Writing Queries

I'm so excited to be going to the Surrey International Writers' Conference in just a couple of weeks.  One of the things we get to do is meet with an agent, so I've been working on my query for my novel, Antigone: The True Story.  I'm feeling like the book is done, though I'm sure I could edit it some more (that's another story, when to stop editing), and am now working on my query letter.  EEK.

There are so many great resources for query letters out there - it can actually get kind of overwhelming.  One I found recently that seems to have lots of great advice is Nathan Bransford's site.  His articles are clear and thoughtful and have lots of practical advice.

So, I have been hashing out my query this morning because I got up early and couldn't sleep.  Here is what I have so far.  I would love any feedback that anyone has.  I would also love to read other queries and get links to your favorite query resources, so feel free to comment below.

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Antigone: The True Story is a young adult fantasy novel, complete at 65,000 words, where honour and scandal collide and the truth of history is definitely stranger than the fiction of myth.

Over three thousand years have passed since Antigone lived and the gods have finally allowed her to tell the true story of her life. Not just the truth about her being a princess in ancient Thebes whose father unintentionally killed his father and married his mother, whose mother committed suicide and father gouged out his own eyes with brooches. Not only how Antigone, the dutiful daughter, left her life, her sister, and the boy she loves, to lead her disgraced father aimlessly around the countryside until his death.

No, this is the story of the young princess who is blessed in a cursed family. Antigone learns that she can call on the ancient gods to heal others in a time of plague, and can talk to snakes. However, when the Olympian gods with their fickle whims ravage through her life like a whirlwind and devastate everything Antigone holds dear, she must choose between living a lie or embracing who she truly is.


****DISCLAIMER:  I wrote this at 4:30 in the morning because I coudn't sleep and know the middle paragraph especially needs help.  However, some force took hold of me and convinced me it would be a good idea to post this, even in its unpolished state.****