Title: Beyond the Wild Imaginings
Word Count: 82,000
Genre: Literary/Magical Realism
Query:
In 1926, southern Utah is devastated by a record-breaking drought. Instead of leaving for a milder climate, Jesse Egan hopefully rations the little water he has to keep his beloved orchard alive and to also prevent his wife, Myra, from miscarrying again.
When a boy only Myra can see leads the couple to a traveling salesman peddling a bucket that gathers water from the air, Jesse overlooks the impossible and accepts the gadget on loan to save the baby and his orchard. The machine works better than expected, but as the water increases, Myra becomes convinced that the mysterious boy she saw before is the salesman’s son and has been hiding in their barn. Myra nurtures the boy—who Jesse still can’t see—while Jesse vacillates between returning the boy and the bucket to the salesman or keeping his orchard alive and living with his increasingly delusional wife.
The tangle of boy and machine heightens when Jesse buries the bucket in the well to keep it to himself inadvertently amplifying the machine’s capacity and covering the bucket with so much water it can’t be retrieved. Too soon, the salesman returns, sees the divide between the couple, and uses Myra’s fragile pregnancy and her attachment to the invisible boy as a way to claim the land where the machine is buried. Jesse thought more water would solve his problems, but now he must either protect Myra from the devious salesman or give up the machine and lose his orchard altogether.
Some thought the desert ugly, but Jesse found nothing more beautiful than the wide sweep of open land under the everlasting azure sky. He knew this land like putting on clothes—knew the way it fit against his skin, knew the dry air baking everything in sight. He knew that just below the surface, the whole desert brimmed with life, waiting for the spring rain before it blushed into sudden green. Now in the dawn, just outside the barn where he’d eased half a pail of milk from Lou, the thirsty cow, he felt the desert waiting, a thrum as sure as a heartbeat, like a person asleep.
First 250 words:
Some thought the desert ugly, but Jesse found nothing more beautiful than the wide sweep of open land under the everlasting azure sky. He knew this land like putting on clothes—knew the way it fit against his skin, knew the dry air baking everything in sight. He knew that just below the surface, the whole desert brimmed with life, waiting for the spring rain before it blushed into sudden green. Now in the dawn, just outside the barn where he’d eased half a pail of milk from Lou, the thirsty cow, he felt the desert waiting, a thrum as sure as a heartbeat, like a person asleep.
Jesse swiped at his hairline, already damp from sweat, and looked up at the cloudless sky. The sun rose harsh and golden, burnishing the brown dirt and the scrub oak and the sage with a temporary frisson. In that golden moment, he felt hope like music rising though the ground as a swelling sound of promise, even though there wasn’t a single cloud. The year had passed into May and still the rains hadn’t come; Jesse wanted a storm, a cloudburst, a few drops, even a hint of dew.
Behind him, the small parched orchard gasped for breath. All the varied trees his father had planted withered and desiccating in the desert heat no matter how many times Jesse hitched his wagon and filled the barrels on the back at the emaciated stream. And the fields were worse.
I'm interested in reading more. Please send a 1-page synopsis and the first 50 pages to lisa@kimberleycameron.com. Please include #NewAgent in the subject line and your query in the body of the email. Looking forward to reading your submission.
ReplyDeleteHi! Can I see the first 50 pages please? Please send to penelope.gsliterary at gmail. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see more! Please send the first 25 pages in an attached word document to queries at azantianlitagency dot com along with your query and a 1-2 page synopsis. For the subject line, please use Requested Material and the title of your manuscript. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI'm interested in reading more please. Could you please send the first three chapters and a brief synopsis as a word document. Plus a paragraph or so about yourself in the body of the email over to julieacrisp@gmail.com. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWould love to see more! Please feel free to send the query, 1-2 page synopsis, and first ten pages to acquisitions@curiosityquills.com Good luck!
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