u/shaneraineywrites

Dear Agent, 

Personalization

LEADING TONES is an upmarket historical fiction novel at 97,000 words and written under the pen name Shane Rainey. It is a standalone with series potential that will appeal to book club readers who enjoyed the intoxicating first love and grief that define TALKING AT NIGHT and the life-altering choices of an academically driven heroine in HOUSE OF EVE. 

Uprooted by her mother to Northern England in 1958, native Californian Samantha Clarke is reclaiming the future she lost when her father died. Perfect marks and college applications are her only ticket home—but falling for an intensely devoted guitarist threatens to tie her to a town and identity defined by her grief.  

Working-class boy and guitar prodigy Callum Anderson spends his afternoons smoking cigarettes and reading in Samantha’s living room. When an almost-kiss forces Samantha to face her growing feelings for Callum, the fear that she’s jeopardizing her future wins out. Samantha retreats into her practical plan to recover her old identity, and for a year, Callum uses shared marginalia in traded paperbacks, furtive glances, and stolen touches to slowly break down her walls. But, when Samantha finally admits she truly loves him, it doesn’t stop the ticking clock. 

Colleges back home are mailing acceptance letters, and Callum’s band is offered a coveted contract in Hamburg, Germany that promises him a step toward fame. He’s due to depart in three days, and Samantha must make a choice. She can become the independent California girl she was supposed to be, or stay in England, waiting for a guitarist whose love and ambition will tether her to a life shaped by her father’s death. 

I’m a native Californian and sixth-grade math/science teacher living in the North Bay Area. Having graduated Summa Cum Laude with my teaching credential at twenty-two, I gave Samantha my academic drive and fight for agency in a life defined by her circumstances; the same fight that has pushed me to pursue my dream to be a published author. 

Thank you for your time and consideration. 

I have edited and re-edited this multiple times with my fiancé and friends after sending out a batch of queries that didn't get me any requests. This is probably the fifth draft of this letter--I've spent a ridiculous amount of hours on it--please let me know your thoughts.

Dear [Agent],

[Personalization, if any]

LEADING TONES is an upmarket historical fiction novel at 97,000 words written under the pen name Shane Rainey. It is a standalone with series potential that will appeal to book club readers who enjoyed the intoxicating first love and grief that define TALKING AT NIGHT and the life-altering choices of an academically driven heroine in HOUSE OF EVE. 

Uprooted by her mother to Northern England in 1958, native Californian Samantha Clarke is reclaiming the future she lost when her father died. Perfect marks and college applications are her only ticket home—but falling for an intensely devoted guitarist threatens to tie her to a town and identity defined by her grief.  

Working-class boy and guitar prodigy Callum Anderson spends his afternoons smoking cigarettes and reading in Samantha’s living room. When an almost-kiss forces Samantha to face her growing feelings for Callum, the fear that she’s jeopardizing her future wins out. Samantha retreats into her practical plan to recover her old identity, and for a year, Callum uses shared marginalia in traded paperbacks, furtive glances, and stolen touches to slowly break down her walls. Samantha finally admits she truly loves him, but it doesn’t stop the ticking clock. 

Colleges back home are mailing acceptance letters, and Callum’s band is offered a coveted contract in Hamburg, Germany that promises him a step toward fame. He’s due to depart in three days, and Samantha must make a choice. She can become the independent California girl she was supposed to be, or stay in England, waiting for a guitarist whose love and ambition will tether her to a life shaped by her father’s death. 

I’m a debut author, native Californian, and sixth-grade math/science teacher living in the North Bay Area. Having graduated Summa Cum Laude with my teaching credential at twenty-two, I gave Samantha my academic drive and fight for agency in a life defined by her circumstances; the same fight that has pushed me to pursue my dream to be a published author. 

Thank you for your time and consideration.