Thank you to everyone for your feedback!
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Title: A World Apart
Category and Genre: Gay romance
Word count: 47,000
Query:
February 13, 2017
Dear editor,
A WORLD APART is a gay romance novel dealing with illness and crime – themes not often explored in the world of âhappily ever afterâ.
BEN GRIERS is the darling of Corinthâs Georgia Police Department – intelligent, handsome and hardworking. Thanks to his beautiful wife Helen and clever daughter Laura Benâs family is the envy of the town. Yet desperate unhappiness is hiding just below the surface.
When DONNIE SAUNDERS, a deadbeat redneck with a temper, is brought to Corinth PD as a suspect in a hit and run, Ben finds himself strangely intrigued by the man. He is quick to establish Donnieâs innocence, but canât shake the feeling that Donnie is hiding something. They encounter each other again in an unlikely place, and soon sparks begin to fly. As their mutual attraction draws them ever closer both men are forced to confront their most painful secrets.
Please let me know if you would like to see a detailed synopsis or the manuscript. In the meantime, thank you for taking the time to read my query.
Sincerely yours,
Mel Gough
First 250 words from Chapter 1 (thereâs a Prologue before this)
âWhat have we got, Lou?â
Ben stepped up to the reception desk at Corinth Police Department and glanced at a handcuffed man on the bench off to one side by the clerkâs station. The man was staring down at the scuffed linoleum floor, and Ben was looking at the top of a head of strawberry blond, disheveled hair. One of the manâs knees was jiggling nervously, and Ben could see his jaw working as he bit the inside of his mouth repeatedly.
âGuy was driving the vehicle involved in that hit and run yesterday,â Lou the desk clerk said, pointing unnecessarily at the man on the bench. âBrowne and OâDonnell brought him in. Theyâre in with the boss right now.â Lou nodded towards the captainâs office. Ben glanced around and saw his partner Jason Browne striding towards them.
âHow was court, brother?â Jason sounded cheerful, but his eyes were cold. That was never a good combination. Ben frowned, then shrugged.
âAs expected.â
âYou missed all the excitement.â Jason indicated the man on the narrow bench who was still staring at the floor. âSaunders here knows some pretty colorful language, and he wasnât none too happy to accompany us, neither.â
âHence the handcuffs,â Ben said drily, and it wasnât a question. Jason answered it with a smirk anyway.
âWasnât me that hit that kid,â the man Jason had called Saunders muttered. âTold ya I wasnât in town.â