Query #AtoZChallenge

My April 2024 A to Z Challenge blogging theme is to revise a YA novel I've been working on for almost a decade and then generate a new and better query letter to send in the hopes of traditional publication.
I want to publish that way because I believe it will give the book the best distribution, especially in libraries where underrepresented young people could borrow it. The target audience is teenagers who have an incarcerated family member, teens who are treated as outcasts for situations beyond their control, and Latinas preparing for their quinceañera.
Read more in my theme reveal post: https://uniquelymaladjustedbutfun.blogspot.com/2024/03/theme-reveal-2024-atozchallenge-and-wep.html


I need to create a new query letter. 
Here's the latest (without a personal info paragraph, obviously). I'll be revising this story. Please help!

One comment I got from an agent asked Lenore's dad's thoughts and feelings on moving her to another school, especially with the danger to her.

I know the answer.

It isn't in the book.

It NEVER comes up.

I do know.

Why would include something in the query that isn't in the book???

Some have disliked Lenore's anxiety and neurodivergence. 

Okay... but... 

Some people don't like neurodivergent people. Sorry to upset the Boomers, but the Young Adult audiences I'm aiming toward are more tolerant. Maybe I need to work the words "liberal left-wing" into the description?? Are we there? 

"This book will absolutely be banned from Florida."

Maybe I need that disclaimer upfront? 

Feedback is needed! I'm revising, so please make suggestions if you have any. 💗

Otis the Cow Bull

My April 2024 A to Z Challenge blogging theme is to revise a YA novel I've been working on for almost a decade and then generate a new and better query letter to send in the hopes of traditional publication.
I want to publish that way because I believe it will give the book the best distribution, especially in libraries where underrepresented young people could borrow it. The target audience is teenagers who have an incarcerated family member, teens who are treated as outcasts for situations beyond their control, and Latinas preparing for their quinceañera.
Read more in my theme reveal post: https://uniquelymaladjustedbutfun.blogspot.com/2024/03/theme-reveal-2024-atozchallenge-and-wep.html


This is a short conversation Lenore has early on, before going on Teen Writer Season 3. It shows how she interacts with peers.

"An udder is an organ formed of two or four mammary glands on the females of dairy animals and ruminants such as cattle, goats, and sheep."

https://barnyard.fandom.com/wiki/Otis

Barnyard movie DVD on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3VZtAcD

Feedback is needed! I'm revising, so please make suggestions if you have any. 💗

No Money #AtoZChallenge

My April 2024 A to Z Challenge blogging theme is to revise a YA novel I've been working on for almost a decade and then generate a new and better query letter to send in the hopes of traditional publication.
I want to publish that way because I believe it will give the book the best distribution, especially in libraries where underrepresented young people could borrow it. The target audience is teenagers who have an incarcerated family member, teens who are treated as outcasts for situations beyond their control, and Latinas preparing for their quinceañera.
Read more in my theme reveal post: https://uniquelymaladjustedbutfun.blogspot.com/2024/03/theme-reveal-2024-atozchallenge-and-wep.html


This is a scene where Lenore is aware of the lack of money her father has.

Feedback is needed! I'm revising, so please make suggestions if you have any. 💗

Muffin #AtoZChallenge

My April 2024 A to Z Challenge blogging theme is to revise a YA novel I've been working on for almost a decade and then generate a new and better query letter to send in the hopes of traditional publication.
I want to publish that way because I believe it will give the book the best distribution, especially in libraries where underrepresented young people could borrow it. The target audience is teenagers who have an incarcerated family member, teens who are treated as outcasts for situations beyond their control, and Latinas preparing for their quinceañera.
Read more in my theme reveal post: https://uniquelymaladjustedbutfun.blogspot.com/2024/03/theme-reveal-2024-atozchallenge-and-wep.html


Muffin is the name of Lenore's roommate. She prefers to be called Contessa. 

