Christine Kelly Reads and Writes

I hope you all enjoyed the first sample I provided. Again, my hope is by sharing queries that work, you all can emulate the formula and learn from successful examples versus continuing to see ones that need improvement. (That’s not to say these are perfect, but they worked!).

Here is another example of a query that worked and got my CP an agent.

Dear [agent],

[Personalization] I hope you’ll enjoy CRIMSON & CLOVER, a steamy Irish twist on Mamma Mia! set on a road trip and overflowing with banter. Complete at 75K words, this adult contemporary rom-com combines the grief-fueled road trip in Jessica Joyce’s YOU, WITH A VIEWwith the found family arc in Samantha Young’s MUCH ADO ABOUT YOU.

After catching her boyfriend cheating, thirty-two-year-old Isabella Martini is left unhoused, unemployed, and unattached, proving that having your ex’s dad as a boss is a terrible idea. She travels to rural Ireland to visit her godmother, who—surprise!—has her late mom’s diary. While thrilling at first, the journal’s revelations about her mom’s three past love interests—one of whom must be her Bio-Dad—leave Isabella shaken. So, when Isabella trundles off across the Emerald Isle to finally learn her father’s identity after a lifetime of being plagued by his absence, her godmother enlists her nephew Finn, a taciturn sheep farmer, to serve as chauffeur.

The search for her dad takes Isabella and Finn to a quaint orchard where they learn countless apple facts with a Judge Judy superfan before leading them to a historic castle, where they must pose as a betrothed couple and sample truly atrocious whiskey. After selling their fake relationship with an all-too-real kiss, they finally unleash the passion they’ve both been bottling up. But when Isabella learns the disheartening truth about her father, she must decide where her heart and future lie. Back in San Francisco with a job offer that’ll allow her to rebuild her life? Or with her found family and Finn in Ireland?

The settings and characters in this story were inspired by trips to my husband’s hometown in Ireland. My previous manuscript was a finalist in the Contemporary Romance Writers’ Stiletto contest. I live in Marin County, California with my husband, our two silly, curious kids, and plants I forget to water. 

Thanks for your consideration. Per your direction, my first ten pages are below. May I send you my full manuscript?

Sincerely,