From Unseen Fire
by Cass MorrisBerkley2018Query Letter
An assassination attempt forces Latona, an elemental mage, to unleash her latent powers, demonstrating potential that far outstrips her training. When the dictator who threatened her family dies, she determines to take this opportunity to change the course of her life, but she quickly discovers that ambition has a high price.
The city-state of Aven is a place where elemental magic shapes the rule of the land as strongly as law and war. In the power vacuum left by the dictator's death, the conservative old guard clashes with the populist liberal faction over the best way to shape the nation's future. Latona and her sister Aula, a widow whose frivolous nature conceals a scheming mind, use charisma and cunning to manipulate advances for the populists. Their paths intersect with that of Sempronius Tarren, a rising politician who dreams of a vast empire growing from his beloved city. He believes that the gods have equipped him with the necessary skills and thrown down this challenge – but in order to achieve his goals, he will have to break some of his civilization's most sacred laws. Custom dictates that no mage may attain the highest political offices, but Sempronius, who has kept his abilities a life-long secret, intends to do just that. Aula sees in Sempronius a man with an extraordinary vision for their nation and the greatness to make it a reality, and she pushes her sister to cultivate an alliance with him. As their friendship blossoms, Sempronius encourages Latona to learn to wield the extraordinary magical power that is her birthright – but Latona's husband objects to the idea and the alliance, and Sempronius's secret could ruin them both and destroy their faction's chance to reform the city.
Aven is a completed 106,000 word historical fantasy with series potential, inspired by late Republic Rome. I write professionally for the education department of the American Shakespeare Center, where I have worked since graduating in 2010 with an MLitt. from Mary Baldwin College. My undergraduate degree is a BA in English and History from the College of William and Mary. I blog both professionally and personally, and I am active on major social media platforms.
Thank you for your consideration.
About
Age Range
Adult
Genre
Fantasy (Epic)
Word Count
148,000
Book Link
https://books2read.com/b/from-unseen-fire
Agent
Connor Goldsmith
Query Stats
Number of Queries Sent
31+
Number of Full Requests Received
1
Number of Offers of Representation
1
Number of Months Spent Querying This Novel
10 months
Years Spent Writing Before Getting an Offer
15
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
20