about pacing.

First of all, remind yourself that not every single workshop or panel is going to be chock full of non-stop aha moments. In fact, you might only glean one or two useful writer-y tidbits from each session. Hopefully, though, by the end of the conference, you’ll have gathered so many tips that your head does that brain-shrapnel thing.  

If you arrive to class early, find a seat in the first couple of rows. This allows late comers a chance to nip into the back without feeling embarrassed. And no worries about being “too close” to the presenters--they’re all housebroken. In fact, sit up front and give the presenter a friendly greeting or smile. It’s always appreciated. Additional bonus: if the presenter is the agent or editor you’ll be pitching to later in the conference, it can’t help to make a warm first impression.

Speak to the person next to you. We writers spend so much time in our heads that I use conferences as a chance to practice my conversational skills. If you’re not sure what to say, here’s some opening lines.

“Have you attended this conference before?”

“Crazy weather here in Colorado. What’d you think of snow/rain/hail/sun/tornado/wind this morning/afternoon/evening?”

And the ever popular one: “What do you write?”

Be mindful, however, when folks ask YOU that question. Don’t become the dreaded Coyote Writer. That’s the writer who won’t stop talking about their book, and you have to chew your own arm off to free yourself. Just like a coyote chews off its paw to escape a trap.  

Ask the presenter questions. This is your opportunity to pick authors’ and agents’ and publishers’ brains. It’s been said a bajillion times, but it’s true: your question is probably one that others wish they had the nerve to ask. So, go for it. Some of the best workshops I’ve attended (and presented) were those where the audience asked loads of questions. Inquiry begets more inquiry, so fire away.

I know this sounds terribly impolite, but I’ll take a risk and say it: If you discover that you’re sitting in the wrong workshop for you, even though it seemed like a perfect fit when you were scheduling your day, find a way to ninja out the door. Time is precious, my precious. Do not waste it. I know a lot of folks would say that’s rude to the presenter and to your fellow audience members. I understand. And if you can’t do it discreetly, sit tight.

But, as a presenter, I would rather not waste anyone’s time. Plus, it could be that the person who just slipped out really had a legitimate reason. I mean, have you seen the lines for the ladies’ room? When in doubt, give the benefit of such.

That said, you may find yourself in a workshop or panel that you weren’t crazy about attending, but you thought you “should” hear that speaker, or your friend dragged you along. Give the presentation a chance. You never know. I have to admit, there have been many times I’ve attended workshops outside my comfort or interest zones and learned some pretty nifty stuff. All grist for the ol’ writing mill.

If you can, take some time throughout each day to retreat to the Library (see conference map) or a quiet corner of the lobby to digest what you’re learning. Our brains need time—I believe it is about six hours—to internalize new information. Re-writing your notes is one way to do this. There’s so much new information presented at conferences and it’s easy to get overwhelmed or discouraged. You can’t do it all or learn it all. Take what you can from each presentation and apply as needed.

If the weather is nice, don’t forget to step outside once in a while and get a few minutes of Vitamin D and fresh air. The mountains are to the west. The city and plains are to the east. And Pikes Peak does not have an apostrophe. Take a deep breathe, marvel at the joy that you are surrounded by your tribe, and then plunge back in.

About the Author: Darby Karchut is an award-winning author, dreamer, and compulsive dawn greeter.  A native of New Mexico, she now lives in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, where she runs in blizzards and bikes in lightning storms. When not dodging death by Colorado, Darby is busy writing for children, teens, and adults. She is represented by Amanda Rutter at Red Sofa Literary.

www.darbykarchut.com

www.darbykarchut.blogspot.com

Quote of the Week and the Week to Come

“Be ambitious for the work and not for the reward.” ~ Jeanette Winterson

Source: Wikipedia Winterson Warsaw Poland 2005

Jeanette Winterson, OBE, born Aug. 27, 1959, is an award-winning English writer, who became famous with her first book, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, a semi-autobiographical novel about a sensitive teenage girl rebelling against conventional values. 

