Waking Fire
BY Jean louiseinkyard2023Query Letter
During an open submissions period, I sent my YA Fantasy WAKING FIRE to Inkyard Press. Acquiring Editor Claire Stetzer reached out to express her interest in acquiring and publishing the manuscript with Inkyard and suggested I query agents to secure representation. I hope you might be interested in WAKING FIRE, which is a fast-paced, thrilling novel at 92,000 words that delves into issues many teens are struggling with today: bullying, identity, and grief over the death of a parent. Featuring a strong female protagonist and a diverse cast of characters, Waking Fire is a refreshing take on the YA fantasy genre. Fans of bestselling authors Tomi Adeyemi and Sabaa Tahir will resonate with Waking Fire and its rich world-building, complex characters, and unique settings.
Naira Khoum keeps breaking her promise to stop getting into fights, but when her village is invaded by the Mistress with an army of the dead, what is Naira supposed to do? Backing down is not in her blood. Yet there are some things Naira can’t fight—like the visions she keeps having of dragons and long-ago wars. She needs to focus on taking back her village from the Mistress, but she can’t stop thinking about her mysterious visions: why is she having them, and why now?
Naira has always felt like an outsider in her secluded desert village, and the visions aren’t helping. They’re just one more thing marking her as different. But Naira is ready to push all differences aside in order to defeat the Mistress—until she uncovers long-buried secrets that connect her to her enemy. Can Naira still carry out her vengeance knowing she and the Mistress share a bond that can’t be severed by even the sharpest blade, a bond that explains why Naira is so different?
Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, I have always been a fan of fantasy books, but was disappointed in what was offered because of the lack of diversity in the genre. As a black woman, representation is important to me and I am excited to be adding my voice to the mix. I currently live in XXXXXX, and I work at XXXXXXX where I have the opportunity to read creative writing pieces by young adults, giving me insight into what is on the mind of today’s teens and what they are interested in reading. I received an MFA in Writing for Children from The New School.
About
Age Range
Young Adult
Genre
Fantasy (Traditional)
Word Count
90,000-100,000
Book Link
https://www.harpercollins.com/products/waking-fire-jean-louise
Agent
Claire Friedman
Query Stats
Number of Queries Sent
~75
Number of Full Requests Received
~5
Number of Offers of Representation
2
Number of Months Spent Querying This Novel
On and off for about 5 years
Years Spent Writing Before Getting an Offer
15
Number of Manuscripts Queried Before This One
0
Publication Status of The Book Queried
Published (Independent /Boutique / Indy Publisher)
Years Spent Writing Before This Book was Published
~15
Note to Querying Writers:
I queried my book the traditional way on and off for about 3-4 years, then I completely stopped querying to make major revisions to the book. I went back to querying at the same time I submitted my book to a call for submissions by Inkyard Press (now part of HarperCollins). Inkyard offered me a publishing contract which helped me get an agent.