Thursday, November 1, 2012

Liza Salerno's Current Query

It's been a while, hasn't it? Well, never fear, I've got another query for you today, dear readers. Here is Liza Salerno, from Middle Passages' letter. Please be sure to go follow her blog.

The query:

Dear Agent,

Fourteen-year-old Melanie Foss is sick of family secrets.

Her single mother Bethany refuses to discuss her past other than to admit she was voted Honeydew Queen in Virginia in 1974, but skipped town as soon as she received the crown.
When Melanie’s eighth grade social studies teacher assigns a genealogy project worth half her grade, she makes up her family story, a project that creates a crack in the wall her mother has built around her former life. Melanie discovers more when Bethany, diagnosed with a serious illness, enlists the aid of Harrison, a grandfather Melanie has never met. With his support, mother and daughter relocate to Bethany’s hometown; keeping their presence hidden from Old Meredith, Bethany’s controlling mother, until an accident brings them together and circumstances force a reluctant Bethany to agree to move back to her childhood home.

There, Melanie stumbles upon a clue leading her to initiate a clandestine introduction to the man she assumes is her father. Their disastrous meeting triggers the revelation of a heartbreaking mystery surrounding Bethany’s long ago flight, a tale that alienates Melanie from her mother. A shocking loss compounds the teen’s resentment until Old Meredith realizes history has repeated itself. To keep the relationship between her daughter and granddaughter intact, she must decide whether to share the reason behind her own demanding behavior, which she employs to hide a crushing tragedy of her own.

HONEYDEW EVER AFTER (93,000 words), a work of women’s fiction, is written in three points of view, alternating between Melanie, Bethany and Old Meredith.

I am a freelance writer and have been published in Boston Globe Magazine, Adoptive Families Magazine, South Shore Living Magazine,SouthShoreLiving.com and WritersDigest.com. In addition, I authored a monthly column for a local publication, the Cohasset Mariner.HONEYDEW EVER AFTER is my first novel.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Liza Salerno

That's it.

Please save your feedback for tomorrow, and thank Liza for having the courage to share her query with us!

11 comments:

Sarah said...

I already follow Liza and will be back tomorrow with feedback!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Hey Liza! Looking forward to Matthew's thoughts.

Angela Brown said...

Alright. Getting ready to see what Matt has to share. And thank you, Liza, for allowing us to learn with you.

Nancy Thompson said...

You've come to the right place, Liza! Be back tomorrow.

farawayeyes said...

Hey Lisa, nice to meet you.

Interesting premise, can't wait to see what the master says.

Michael Offutt, Phantom Reader said...

Nice meeting you oh brave query putter upper. I shall wait to see how Matt eviscerates your letter with the tools he picked up from hurricane Sandy.

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing Liza. Looking forward to tomorrow's input.

Elana Johnson said...

Good job sharing, Liza! I've been following her for a long time, and I can't wait to see what comes of this!

Dianne K. Salerni said...

Well, of course I have to run off and follow someone with the same last name as mine, give or take one vowel!

I'll be back tomorrow with feedback!

Theresa Milstein said...

So I come back tomorrow? I'm always so bad about this. I already have ideas now. Okay, I'll sit on 'em and return.

mshatch said...

I've been following Liza for a while now and am pleased to see her query for this! I will definitely be back tomorrow to see what everyone has to say about this and perhaps add a few comments of my own :)