North is the Night
BY emily rath 2025Query Letter
Not all who journey into death are dead.
In the harsh interior of the Finnish wilderness, more than wolves roam the dark forests. When Aina is captured by a death goddess, she is dragged to Tuonela, the mythical underworld. To get her back, best friend Siiri must dare a dangerous journey north to seek out Väinämöinen, the only mystical shaman to travel to Tuonela and return alive.
As the dark winter looms, Siiri uses all the strength she possesses to survive her journey, which is plagued by trappers, a band of roving wolves, and a cunning snow witch. But finding Väinämöinen is only the beginning. Siiri must convince him to share his magic so she can sneak into Tuonela and save Aina…right under the noses of the death gods.
In Tuonela, Aina is thrust into a dangerous game of cat and mouse as the wicked goddess of death torments her, turning every waking moment into a living nightmare. As the truth of her capture is revealed, Aina is forced to make a decision that will alter the course of her fate, not knowing her fearless friend plots a daring escape.
Inspired by the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic, NORTH IS THE NIGHT is an adult fantasy complete at 100,000 words. It is the first in a planned duology. With the dark, mythical magic of the Winternight trilogy, and the slow-burn romance of Spinning Silver, it will appeal to fans of Katherine Arden, Naomi Novik, and H.M. Long.
I am a university professor based in Florida. I routinely publish academic work in international journals, and I’ve won awards for my written work and presentation style. As a Finnish American, I grew up learning mainly the curse words and longing for my grandmother’s pulla bread. I also identify as bisexual. Thus, NORTH IS THE NIGHT is the #ownvoices queer Finnish fantasy of my heart. Thank you for your consideration.
About
Age Range
Adult
Genre
Fantasy (Historical)
Word Count
100,000
Book Link
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/206314234-north-is-the-night
Agent
Susan Velazquez Colmant
Query Stats
Year Queried
2021
Number of Queries Sent
300
Number of Full Requests Received
10
Number of Offers of Representation
2
Number of Months Spent Querying This Novel
13 months
Years Spent Writing Before Getting an Offer
4
Number of Manuscripts Queried Before This One
1
Publication Status of The Book Queried
Under Contract (Independent /Boutique / Indy Publisher)
Years Spent Writing Before This Book was Published
4
Note to Querying Writers:
I started self-publishing romance novels on KU in 2022, and I firmly believe it was the success I was already building as an independent author with a rapidly growing reader base and social media presence that led to my agent representing my adult fantasy. It would take another year on submission with that project before it finally sold. Meanwhile, I made myself a seven-figure international bestselling self-published author. My fantasy eventually sold at auction and I don't think it would have done that without all my self-pub success. All this to say there's no *one* way into publishing and no *one* way to find success.