Hello! I'd greatly appreciate receiving query critiques and will gladly critique in return.
Current Draft:
Dear Agent,
Will Cunningham is blindfolded for the best kiss of his life. Now he’s on the hunt for the soul-shaking mystery prince, and his new friend Ansel has agreed to lend Will his million-dollar wardrobe to catch the unknown boy’s attention.
Cian Zyrnes is Will’s first love from high school – and his first hate. Will believes Cian feigned a crush on him as a hurtful prank, and then ensured Will’s grudge was eternalized by outing him to Will’s homophobic mother. Cian believes Will rejected him after he got down on one knee in a public love confession. Now that they’re reunited in college, he’s determined to get a second chance. But when he sees Will wearing Ansel’s clothes, he concludes his first love and his best friend must be dating.
Misunderstandings abound between the two, but they have bigger problems to solve: Ansel’s father is selling their favorite LGBT dance club. To save Licentious, they need to attract buyers, and that starts with spreading awareness through a sexy charity calendar. Will’s penchant for crossdressing makes him the perfect model, while Cian is happy to build his photography portfolio. For the photoshoots to work, though, Will needs to show Cian his old scars, forcing him to confront a past he doesn’t think he’s strong enough to face.
My contemporary gay romance, THE GLOW UP, is complete at 92,000 words. The novel is a standalone with series potential, a college-centered version of Santino Hassell’s The Five Boroughs.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Best,
me
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I worked as a literary agent's assistant for a year so my critiques come from a smidgen of experience (doesn't mean my query is good). This is my first time on the other side of the slush pile!
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Dear Agent’s Name,
I am currently seeking representation for my contemporary m/m romance, THE GLOW UP, which is complete at 92,000 words.
Cian Zyrnes is Renard College’s most sweet-hearted playboy. Here are the rules of his game: He’ll give it to you rough if that’s how you like it, but he doesn’t do second nights. He’ll wipe your tears away if you fall in love with him, but he won’t go on a date. His reason is straightforward. A boy from his hometown stole his heart and never gave it back. That boy hates him for reasons he’ll never know, but time and distance haven’t soothed Cian’s wounds.
Will Cunningham was once told that bad childhoods can be made up for later. At Renard College, he’s going to cross-dress and pole-dance and boy-kiss until his entire life is one carefree party. There’s just one thing in his way: The cruellest boy he knows is going to the same school.
Back in grade school, Cian protected him, adored him, and talked to him when no one else would. Then Cian threw it all in Will’s face, humiliating him in front of Cian’s wrestling team and outing him to Will’s homophobic mother. It would be a lot easier to forget his painful past if Cian weren’t his dorm-floor neighbor. Worse, Cian is now openly gay, and treating Will with the exact kindness that once won Will’s heart.
The only thing that distracts Will from his conflicted passion is chasing after the mystery boy who gave him a soul-shaking, blindfolded kiss during a party game. He’ll kiss his way through all the boys on campus to find the anonymous prince – all the boys, that is, except for Cian Zyrnes.
THE GLOW UP is a first-person, dual-POV standalone in a potential series that has room for a wide range of relationships, including f/f and m/m/f. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Best regards,
me