This Week on Writing from the Peak

Feb. 27         Work the Workshops by Darby Karchut

March 1        The Writing Coach Deb McLeod

March 3        Pikes Peak Writers March Events

Sweet Success Celebrates Agatha Nominee Cynthia Kuhn

By: Ann S. Hill 

Congratulations to Cynthia Kuhn for her recent Agatha nomination for her novel, The Semester of Our Discontent (Lila Maclean Academic Mysteries #1) The novel, published by Henery Press, became available April 5, 2016 in both hard and softcover as well as Kindle formats. The author’s intriguing plot summary as well as her bio follow:

English professor Lila Maclean is thrilled about her new job at prestigious Stonedale University until she finds one of her colleagues dead. More attacks on professors follow, the only connection a curious symbol found at each of the crime scenes. Putting her scholarly skills to the test, Lila gathers evidence, but her search is complicated by an unexpected nemesis, a suspicious investigator, and an ominous secret society. Rather than earning an “A” for effort, she receives a threat featuring the mysterious emblem and must act quickly to avoid failing her assignment…and becoming the next victim.

https://cynthiakuhn.net/

A Revolutionary Way to Cope with Rejection

By: Michael Alvear

Editor's Note: Special thanks to guest blogger, Michael Alvear, Author of The Bulletproof Writer for covering such an important topic to writers.

Ever greet a literary rejection with such a disproportionate reaction you think, “Where the

heck did that come from?”

There’s a reason. And it isn’t because you’re overly sensitive, lack self-esteem or emotional control. It’s because your brain is wired to perceive social rejection as a mortal threat.

That’s the consensus of neuropsychologists like Rick Hanson who’ve proven that the brain has a built-in negative bias that gets easily “hijacked” by alarm. Imaging studies show that the human brain produces more neural activity when it’s exposed to negative than positive stimuli. The negative is perceived faster and easier and stays with us longer. Hanson coined a memorable phrase to describe this phenomenon: “The brain is like Velcro for negative experiences but Teflon for positive ones.”

What’s This Got to Do with Writers?

A lot. It explains why the pleasure of an editor’s acceptance Teflon) is not nearly as intense as getting her rejection (Velcro).  

Neuropsychologists believe that we developed an out-sized reaction to social rejection as a survival strategy. Back in the day (you know, like hundreds of thousands of years ago) we survived by being part of a tribe. They gave us access to food, water, and social structures to raise kids. Being cast out of the tribe meant almost certain death. So over the course of thousands of years, the brain developed a hypersensitivity to social acceptance. The earlier you could detect a tribal leader’s dissatisfaction the earlier you could head off disaster. The people who did not develop this hypersensitivity were likelier to be cast out of the tribe and die.

Again, How Does That Apply to Writers?

Let's say an editor rejected your manuscript. Your conscious mind takes it in stride because you know how hard it is to get published. But your brain reacts as if it were being kicked out of the tribe (or more to the point, being prevented from joining the tribe).

Wait, wait. What tribe? The one called “Published Writers.” The one that can guarantee your survival as a writer because it gives you money, resources, respect and access to power brokers.

That, in essence, is why you overreact to rejections. You and I are wired to react this way. The bad news is that we are initially powerless to stop this response. The good news is that it’s relatively easy to neutralize it, and over time, rewire your brain to react differently.

How Writers Can Overcome Their Brain’s Wiring

Upon receiving a rejection, connect to your personal tribes. Prove your brain wrong. It thinks you're being cast out or prevented from joining a tribe. By connecting with family, friends and other writers (in person!) you neutralize the brain’s alarm.

It’s best to connect in person. Choose coffee over a phone call. But if you can’t, then a phone call is okay. And if you can’t do that then take what psychologists call “social bites” -- look at pictures of loved ones. Studies show they have an amazing power to calm you. They are part of your tribes and make you feel connected.  

There are other simple but powerful ways of rewiring your brain to transform your reaction to rejection, but they are too detailed to describe here. I applied Rick Hanson’s concepts specifically to writers in my book, but I encourage you to check out his best seller, Hardwiring Happiness for a fuller understanding.

Developing a Coping Strategy

Understanding how your brain works will go a long way to building resiliency as a writer. But it doesn't stop there. You must learn how to manage the real pain of rejection and build a higher threshold for failure. Dean Simonton’s research (On The Origins Of Genius) uncovered a profound revelation:  Amongst the most intelligent, creative, talented people the one differentiator that accounted for success was the ability to cope with rejection.

When you fully understand the enormity of his discovery you will realize, as I did a long time ago, that in addition to improving your craft, you must improve your ability to cope with rejection if you are to meet with success.  

