Query Letter

To whom it may concern:

Anonymous, lost to history, nameless, this is what Adelaide Schumacher should have been. Medieval girls do not make legends. If they are lucky to live long enough, they make babies.

My name is Andrea Cefalo, and I am the author The Fairytale Keeper series. I’m an up and coming young adult historical fiction novelist looking for a young adult, historical fiction, or women’s fiction stamp. The Fairytale Keeper is the first novel in a series of five. The second novel is seventy-five percent finished, and I estimate it will go into editing around the first of March.

The Fairytale Keeper is the first novel in The Fairytale Keeper series. A literal who’s who of Grimm fairytale characters set in thirteenth century Cologne. 1247 was a hard year for most in Cologne, but for none more than Adelaide Schumacher. Adelaide’s mother, Katrina was the finest storyteller in all of Airsbach, a borough in the great city of Cologne, but she left one story untold, that of her daughter, that of Snow White. Snow White was a pet name Adelaide’s mother had given her. It was a name Adelaide hated, until now. Now, she would give anything to hear her mother say it once more.

A rampant fever claimed Adelaide’s mother just like a thousand others in Cologne where the people die without last rites and the dead are dumped in a vast pit outside the city walls. In an effort to save Katrina’s soul, Adelaide’s father obtains a secret funeral for his wife by bribing the parish priest, Father Soren.

Soren commits an unforgivable atrocity, pushing Adelaide toward vengeance. When Adelaide realizes that the corruption in Cologne reaches far beyond Soren, the cost of settling scores quickly escalates. Avenging the mother she lost may cost Adelaide everything she has left: her father, her friends, her first love, and maybe even her life.

Seamlessly weaving historical events and Grimm’s fairytales into a tale of corruption and devotion, The Fairytale Keeper, leaves the reader wondering where fact ends, and fiction begins. The novel paints Medieval Cologne accurately and vividly. Historical maps, doctoral theses, and biographies of a key player of the time period were used to vividly recreate 13th century Cologne so the reader could see, smell, and taste the beauty and horrors within its walls. The story develops a set of dynamic characters, casting the famous villains, heroes, and damsels of Grimm’s fairy tales into believable medieval lives. Though historically set, The Fairytale Keeper brims with timeless themes of love, loyalty, and the struggle for justice.

I appreciate your time in considering my query. If you have any questions or need additional information, do not hesitate to contact me. I can be reached via email at [e-mail]. Also, feel free to visit me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Goodreads, and on my official website. The links of posted below. Again, thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
Andrea Cefalo

http://www.facebook.com/andreacefalo
http://www.twitter.com/AndreaCefalo
http://pinterest.com/andeacefalo/
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13603568-the-fairytale-keeper
http://www.andreacefalo.com