Joan - MG Horror
Rep: Larissa Melo-Pienkowski at Jill Grinberg Literary Management
Joan’s first query was actually written before the book itself, so in addition to being a look at Joan’s early query, it’s a look at an early version of her book.
Query Draft 1:
When the Timeless Witches bestowed a death curse upon the Grimsbane men and
their male descendants, the Grimsbane women decided to hunt the witches and break
the curse.
That was four hundred years ago.
The curse still isn’t broken.
Because you represent ____, I think my manuscript would be a great fit for your list. My
spooky upper middle grade horror THE END OF THE GRIMSBANE FAMILY WITCH
HUNTERS (48,000 words) combines the familial elements of Love, Sugar, Magic with
the American folklore-inspired fear of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. I believe it will
appeal to fans of Ghost Squad, The Jumbies, and Spirit Hunters.
Part-time skater, full-time troublemaker Pepper Grimsbane may only be eleven, but she
knows she’d be the best witch hunter ever if her family would give her a chance.
Unfortunately, she’s the only one who thinks this way, which means she’s stuck fetching
coffee and vacuuming the family funeral home until she’s in high school.
This changes when Pepper’s accident-prone, hopelessly nerdy, and cursed older
brother embarks on an unsanctioned solo hunt on Halloween night. Pepper knows he’s
going after the witches, so she does what any good little sister would do. She gathers
her eclectic friends, steals her family’s guide to witch hunting, and ventures into the
witches’ forest to find her brother before they do.
Soon, Pepper discovers the witches aren’t the only spooks with a vendetta against the
Grimsbanes. The forest is crawling with cryptids, all of whom want to see Pepper’s head
roasting on a spit. As Pepper’s lack of knowledge and experience starts to show, she
realizes her brother isn’t the only one risking a bloody demise.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Query Draft 2 (Final)
Dear Larissa,
When the Bell Witch cursed the Grimsbane men with untimely, unusual deaths, the Grimsbane
women decided to hunt the witch and break the curse.
That was four hundred years ago.
The curse still isn’t broken.
Part-time skater, full-time troublemaker Anna Grimsbane may only be eleven, but she knows
she’d be the best witch hunter ever if her family would give her a chance. Unfortunately, they
disagree, which means she’s stuck fetching coffee and vacuuming the family funeral home until
she’s in high school.
This changes when Anna’s nerdy, accident-prone, and extremely cursed older brother runs away
on Halloween night. When Anna realizes he’s trying to hunt the Bell Witch, she does what any
good sister would do. She gathers her eclectic friends, steals her family’s guide to witch hunting,
and ventures into the haunted forest to find him before the witch does.
Soon, Anna discovers the Bell Witch isn’t the only spook with a vendetta against the
Grimsbanes. The forest is crawling with cryptids, all of whom want to see Anna’s head roasting
on a spit. As her lack of experience starts to show, Anna realizes her brother isn’t the only
Grimsbane risking a bloody demise.
Because you’re on the lookout for haunting, multi-generational middle grade narratives, I think
my manuscript would be a great fit for your list. THE GRIMSBANE FAMILY WITCH
HUNTERS (47,000 words) is a spooky middle grade fantasy that fuses the friendship and
adventure of Stranger Things with the American-folklore-inspired fear of Scary Stories to Tell in
the Dark. I believe it will appeal to fans of Ghost Squad, Whispering Pines, and Scritch Scratch.
I am a graduate student and amateur cryptozoologist from northeast Ohio. While earning my
undergraduate degree, I had the opportunity to study witch and monster folklore and what that
folklore tells us about our own history. This is reflected in my manuscript.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Best,
Joan Reardon