[QCrit] First Attempt, THESE WICKED TEETH, Adult, Sci-fi thriller/psychological horror blend (96k, V1) + question
Hi everyone! I've been lurking here for a while, and adore the vibe. I'm recently back in the trenches after 3 years agented, and am nervous. 🫦 I got 2 full requests almost immediately with this package, but have gotten a handful of rejections in the past two weeks as well pretty quickly, and wanted to see if there's anything I can fix in the query that might be hindering me.
Also, question: if an agent rejects your full based on "The concept really intrigued me, but I didn't feel as enthusiastic as I hoped." Is this a good pass, or should I be worried the book is the issue?
Ok! Enough rambling:
Dear X,
It is my pleasure to present THESE WICKED TEETH for your consideration. An adult grounded sci-fi thriller with a side of psychological horror, this project is complete at 96,000 words. It will appeal to fans of C.G. Drews' atmospheric prose in You Did Nothing Wrong and Kylie Lee Baker's commentary on mental health, trauma, and systemic racism in Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng. With shifter-inspired elements, it will also interest readers of Nat Cassidy's When the Wolf Comes Home and people who loved the atmospheric dread and horror in Mike Flanagan's Midnight Mass.
Still reeling from the brutal hybrid attack that killed her best friend, investigative reporter Wryn Stevens is struggling with substance abuse from the trauma of the event, haunted by hallucinations that blur the line between reality and fantasy. Sent to the tiny town of Raven Cove by her boss to cover the mysterious disappearances of its women and the rumors of people turning into wolves, Wryn believes her bio mom's disappearance might be related. Determined to find answers, it proves to be anything but easy.
The townsfolk are silent, the sheriff's deputy hostile, and the forest itself whispers of things better left buried. When another woman goes missing, Wryn stumbles onto a deadly government scheme. To survive the web of lies and betrayal of everything she's ever known, she must decide whether to trust the hybrids she's been taught to fear or the instincts growing louder each day, threatening to expose the monster haunting her bloodline.
If she can't untangle reality from madness and the unreliability of her substance abuse, more women will die, and she might be next.
Previously agented, I am an adoptee and proud first-generation Guatemalan American. Caretaker by day and writer of the weird and the creepy by night, I am a voracious consumer of books and TV shows, and I'm often drawn to ones that go to the darkest of places and teach you how to survive the horrors of the real world. When I'm not nose deep in the X-Files or writing fanfiction, I am the co-host of the literary podcast Hope Prose, and have had the joy of interviewing authors from Christopher Paolini to Ann Liang and Katherine Center.
Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing if this is something you would be interested in.
With kindness, NAME