The first session was "Query Letter Critique" by Kate Duffy from Kensington. Ms. Duffy claims to be a mean person, but one doesn't see much evidence of this as she reads various query letters aloud and comments on whether or not she personally would request them for Kensington. This session was not as instructional as some of the others I'll be reporting on since Ms. Duffy approved of a good number of the queries, even when she was skeptical about content. In several instances she said she'd call the author and ask questions.  

What I did glean from the session was that Ms. Duffy, and perhaps other industry professionals, might be turned off if:

1) the hero and/or heroine of the story is married, and not to one another

2) the author includes a "marketing plan" with her query/partial

3) the author offers too many bio details that aren't relevant to the book

4) the author tries to cram too much of the plot or back story into the query. Ms. Duffy suggested making it similar to back cover copy

5) the author describes the characters and not the plot

6) the author uses one of those cute intros, like "Have you ever wondered?'', and it isn't all that cute

7) the author tells the back story instead of what takes place in the book

8) the author goes on and on about the "theme'" or "deeper meaning" of the novel 

Ms. Duffy said she enjoys it when: 

1) people mention specific Kensington authors they like or whose readerships might enjoy this novel                                 

2) authors describe heroes and heroines who are actually 'heroic"

3) authors seem to take an actual joy in their novel, although she said to beware of claiming your book is "hysterical"

4) authors describe characters with whom she can identify  

The last thing I noted in this session was that Ms. Duffy suggested, if you're having trouble hammering out a query letter, get someone else to write it because she might see the points of the book more clearly than you, the author.  (Considering I'm having such trouble with my queries, do I have any takers?) 

Clue quotient: low.  Although I privately think at least one of my novels is hysterical, I’ve never admitted it except for right here in this article.  Shhh!  My bio section is brief, my novels probably don’t even have deeper themes, and I doubt I’ve used overly cute intro lines; I’ll check anyway, just in case.  My queries tend to be relatively formal.  Whether or not I’m describing characters with whom the E&A can identify I can’t determine from this end.       

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To find out more about MCRW member, Jody Wallace, you can check out her web sites:  http://www.jodywallace.com and http://www.elliemarvel.com.

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