About the Author:  Michael Alvear is the author of The Bulletproof Writer: How To Overcome Constant Rejection To Become An Unstoppable Author (Woodpecker Media January 2017).  LINK: http://writingforaliving.us/how-to-overcome-constant-rejection/

He’s been a frequent contributor to National Public Radio’s All Things Considered and his work has appeared in Newsweek, The Washington Post, Reader’s Digest, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and The Huffington Post.

Query Letters: One Solid Approach

By: J.T. Evans

Query letters are a vital piece of the publishing world. It's rare to land an agent without a solid query, and once you get that agent, he or she has to query publishers on your behalf. Query letters are the introduction to a piece of work, you the author, and any comparable titles already on the marketplace. 

Source: Pixabay

Query letters are so important. Pikes Peak Writers has shifted some of its focus to representing this fact. Our fiction writing contest, The Zebulon, has a query letter round. We've also replaced the typical pitch session with a Query One-on-One session where you can get feedback on your query letter, and, hopefully, make the initial contact with an agent or editor that will lead to the path of publication.

There are numerous approaches to query letters that are taught in classes, workshops, and seminars. No single approach is "the one true way" to composing a query letter. There are a variety of designs to presenting your work, but my favorite structure was taught to me a few years back by Pam Howell while we hung out at Pikes Peak WritersConference.

Her favorite style of query letters involves three parts, with an optional introductory paragraph if you've personally interacted with the agent somewhere. The three parts are: hook, book, cook. Let's dive into those sections in more detail.

Hook

What will hook the reader, agent, or editor into your story? Do your best to avoid questions, especially hypothetical ones. Stick to interesting statements and facts about your story. Be concise and hit the high points here because all you have is three to five sentences. I also make sure to lead this paragraph with the genre, word count, and target market (young adult, middle grade, adult, etc.). This lead-in information sets the stage and allows the agent to know what to expect out of the rest of the query letter. I conclude this paragraph with comparisons between my novel and one or two other titles already on the market. Aim high, but don't claim to be "the next [insert famous author here]."

Book

This is where you talk about the core plot and characters. Stick to your main protagonist (or two if there is a split point of view). Don't delve into the details in this area. That's what your synopsis is for. Keep this paragraph (again, three to five sentences) focused on the tale you're telling. This is probably the most difficult portion to write because condensing your 100,000 word novel into a paragraph is rough. It can be done, though. If you need help, look at the back cover copy of several of your favorite novels. Practice writing some back cover copy for your own story. This will naturally lead to content you can use here.

Cook

This is where you get to talk about yourself! Make all content here pertinent to your writing and the novel. Don't include winning the third-grade spelling bee or any non-critical details. You also want to list up to your last three publication credits. If you're not published yet, just leave that out. There's no need to state, "I currently have no publication credits."

Miscellaneous Bits

I include the first and last name of the agent I'm querying in the salutation. This prevents me from using "Ms." with the name "Pat" and it turns out "Pat" is a man. It's the safe road to go. I also go to their web site and use copy/paste to snag their name from their own content. This keeps me from misspelling a name, and there are some tricky last names out there.

I always include, "I look forward to your reply, and thank you for your time in reading the submission," as a closing statement.

Just below that I put something along the lines of "The synopsis and first XXX chapters of the novel are below my contact information." This reiterates the fact that I am able to follow instructions, and that I have checked their submission guidelines on their web site.

The next thing is my contact information. I make sure they have every available means of contacting me listed. This includes my physical address, phone number, email address, and my Facebook and Twitter accounts. If they want to get back in touch with a "yes," I don't want a communication failure to turn it into a "no."

Once that's done, I copy/paste the requested materials into the body of the email and send it off! Please make sure to read the agent's query letter guidelines and only include material they want with the query letter. If they don't specify additional content, only send the query letter.

