 Marla Miller
The query letter
Dear ________: Eighteen-year-old Casey Newman has spent the past six years of her life hiding the fact that she is a werewolf. She believes that Brianna, as she calls her wolf self, is unpredictable, rash and dangerous. She avoids phasing unless it is the time of the full moon. Casey has no trouble accepting herself as a blind person. In fact, the heightened senses she gains when becoming a werewolf teach her more about the people around her than she would have known—or would ever have wanted to know—otherwise. While attending college in present-day Denver, Colo., Casey is forced to accept herself as a werewolf.
Casey’s human best friend, Justine, invites her out to dinner so she can meet Justine’s new boyfriend, Tony. Casey is horrified to realize that Tony isn’t human, but Justine doesn’t notice. She is transfixed by Tony’s velvet voice, beautiful eyes and buff body. Casey is blind, so she isn’t distracted by Tony’s human facade. She notices that he doesn’t eat anything at dinner that night, and that his scent is too sweet. It is all Casey can do to keep her body from quivering, to keep the snarls from coming out of her mouth, to keep from phasing right in the middle of the crowded restaurant. Casey’s violent reaction to Tony doesn’t make sense to her, because Tony is very kind to Justine and doesn’t treat Casey any differently than other humans do. She doesn’t know who—or what—he is, but something deep inside Casey tells her that Tony is dangerous. Although Casey feels that Justine might be in over her head, she can’t let on that Tony is not human without revealing her own deepest secret.
I am seeking representation for my young-adult fantasy novel, tentatively titled Changes. It is 67,580 words long.
I am in a unique position to write this book because, like Casey, I am blind.
One of my short stories was published in X, a literary magazine. When I was 12, another was published in Y, which is an anthology of short stories. My lifestyle articles appear regularly in the student newspaper, Z.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely, [Name withheld]
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