The Saturday Slash

Don't be afraid to ask for help with the most critical first step of your writing journey - the query.

I’ve been blogging since 2011 and have critiqued over 200 queries here on the blog using my Hatchet of Death. This is how I edit myself, it is how I edit others. If you think you want to play with me and my hatchet, shoot me an email.

If the Saturday Slash has been helpful to you in the past, or if you’d like for me to take a look at your query please consider making a donation, if you are able.

If you’re ready to take the next step, I also offer editing services.

Kilroy’s a rowdy junkie living out of his car and Mary’s a stoic widow with a sword. A literal one? It's not mentioned again so I'm confused on this point. They were never designed to like each other. I think you can kill the line before this. After finding Mary’s husband overdosed in an alley, Kilroy’s life becomes violently chaotic as they both end up searching for the same dealer: the Funnyman. Kilroy’s looking for his next fix while Mary’s more interested in revenge. The pair can’t seem to avoid each other, despite their mutual contempt. Are they teamed up, or just running into each other occasionally?

After Mary kills the Funnyman’s goons, he mistakenly blames Kilroy and holds him prisoner in an asylum. When Mary discovers Kilroy’s been accused and tortured for her crimes, she feels guilty and tries rescuing him. Despite rescuing Kilroy and bonding over similar goals, Mary realizes the Funnyman’s fled. He might’ve been able to elude them when divided, but the dealer’s never experienced their combined wrath. Piling into Kilroy’s car, the pair drives out to confront the Funnyman one last time. Drives out to where? Right now this is reading like a synopsis, not a query.

Kilroy doesn’t realize Mary enjoys the killing, but Mary has no idea Kilroy’s still just looking for another fix. So they are deceiving each other, to some extent. They hope their lies can survive till this one job’s over. Why? How important is it that they like each other, when they have a shared goal? But the Funnyman’s too clever; he sees both of their inner desires, and he’s just itching to expose them at the worst possible moment.

NEON (112,000 words) is an offbeat cyberpunk story set in a futuristic version of the 1990s. Mary and Kilroy might hate each other, but they’ll have to work together to stand a chance at finding the Funnyman.

You wander too far into synopsizing in the second para. The agent doesn't need the details in the query, just the feel - which you do have, mostly. Biggest question for me is, to what extent does this relationship go? Are they the "odd duo" that ends up together? Is there an attraction? Or is this just "lets put up with each other for now, then we're quits." That needs clarified.

Also, how important is it that they get along? It sounds like the Funnyman is going to reveal their weaknesses, each to the other, but why does that matter? If they really don't like each other, how is that a threat? Lastly, (and this may seem simplistic) but why can't Kilroy just get his next fix somewhere else? Surely the Funnyman isn't the only dealer around.

And - why is he called the Funnyman? It's an odd moniker for a drug dealer. Is he a practical joker? Flesh him out a little bit more and get the relationship between Kilroy and Mary clarified a bit more, since it's the meat of the story.

Win An ARC of My Dark Vanessa by Karen Elizabeth Russell!

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY’S BREAKOUT AUTHOR TO WATCH IN 2020

“Brilliant and stunning . . . an absolute must read.” – GILLIAN FLYNN

“A well-constructed package of dynamite.” – STEPHEN KING

A most anticipated book by USA Today • Entertainment Weekly • Marie Claire • Bustle • Newsweek • New York Post • Esquire •  Real Simple • Sunday Times

Exploring the psychological dynamics of the relationship between a precocious yet naïve teenage girl and her magnetic and manipulative teacher, a brilliant, all-consuming read that marks the explosive debut of an extraordinary new writer.

2000. Bright, ambitious, and yearning for adulthood, fifteen-year-old Vanessa Wye becomes entangled in an affair with Jacob Strane, her magnetic and guileful forty-two-year-old English teacher.

2017. Amid the rising wave of allegations against powerful men, a reckoning is coming due. Strane has been accused of sexual abuse by a former student, who reaches out to Vanessa, and now Vanessa suddenly finds herself facing an impossible choice: remain silent, firm in the belief that her teenage self willingly engaged in this relationship, or redefine herself and the events of her past. But how can Vanessa reject her first love, the man who fundamentally transformed her and has been a persistent presence in her life? Is it possible that the man she loved as a teenager—and who professed to worship only her—may be far different from what she has always believed?

