SHADOW GIRL query letter (draft)

Okay, so a recent post promised that I'd get my SHADOW GIRL query done by 1/30/11 or else I'd be a lowlife loser who didn't deserve to have her dreams come true!  (A bit harsh and dramatic perhaps but I had to guilt myself into action.)  Well, I'm proud to say that I freaking met my deadline!  In fact, I actually wrote the query letter that very same day.  I had a couple of my "fans" read it (thank you Cookie, George, and Bruce!) and got their input.  A few alterations later and this is what I came up with.   (Still haven't sent any of these queries to any agents/publishers but...at least I'm a step closer!)

Dear ________________________,

I am writing to you because your agency represents _______________ and I feel my book is in the same vein as her work.  SHADOW GIRL is a modern day paranormal romance for teens set in Massachusetts. It is the first book in a proposed series and is complete at a 64,000 words.  (FIRST PARAGRAPH VARIES DEPENDING ON WHERE I AM SENDING IT...IF THE AGENT REPS AN AUTHOR THAT MY BOOK IS SIMILAR TO I DO THE ABOVE.  IF NOT, I ALTER THE LETTER.)

Cora Reilly is not your normal seventeen year old.  Despite her kind demeanor, keen intelligence and striking appearance, she’s a social leper.  People avoid her at all costs, seeming to dread being in her presence.  She unwillingly gives off a vibe that frightens, her unusual violet eyes chilling people to the core.  Besides her parents and a handful of others, Cora is alone in this world.

Alone, that is, until she meets Shyla Martin, a new student at Bayberry High School.  The girls become fast friends and it isn’t long until Shyla reveals her secret: She’s dead and Cora is her “shadow keeper,” a magical human who can communicate with (and assist) the dead.  Cora’s first case is a tough one involving a suicide victim and his demonically possessed father.

As Cora peels back the layers of reality, she discovers more supernatural sidekicks, one of whom is the handsome Xavier Farhat, another “shadow keeper” sent to be her mentor.  Even more, she discovers her inner power, self-worth, and the magic that friendship can bring to one’s soul.

I have been a librarian for nine years, giving me a wide exposure to literature.  I was a published book reviewer for KLIATT magazine for two years.  I am also a member of the Romance Writers of America.

Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you.