Query Letter for Griffin's Feather

Here's my query letter for my novel that will be coming out later in 2017:

Dear [AGENT NAME HERE]:

GRIFFIN'S FEATHER is an adult urban fantasy novel standing at 62,200 words. This is the first novel in what I plan to be a series. It is about an immortal Roman Centurion working as a bounty hunter for the Ancients. The deities and powerful entities of the distant past use the protagonist, Marcus, as an agent to do their bidding. When bartering for payment, he asks for copies of his missing father's journals. Marcus Barber, as he is known today, uses his abilities of dogged determination, two millennia of experience, and a few close friends to finish his jobs. While working for a pack of egotistical Ancients who treat Marcus more like shared property than a person, he searches for his still-living father. Griffin's Feather would appeal to people who enjoyed Kevin Hearne's The Iron Druid Chronicles or the invocation of mythology found in Neil Gaiman's American Gods.

Marcus must rescue Freyja's Daughter from a cult of Ereshkigal in San Antonio, Texas as he recovers Nemesis's lost Griffin, frees a captured Pixie on behalf of Cailleach, handles a "mundane" private investigation for a mortal client, and chases down clues as to where his father's next steps might lead. During the course of his adventures, bullets fly, Barghests attack, a demi-goddess invades his mind, and he assaults a drug dealer's stronghold at the Griffon's side. His immortal soul will be lost to the Ancients if he fails in any of these tasks.

I am the current president of the Pikes Peak Writers and received the 2014 Pikes Peak Writers Volunteer of the Year award. I was the president of the Colorado Springs Fiction Writers Group from 2009 until 2013 and have been active in the Colorado Springs writing community since 2006. My publication credits include stories in "An Uncommon Collection," "Phobias: A Collection of True Stories," and "Carnival of the Damned."

I look forward to your reply and thank you for your time in reading the submission.

The synopsis and first [XXX PAGES/CHAPTERS] of the novel are below my contact information.

Sincerely,

J.T. Evans

Contact Information:

Cell Phone: 719-REDACTED

Email: REDACTED

Website: http://jtevans.net/

Twitter: @jtevans

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jtevans.writer

Address: REDACTED

===========

[ADDITIONAL MATERIAL GOES HERE]

J.T. Evans writes fantasy novels. He also dabbles with science fiction and horror short stories. He is the president of Pikes Peak Writers. When not writing, he secures computers at the Day Job, homebrews great beers, spends time with his family, and plays way too many card/board/role-playing games.

Quote of the Week and the Week to Come

I write when I’m inspired, and I see to it that I’m inspired at nine o’clock every morning. ~Peter De Vries

Peter De Vries Source: Wikipedia

Peter De Vries Feb 27, 1910 – Sep 28, 1993 was an American editor and novelist known for his satiric wit. He has been described by the philosopher Daniel Dennett as "probably the funniest writer on religion ever."

He joined the staff of The New Yorker magazine at the insistence of James Thurber and worked there from 1944 to 1987, writing stories and touching up cartoon captions. A prolific writer, De Vries wrote short stories, reviews, poetry, essays, a play, novellas, and twenty-three novels.

This Week on Writing from the Peak

Feb 20          One Approach to Query Letters by J. T. Evans

Feb 22          The Bulletproof Writer by Michael Alvear

Feb 24          Sweet Success Celebrates Cynthia Kuhn

Sweet Success Celebrates Ann Myers

By: Ann S. Hill

Author Ann Perramond (pen name Ann Myers for this series) has been nominated in the amateur sleuth category for an RT book award. Her intriguing book summary follows:

Cinco de Mayo brings margaritas, guacamole—and murder—to the menu in the second Santa Fe Café Mystery.

Tres Amigas Café chef Rita Lafitte is whipping up green chile soufflés and chocolate flan cake to celebrate Cinco de Mayo and prepare for a romantic dinner date. If only her friend Linda, the daughter of Rita’s octogenarian boss Flori, could get into the festive spirit. Linda’s humble food cart, Tía Tamales, is under siege from Crepe Empire, the hottest stand in Santa Fe, and its owner, a pompous star chef named Napoleon.

Linda confronts Napoleon in a public argument that leaves her dying from embarrassment. However, it’s Napoleon who ends up dead. When Linda discovers his body, stabbed and pinned beneath her tamale cart, she becomes the number-one suspect. Determined to prove Linda’s innocence, Rita investigates. From Napoleon’s disgruntled former employees to a shady health inspector, the list of suspects grows longer than Flori’s strings of dried chiles. And when another corpse surfaces, Rita must scramble to catch an elusive killer with an appetite for murder…

We’ll be watching to see whether you win, Ann, and we’ll be checking out your book in the meantime.