A Desi Witch’s Guide To Girls, Jalebis, and Road Trips

BY anahita karthik

Query Letter

I’m seeking representation for A DESI WITCH'S GUIDE TO GIRLS, JALEBIS, AND ROAD TRIPS, my YA Contemporary-Fantasy complete at 89,000 words. The novel draws inspiration from the fun mother-daughter dynamic of GILMORE GIRLS, combines magic and cooking like JUST ADD MAGIC, and will appeal to readers who love CEMETERY BOYS. During #DVpit, my tweet garnered attention from 12 editors. I’ve included the list below the query.

When eighteen-year-old desi witch Ira’s ex-BFF Alia returns from the dead, she has bad news: the spell they performed three years ago not only killed Alia, but also infected the network of energy shells that bless the witches with magical powers. Sucks that Ira’s the daughter of one of the five Grand Witches associated with these energy shells, because if anyone found out that Ira also performed the spell, her mom Shashi’s reputation would be screwed.

It’s bad enough that Ira has to deal with her resurfacing anxiety, but what was supposed to be a Diwali full of jalebi-making ends in a disaster—their coven’s shell collapses. And bitter-tongued Alia is the only one who can help Ira and Shashi revive it before the coven loses their witching powers forever.

Armed with spices, oils, and cauldrons, and cooped up in their food truck, the three prepare to set off on a road trip to perform a ritual to collect energies from their rival covens and revive their own. As it turns out, road trips are just as romantic as Ira dreaded them to be, which means that while she’s trying to avoid getting killed by the other covens, she is also disastrously falling for Alia. But romantic involvement with a corpse-switching spirit can lead to banishment from the coven. Besides, Alia will never forgive Ira, not unless Ira reveals the truth about what happened the night Alia died, to Shashi and her coven—and most of all, to herself.

As a desi army brat, I’ve lived in all the Indian cities/towns Ira visits during her road trip. I spend my free time baking and devouring Indian mythology comics like Amar Chitra Katha, both of which inspired the writing of my novel. Thank you for your time.

About

Age Range

Young Adult

Genre

Fantasy (Contemporary)

Word Count

80,000-90,000

Agent

Rebecca Podos

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Query Stats

Number of Queries Sent

60

Number of Full Requests Received

32

Number of Offers of Representation

2

Number of Months Spent Querying This Novel

1 month

Years Spent Writing Before Getting an Offer

12

Number of Manuscripts Queried Before This One

More than 3

Publication Status of The Book Queried

On Submission

Note to Querying Writers:

1. My website that has other super helpful blog posts: www.anahitakarthik.com

2. My books: BETTER CATCH UP, KRISHNA KUMAR (YA rom-com, HarperTeen US 2026), MY BIG, FAT DESI WEDDING (YA romance anthology, Page Street US & Hachette UK 2024), ALL I HAVE LEFT (YA coming-of-age short story, Amazon KDP 2021)