Every Body Looking
BY candice ilohdutton2020Query Letter
I am reaching out to you regarding your interest in my YA novel in verse, as expressed during the #DVPitch event on Twitter. ADA, my YA novel in verse spanning 16,000 words, has garnered interest from over 20 agents and editors. I would be honored if you would consider representing it.
Drawing inspiration from Jacqueline Woodson's "Brown Girl Dreaming," ADA will resonate with fans of Kwame Alexander's "The Crossover" and Patricia McCormick's "Sold." It follows the journey of an 18-year-old girl named Ada who, in pursuit of freedom from her religious and repressive upbringing, moves across the country to attend college. However, she soon realizes that she cannot escape the rules and trauma of her past until she embraces her true self and pursues her dreams.
Here's a brief excerpt from ADA:
"Ada is finally out of here. Free. Today is the day she graduates from high school and leaves behind everything that happened here. Both of her parents are here and so far no one is arguing, everyone is smiling, and her dad is taking pictures so everyone can remember her like this forever. Today, she’s off to college, a pure, virtuous, respectable young woman with a bright future ahead, studying business just the way God and her dad have planned. But she’s about to fly across the country and set foot on a college campus for the first time. And at 18, everything she thinks she knows will be pulled inside out, starting with her own memories."
Within the narrative, Ada confronts her past traumas, including the molestation by her cousin when she was six years old, which resurfaces during her first visit to the campus health center.
As Ada navigates her new environment, she discovers her passion for dance, a dream she had long suppressed. Told in rhythmic verse, ADA explores themes of power, shame, belief, and the body's memories.
A bit about myself: I am a Nigerian-American writer, poet, and teaching artist based in Brooklyn, NY. Currently pursuing an MFA in Writing for Young People at Lesley University, I have had the privilege of studying alongside Axie Oh, one of my readers. Additionally, I am a recipient of the VONA and Home School Lambda Literary fellowships, as well as a Rhode Island Writers Colony Writer-in-Residence. I have been fortunate to work closely with Jason Reynolds, my mentor and advisor for the past eight years, on this manuscript.
Given my background and partnerships with educational and literary organizations in DC and NYC, I am confident that ADA will find resonance in the classrooms and communities I serve.
Attached, you will find the 50-page sample of ADA, as per your request. Thank you for considering my work. I look forward to the possibility of working together.
About
Age Range
Young Adult
Genre
Contemporary Fiction
Word Count
28,000
Book Link
https://bookshop.org/p/books/every-body-looking-candice-iloh/14503347?ean=9780525556220
Agent
Patricia Nelson
Query Stats
Year Queried
2017
Number of Queries Sent
10-15
Number of Offers of Representation
1
Number of Months Spent Querying This Novel
1-2 months
Years Spent Writing Before Getting an Offer
11
Number of Manuscripts Queried Before This One
0
Publication Status of The Book Queried
Published (Big 5)
Years Spent Writing Before This Book was Published
14