Playing For Keeps
BY tristen cronelake country2023Query Letter
I'm so excited that you liked my pitch during your #LCPpit event! I've heard such good things about your indie publishing company and was so flattered that you were interested in my pitch.
PLAYING FOR KEEPS is an Adult Contemporary Romance complete at 76,000 words, with SPOILER ALERT’s nerdiness and plus-size representation, and the grumpy/sunshine appeal of THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS.
Farren puts on a good front, feigning confidence despite her not fitting into society’s narrow ideas of beauty and body size. Inside, she’s stuck, afraid to put herself and her ideas for her own board game out there. She keeps things light and temporary, both at work as a substitute teacher and in relationships. But when she’s accused of stealing a pastry by a grumpy but handsome man while at the local cafe, instead of shrinking back, Farren challenges him to a board game battle over the last, much sought after croissant.
Sebastian is overworked and lonely, but unwilling to release his rigid ideas about success and how he’s envisioned his future unfolding. In the irreverent Farren, he glimpses the fun his busy life has denied him. When he learns about her idea for a board game she shelved long ago, he encourages her to try again, and assisting her with its creation takes up his free time, which exacerbates his stress.
When Sebastian’s ambition and Farren’s insecurities clash, their blow up causes the relationship to collapse in on itself like a Jenga tower. Sebastian needs to let go of his rigid ideas around what he considers success and how he imagined the future. Farren needs to learn how to trust in her heart and her ideas. Both of them will have to open themselves up to what matters most or lose the chance at what truly makes them feel alive.
As a plus-sized person, I wanted to tell a story about a character who was not defined by their weight. It was important to me that Farren had a life and hobbies, and fell in love just like anyone else. I am a South African expat and currently live in Maryland with my husband where our book and game shelves outnumber us fourfold. Outside of my job and novel writing, I occupy my time writing fanfiction and yelling about fandom on the internet.
About
Age Range
Adult
Genre
Romance (Contemporary)
Word Count
76,000
Book Link
Agent
Small Press: Lake Country Press
Query Stats
Number of Queries Sent
7
Number of Full Requests Received
1
Number of Offers of Representation
1
Number of Months Spent Querying This Novel
1 month
Years Spent Writing Before Getting an Offer
2
Number of Manuscripts Queried Before This One
1
Publication Status of The Book Queried
Published (Independent /Boutique / Indy Publisher)
Years Spent Writing Before This Book was Published
2
Note to Querying Writers:
I've subsequently queried and sold two other novels to the same press.