5. Hook: Kate Lowry didn't think dead best friends could send e-mails.
Setup: Not even on the anniversary of their disappearance. Of course, that was before this message from Grace appeared in her inbox:
Kate,
I'm here…
sort of.
Find Christian.
He knows.
I shouldn't be writing.
Don't tell.
They'll hurt you.
Most girls would ignore the warning and go straight to the police.
But Kate isn’t most girls.
Instead, she decides to channel Nancy Drew, pearls and all. Of course, Kate’s pearls are faux, her skirts are way shorter and she’d take everyone's favorite teen detective in a girl fight, but you get the idea.
Conflict: The e-mails continue and Kate’s quest to solve the mystery takes a dangerous turn when her confrontation with Christian, Grace’s addict brother, almost gets her killed. (a near death = good conflict) Good thing she finds a couple of knights-in-(not so)-shining armor in sexy bad boy, Liam, and her awkward neighbor, Seth. Armed with her newfound sidekicks, the investigation continues, uncovering a secret lurking in the halls of their elite private school that threatens to destroy them all. (oooh, a secret at a private school, a sexy bad boy and a geeky neighbor. All ingredients for a great conflict soup.)
In these 72 words, we get all the makings of a good conflict: A near death experience, secrets, betrayal, and a couple of interesting sidekicks.
YOU ARE READING
From the Query to The Call
Non-FictionFROM THE QUERY TO THE CALL outlines what a query letter -- or cover copy -- is, why every author needs to master the art of describing their book in just a few words, and how to successfully navigate the querying process. Authors looking to query pu...