Feedback is needed! I'm revising, so please make suggestions if you have any. 💗

Lenore #AtoZChallenge Main Character

My April 2024 A to Z Challenge blogging theme is to revise a YA novel I've been working on for almost a decade and then generate a new and better query letter to send in the hopes of traditional publication.
I want to publish that way because I believe it will give the book the best distribution, especially in libraries where underrepresented young people could borrow it. The target audience is teenagers who have an incarcerated family member, teens who are treated as outcasts for situations beyond their control, and Latinas preparing for their quinceañera.
Read more in my theme reveal post: https://uniquelymaladjustedbutfun.blogspot.com/2024/03/theme-reveal-2024-atozchallenge-and-wep.html


Lenore is the main character. Knowing as much as possible about her helps craft the story. A character sheet is normally only seen by the author, but I'll share this private look:

Feedback is needed! I'm revising, so please make suggestions if you have any. 💗

Kiss #AtoZChallenge

My April 2024 A to Z Challenge blogging theme is to revise a YA novel I've been working on for almost a decade and then generate a new and better query letter to send in the hopes of traditional publication.
I want to publish that way because I believe it will give the book the best distribution, especially in libraries where underrepresented young people could borrow it. The target audience is teenagers who have an incarcerated family member, teens who are treated as outcasts for situations beyond their control, and Latinas preparing for their quinceañera.
Read more in my theme reveal post: https://uniquelymaladjustedbutfun.blogspot.com/2024/03/theme-reveal-2024-atozchallenge-and-wep.html


Here's the scene where Lenore and Geoff, hiding (fully-clothed) in an empty bathtub, almost kiss. Geoff is especially cheesy with his lines.



Feedback is needed! I'm revising, so please make suggestions if you have any. 💗

Jainism #AtoZChallenge

My April 2024 A to Z Challenge blogging theme is to revise a YA novel I've been working on for almost a decade and then generate a new and better query letter to send in the hopes of traditional publication.
I want to publish that way because I believe it will give the book the best distribution, especially in libraries where underrepresented young people could borrow it. The target audience is teenagers who have an incarcerated family member, teens who are treated as outcasts for situations beyond their control, and Latinas preparing for their quinceañera.
Read more in my theme reveal post: https://uniquelymaladjustedbutfun.blogspot.com/2024/03/theme-reveal-2024-atozchallenge-and-wep.html


Jainism is the religion of a contestant in Lenore's group. This scene takes place on family day.



Feedback is needed! I'm revising, so please make suggestions if you have any. 💗

Ideals #AtoZChallenge

My April 2024 A to Z Challenge blogging theme is to revise a YA novel I've been working on for almost a decade and then generate a new and better query letter to send in the hopes of traditional publication.
I want to publish that way because I believe it will give the book the best distribution, especially in libraries where underrepresented young people could borrow it. The target audience is teenagers who have an incarcerated family member, teens who are treated as outcasts for situations beyond their control, and Latinas preparing for their quinceañera.
Read more in my theme reveal post: https://uniquelymaladjustedbutfun.blogspot.com/2024/03/theme-reveal-2024-atozchallenge-and-wep.html


Ideals.

Why does winning Teen Writer Season 3 mean so much to Lenore right now?

What does she fundamentally want and most believe in, that which fuels her life goals and principles?

Her family wants her ideal to be: (especially her abuela/ grandmother)

"Tradition. The ancient traditions of worship and sacrifice must be preserved and upheld."

Lenore wants her ideal to be:

"Respect. People deserve to be treated with dignity and respect."

But currently, she's dominated by the ideal of:

"Certainity of home." She's afraid she and her father will lose their home. And she's afraid because he plans to sell their house and move them to an apartment in another school district-- the one where the girl her mother killed had attended school. He sees it as a way to save money. She sees a school full of students who hate her even more than the ones at her current school. (Hated for her mother's crime.)

Feedback is needed! I'm revising, so please make suggestions if you have any. 💗

Hello Harvard Housekeeper #AtoZChallenge

My April 2024 A to Z Challenge blogging theme is to revise a YA novel I've been working on for almost a decade and then generate a new and better query letter to send in the hopes of traditional publication.
I want to publish that way because I believe it will give the book the best distribution, especially in libraries where underrepresented young people could borrow it. The target audience is teenagers who have an incarcerated family member, teens who are treated as outcasts for situations beyond their control, and Latinas preparing for their quinceañera.
Read more in my theme reveal post: https://uniquelymaladjustedbutfun.blogspot.com/2024/03/theme-reveal-2024-atozchallenge-and-wep.html


Three "h" words in this excerpt are Hello, Harvard, and Housekeeper. Together, they make a kind of catchy title. 

