I'm so grateful to this group for providing critical insight on my first project. Reminder here: https://www.reddit.com/r/PubTips/comments/1npsj48/qcrit_the_secret_map_of_freya_stark_historical/
I put that project aside and worked on a second book. It's gone through critique in my writers group and is almost ready to go to beta readers. I want to make sure my pitch is strong before moving forward. Thank you all for your insights.
QUERY:
Dear XXX;
I’m submitting for your consideration the first five pages of my 85,000-word dual timeline novel.
THE SHOWGIRL'S GUIDE TO FRENCH COOKING, follows a young Las Vegas chef whose only hope for opening her dream restaurant involves infiltrating the soon-to-be imploded Tropicana Hotel to find the Hollywood treasure her grandmother stole sixty-five years ago while she was a Folies Bergere showgirl.
THE SHOWGIRL’S GUIDE TO FRENCH COOKING reads like the female-led heist of Ocean’s 8, soundtracked by Taylor Swift’s Life of a Showgirl. It combines the jewel theft of Kristin Harmel’s The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau with the delicious French food of Ruth Reichl’s The Paris Novel and will appeal to readers who enjoy Jo Piazza’s historical thrillers and Fiona Davis’ deeply researched novels about famous NYC landmarks.
In 1959, 17-year old Esmée seizes the opportunity of a lifetime, leaving behind a Paris dance hall for Las Vegas and a place in the Folies Bergere in the world’s most glamorous new hotel, the Tropicana. But when her mobster boyfriend withdraws his promise to put her name in lights, she’s pushed behind the scenes into a job cleaning rooms. That’s unless she can find a way to pay off his debts by stealing a gorgeous ring from the Tropicana’s most famous guest - Elizabeth Taylor.
In 2024, 26-year old aspiring chef Valerie just needs her boyfriend to land one last deal so they can open their dream French restaurant in Vegas’ Arts District. When the boyfriend and the money fall through dooming Valerie’s dreams, she receives an unexpected offer of support from her prickly grandmother. But the solution to all Valerie’s problems lies in the now-closed Tropicana Hotel, which is only days away from implosion.
I reported on the October 2024 implosion of the Tropicana Hotel, one of the highlights of my 17-year career in international broadcast journalism. As the hotel collapsed behind me and I told a worldwide audience about its rich history of movie stars, performers and mobsters, I began to imagine a down-on-her-luck showgirl who saw a heist as her way out.
I’ve detailed my research process for this novel and my work championing other authors as the lead for the [INSERT NAME OF REGIONAL LITERARY ORGANIZATION HERE] at [INSTAGRAM HANDLE]. This would be my debut novel.
Best,
[XXXX]
9^(th) Arrondissement, Paris, France
September 1959
The man who is going to change Esmée Aubard’s future is waiting out in the audience.
It doesn’t matter if he only has one ticket to America and forty-five girls dancing their feet off to secure them. Esmée is going to make certain that she is chosen to bring the glamor of the Folies Bergere to the world’s fanciest new hotel - the Tropicana.
She blinks back a sneeze as she waits with the other girls bunched up in the dark wing just off the main stage. That awful girl Cosette is wearing her irritating perfume again, all powder and fake roses. The lead dancer of the most famous cabaret in the world announces her presence before you can even see her. A constant reminder to all the other dancers that she is the vedette, the star. She will be the one to secure the attention of the American producer.
Esmée smoothes the glossy red feathers on her costume one more time, her good luck tradition in the moments before the show begins. She can’t afford any distractions as she searches for an advantage. She is just a chorus girl - one of many dancers filling up the stage - but that hasn’t stopped her from seizing every opportunity.
In the year since she began dancing, Esmée has worked harder than all the other girls to maintain her figure. She reads the fashion magazines front to back, searching for cosmetic tips to make her sea-grey eyes sparkle blue and lengthen her already-lush eyelashes. She bakes crispy Florentine cookies and rich Sablés for the costumers, openly bribing them to give her the newest costumes and the freshest feathers.
And at only seventeen years of age, Esmée already knows the most important secret of every good dancer.