A recent addition, The Rules For Disappearing by Ashley Elston is a favorite for several reasons. She dives right into the story from her first sentence, the voice of her protagonist comes through, and the simplicity of her letter is an asset. Less is more in this case and we do want to know more. Her agent Sarah Davies said, “…my attention was definitely tickled by the query…” and isn’t that what a successful query is suppose to do?

One of my favorites is the query for Meg Moore’s The Arrivals. She quickly, clearly introduces a larger cast of characters and what challenges they’re facing, plus places the novel within a larger context (of other books that “use domestic settings to illuminate universal themes”).