Once Lenore "accepts the call" as they say in the Hero's Journey format, she goes to the set of Teen Writer Season 3. It's set in an actual private school, part of which is being renovated. The contestants are being shown around and stuff. It's basically "B roll," mostly just establishing the setting quickly. 

Not much is revealed about Lenore here, other than perhaps establishing her economic background. 



Feedback is needed! I'm revising, so please make suggestions if you have any. 💗

Geoff #AtoZchallenge

My April 2024 A to Z Challenge blogging theme is to revise a YA novel I've been working on for almost a decade and then generate a new and better query letter to send in the hopes of traditional publication.
I want to publish that way because I believe it will give the book the best distribution, especially in libraries where underrepresented young people could borrow it. The target audience is teenagers who have an incarcerated family member, teens who are treated as outcasts for situations beyond their control, and Latinas preparing for their quinceañera.
Read more in my theme reveal post: https://uniquelymaladjustedbutfun.blogspot.com/2024/03/theme-reveal-2024-atozchallenge-and-wep.html


Geoff.

I can't bring myself to call this character the "romantic interest." 

Something does happen between him and Lenore. But he lies about it and creates a rumor about doing intimate actions with Lenore. I see him as pond scum. She may be more forgiving and tolerant than I am.

Many days later, family day happens. And Geoff fakes a relationship with Lenore. But Lenore's roommate calls him out.



Feedback is needed! I'm revising, so please make suggestions if you have any. 💗

E F #AtoZChallenge Ephraim and Franco

My April 2024 A to Z Challenge blogging theme is to revise a YA novel I've been working on for almost a decade and then generate a new and better query letter to send in the hopes of traditional publication.
I want to publish that way because I believe it will give the book the best distribution, especially in libraries where underrepresented young people could borrow it. The target audience is teenagers who have an incarcerated family member, teens who are treated as outcasts for situations beyond their control, and Latinas preparing for their quinceañera.
Read more in my theme reveal post: https://uniquelymaladjustedbutfun.blogspot.com/2024/03/theme-reveal-2024-atozchallenge-and-wep.html


I fell behind because my wrist isn't cooperating with my typing desire.

Ephraim and Franco.

Ephraim is Muffin's stepfather, or "bonus parent" as they say in her family.

Franco is Lenore, the protagonist's, surname. 

This scene is after Lenore has a negative experience with a guy, a fellow Teen Writer contestant. Muffin references Lenore's dad's former football career. 🏈 And how Lenore's mother had a hit-and-run that killed a girl Lenore's age, though the cause was related to saving a life. 

Feedback is needed! I'm revising, so please make suggestions if you have any. 💗

Drishyana #AtoZchallenge

My April 2024 A to Z Challenge blogging theme is to revise a YA novel I've been working on for almost a decade and then generate a new and better query letter to send in the hopes of traditional publication.
I want to publish that way because I believe it will give the book the best distribution, especially in libraries where underrepresented young people could borrow it. The target audience is teenagers who have an incarcerated family member, teens who are treated as outcasts for situations beyond their control, and Latinas preparing for their quinceañera.
Read more in my theme reveal post: https://uniquelymaladjustedbutfun.blogspot.com/2024/03/theme-reveal-2024-atozchallenge-and-wep.html


Drishyana is one of the Teen Writer contestants. Lenore realizes how much she doesn't know about cultures and that she even excludes her own culture. This will help her broaden her horizons as the story goes on,



Feedback is needed! I'm revising, so please make suggestions if you have any. 💗

Contessa #AtoZChallenge

My April 2024 A to Z Challenge blogging theme is to revise a YA novel I've been working on for almost a decade and then generate a new and better query letter to send in the hopes of traditional publication.
I want to publish that way because I believe it will give the book the best distribution, especially in libraries where underrepresented young people could borrow it. The target audience is teenagers who have an incarcerated family member, teens who are treated as outcasts for situations beyond their control, and Latinas preparing for their quinceañera.
Read more in my theme reveal post: https://uniquelymaladjustedbutfun.blogspot.com/2024/03/theme-reveal-2024-atozchallenge-and-wep.html


Lenore has a roommate at the summer tv reality show. Muffin goes by the nickname Contessa.

There's tension almost immediately. 

Feedback is needed! I'm revising, so please make suggestions if you have any. 💗

🖱https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html

I just joined this group today. I guess I was blogging back in the late 90s, but that was just rambles. Did MySpace count? I think I had a blog there.

