[QCrit] The Tale of Green, middle grade animal fantasy, 70k words (2nd Attempt)
Hello! This is my second time posting. My previous draft got a round of beta readers which gave me some great feedback on punching up what I had so far, and also allowed me to trim a bit more of the word count. Let me know if I have a good set of bones to work with here and if the plot is clear!
Dear (Agent),
THE TALE OF GREEN: THE BUCK WITH NO ANTLERS is a middle grade animal fantasy, complete at 70k words. It will appeal to fans of The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman as well as The Traitor Moth by Katharine Orton.
Deep within the sleepy forest of Hushfern, where the white-tail deer whisper grand stories of gods and monsters, a timid fawn named Green dreams of being a hero. But Green can’t fit in with the deer that walk amongst him, let alone the warriors in the stars. For a white-tail’s antlers are the ultimate symbol of power– and Green’s life is thrown into disarray when he is unable to grow them. Rejected by his family, he decides to attempt to become a hero in the only way he can think of: by completing the Trials of Hushfern which appear in the stories he listens to each night. And according to Spots, a fellow outcast he meets on the outskirts of camp, the final trial resides in the bottom of a mythical body of water called the ocean– which no animal has seen with their own eyes.
Secrets, darkness, and strange creatures are as abundant as wildflowers in Hushfern, however, and Green’s seemingly straightforward quest becomes derailed at every turn. Soon joined by a lost princess claiming her home resides on the ocean shores, his own problems dim in comparison. The trio become entangled in a mystery that will take them further than any ever thought possible, and have Green question what it means to be great. What it means to belong.
(Bio here)