Alternating between Vanessa’s present and her past, My Dark Vanessa juxtaposes memory and trauma with the breathless excitement of a teenage girl discovering the power her own body can wield. Thought-provoking and impossible to put down, this is a masterful portrayal of troubled adolescence and its repercussions that raises vital questions about agency, consent, complicity, and victimhood. Written with the haunting intimacy of The Girls and the creeping intensity of Room, My Dark Vanessa is an era-defining novel that brilliantly captures and reflects the shifting cultural mores transforming our relationships and society itself.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Parker Peevyhouse On Sharing Your Aesthetic With Your Cover Designer

I love talking to authors. Our experiences are so similar, yet so very different, that every one of us has a new story to share. Everyone says that the moment you get your cover it really hits you – you’re an author. The cover is your story – and you – packaged for the world. So the process of the cover reveal can be slightly panic inducing. Does it fit your story? Is it what you hoped? Will it sell? With this in mind I put together the CRAP (Cover Reveal Anxiety Phase) Interview.

Today’s guest fro the CRAP is Parker Peevyhouse, whose most recent novel, The Echo Room (Tor Teen 2018), is a science fiction thriller for young adults which Kirkus called "a thrilling ride" in a starred review. Her next novel, Strange Exit, will be available from Tor Teen in January 2020.

Did you have any pre-conceived notions about what you wanted your cover to look like?

When my editor asked me for my initial ideas, I had just one vague thought: it’d be cool if my cover followed the style I’d seen in several recent covers that look like they’re covered in intricate metalwork. Since doors play a big part in my book, I thought we might end up with a metal door on the cover.

In fact, when we were trying to figure out a title, my editor told me Tor Teen was looking for one that would fit with a cover that might feature a door—which is why we settled on Strange Exit for a title! It was a bit of a chicken-egg situation.

How far in advance from your pub date did you start talking covers with your house?

Before I’d even finished writing the book, my editor asked me for initial cover ideas. Strange Exit was the second in a two-book deal, so the process stared pretty quickly. Even so, that initial discussion took place in June 2018, and we didn’t land on a final cover until September 2019. It’s just such a tricky book to convey in a single image, but I think the final design does a great job of encapsulating so many elements.

Did you have any input on your cover?

After Tor settled on the image of a door for a cover, they moved on to the idea of focusing on just an intricate lock instead. They showed me some drafts with some really cool lock plates that I loved, but ultimately I thought that the lock plates gave the impression that the book would be a Victorian fantasy, and I think Tor agreed because we went back to the idea of a door.

The designer (Lesley Worrell) tried a lot of really great door images, but I mentioned that I didn’t think they quite evoked the tone of the novel. I shared an image from a “book aesthetic” I had posted on Instagram —and the designer ended up using the very image I sent along! So in the end, I did give some input, and Tor really took it into consideration.

How was your cover revealed to you?

I think I saw something like a dozen different drafts. When the final image came through, I felt like the designer had really tied together a lot of elements to give a stellar visual impression of the story. She added a sunlit landscape that shows through the doorway on the cover—I get so many compliments on those striking colors! She also added some pixilation to hint toward the genre of the story and the idea that the characters are in a simulation.

Was there an official "cover reveal" date for your art?

Tor Teen let me reveal the cover on my social media, which was a lot of fun. We ended up doing excerpt reveals on The Nerd Daily and on the Tor Teen Blog, but the cover went out first to my social media followers.

How far in advance of the reveal date were you aware of what your cover would look like?

The cover design was a long process, so we revealed it almost immediately after it was finalized.

What surprised you most about the process?

I wish I had shared my book aesthetic earlier. I didn’t want to disrupt the designer’s process, but it surprised me to find that she felt it was a great fit for the cover. In the future, I’ll probably be quicker to share any images I think might be helpful, even if all that does is provide some talking points for everyone.

Any advice to other debut authors about how to handle cover art anxiety?

I’ve made swag with images different from my cover—magnets and character cards and quote graphics. Your cover is only one visual representation of your novel. Swag gives you other opportunities for you to have more creative control over promoting your novel. So if you have a strong vision for your cover and your publisher goes in a different direction, use that vision for creating some cool marketing items.