Anyway. I married my husband in 2007. And I get along really well with his family. Even really extended members, like an adopted cousin. J Lenni Dorner. 

And he talked me into A to Z.

I'm also besties with Jayden, who does the forms and spreadsheets. 

Okay, so, Im getting insecure because this YA manuscript keeps getting rejected. Why can't someone be older before celebrating their 15th birthday? 

"Ashley Garcia: Genius in Love (previously known as The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia) is the latest show to be canceled by Netflix, with the series created by Mario Lopez coming to an end after 15 episodes." Yeah, I know they had her celebrate two birthdays at once on that show, her 15 and 16. But that was a cheesy tv copout. (And on a show with decent writing otherwise!) 

But I believe there are 14yo latina readers. And younger!

I believe there is an audience. 

Hopefully this month will help me polish enough to find it.

Beginning #AtoZChallenge

My April 2024 A to Z Challenge blogging theme is to revise a YA novel I've been working on for almost a decade and then generate a new and better query letter to send in the hopes of traditional publication.
I want to publish that way because I believe it will give the book the best distribution, especially in libraries where underrepresented young people could borrow it. The target audience is teenagers who have an incarcerated family member, teens who are treated as outcasts for situations beyond their control, and Latinas preparing for their quinceañera.
Read more in my theme reveal post: https://uniquelymaladjustedbutfun.blogspot.com/2024/03/theme-reveal-2024-atozchallenge-and-wep.html


Lenore comes off as either unlikable or easy to identify with-- depending on how the reader did in school and how often they had to "carry" a group or suffer a lower grade.  


Feedback is needed! I'm revising, so please make suggestions if you have any. 💗

Aramingo character #AtoZChallenge

My April 2024 A to Z Challenge blogging theme is to revise a YA novel I've been working on for almost a decade and then generate a new and better query letter to send in the hopes of traditional publication.
I want to publish that way because I believe it will give the book the best distribution, especially in libraries where underrepresented young people could borrow it. The target audience is teenagers who have an incarcerated family member, teens who are treated as outcasts for situations beyond their control, and Latinas preparing for their quinceañera.
Read more in my theme reveal post: https://uniquelymaladjustedbutfun.blogspot.com/2024/03/theme-reveal-2024-atozchallenge-and-wep.html


It seems like an odd place to start because this character isn't really a primary one. She's mostly important in Act 1, to establish Lenore's character. But, the alphabet is part of the challenge! 

Aramingo is Lenore's best friend. Here's a scene that reveals she's the kind of teenager who tries to do the right thing, but gets burned for it.

In this scene, the girls are in a graveyard with Aramingo's family, cleaning the tombstones of relatives and leaving flowers and such. This is where Aramingo creates the goal for Lenore to get a boyfriend, or at least meet someone she could ask on a date.

Despite being the same age, Aramigo is a mentor to Lenore in some ways. She's very laid back and relaxed. She really wants her best friend to be happy. 

Her role is fairly minor, as the majority of the story will take place in the summer, when the girls will be apart. Sure, they keep in touch, but it isn't the same. 

There's no reason she'd be mentioned in the query letter.

Feedback is needed! I'm revising, so please make suggestions if you have any. 💗

Theme Reveal 2024 #AtoZChallenge and #WEP check in update

I missed the window for the theme reveal hop. Honestly, I wasn't sure I'd try to participate this year.

At the last moment (today is the end of March), I decided I'd try. I didn't really know what I'd be willing to spend a month blogging about. Well, what goal in my life would my soul most regret if I'd "stroke out" 🧠🚫💀⚰👻 in April?

Back in 2016, I started writing a story. A friend of the family, actually the child of the friend, endured some... 🐮💩...unfair and harsh realities due to her stepmother. As part of the legal deal and decision, the case cannot be discussed. There's no newspaper article. (Which is like, to me, 😩😵🤯, unacceptable. How can they sweep all of this under the rug! And force a gag order on a child??)

I can't do anything about the law. I, being an outsider, am not under the legal gag order. I obtained my knowledge prior to that deal and ruling. And I am not connected. So, Freedom of Speech for my American butt says that I can whip up a fictional story. I can create a character and give her a similar situation. (The mother in my story is nothing like the real stepmother, who I feel should be in prison for multiple reasons. But I can't fix that.) 

The thing is, the girl was made to feel very alone. And that, in my opinion, wasn't right. The way communities shut out the child for something she didn't do and had no control over, it enrages me. I can use that to write a fictional story. 




There is a cropped screenshot Google result showing how I know my story has a target audience. I do not know how many of those children are teens or YA. But I know there are readers who could use a protagonist with a similar situation. 

My main character is also dealing with racism. Not only have I based that antagonist character off of a real educator I know, but the current political climate of my country shows just how much racism is on the rise. 

This story has been getting rejected since 2017.  

A big obstacle is that my main character is a Latina, and is eager to celebrate her quinceañera. As a lot of agents rejected the query because they didn't know that word (SERIOUSLY??? "Most Latino New Yorkers live in New York City, where they number more than 2.4 million strong and account for one quarter of the city's population." How can agents in NYC not know that word with a population that size living where they work? Get your heads out of the sand, people!!!), so I changed the query wording to include "15th birthday." 🤦 Then they asked if I'd make my main character a different age, at least already 15. You know why? Because non-Latinx Americans would celebrate a sweet 16, not a quinceañera! Apparently, I haven't found an agent who knows a publisher who can market to the Latina ya market. 

I didn't start writing this story so I could just have another little white girl character. I started it because of an injustice done to a real child. She is not allowed to discuss it. But I can tell her story, disguised under the protection of fiction and by adding enough secondary attributes to give plausible deniability in case someone should ever figure things out. (And yet I'm writing a blog post. Go figure.) But I really don't want to change the age.

Yet, because of the events in the story, I know it cannot be MG. Even YA might be pushing my luck.

Honestly, this could all be for nothing. The election in November could land America with political leaders who will burn every book at every school. (Seriously, see the horrors of the school libraries in Florida. They drained them. Fiction, non-fiction, doesn't matter.) 

A big reason I want to traditional publish this book is to increase its chances of landing in libraries. My target audience is more likely to need to borrow from a library, and not everyone has book money. 

ANYWAY

So I am going to try to use April to beg for help to improve this book and create a new query letter. 

Here's the latest (without a personal info paragraph, obviously). I'll be revising this story. Please help!

 

I am trying. I suffered a stroke in January. My right side has been slowly recovering since. My right hand, the dominant hand for me, is still not fully recovered. I haven't typed this slow since I was a child first learning. I had spent weeks focused on just moving my fingers. "J K L ;" the letter L and the semicolon took the longest. My typing teachers would be appalled right now, because my current finger placement is not correct. 

I don't know if I'll make it through the challenge this year. I'm trying, though. 

WEP check-in and Stroke

 (WEP LOGO HERE)

I had a stroke in January. I'm typing with just my left hand on my phone. My right hand, the "write" hand, isn't fully recovered yet. So I am half-assing this. 

My meds got all mucked up. They gave me a nearly toxic dose of asprin. I had a respiratory attack while in the hospital. I am a damn mess.

My husband is still recovering from his toes amputation. He isn't allowed to return to work yet. The shoe people, only game in town, called with the cost of the shoes he's supposed to get.

😅😅🤣🤣🤣😂😂😅😅😅

Omg. Prada? Louis Vuitton? 

And that price is after insurance. 

I don't know where they think someone would get that kind of money while out of work. 

I had to hang up on the girl. Because I didn't know what she wanted me to say. "Can I sell you a kidney?' Seriously, I did not know what to say to the girl. My husband would have never called in the first place if they mentioned the cost would be astronomical. 

For shoes he can't even wear to work.

Because they want him to wear steeltips. 🙄 

To protect toes he no longer has.

And the docs say he will lose his legs if he does that, because his toeless scars will open and get infected.

So... yeah. 

And then there's the paperwork from his job.

"Due by Feb 2 or you're kicked out." 

What is due? 

"Go to the site."

There is no information on the site.

*SCREAMS*

THIS IS WHY I HAD A STROKE. I'm not kidding. Unum and FMLASOURCE sites wanting shit, threatening me, but can't say clearly WHAT they want or from which doctors. The hospital sent them records multiple times. They don't believe my husband had surgery on more than one date. Well, he did. Sorry?? I'm not a surgeon. What do you people want???

I just... 

This is my world right now. 168/102 BP 

No clue why my blood pressure is high... 😵‍💫😡

I'm tired.