Today I sat down with Krystal Elkhoury to critique her query letter for THE NECROMANCER’S WIFE, a 110,000-word adult low fantasy. You can find the original query letter reproduced below.

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Krystal’s Query Letter:

Dear [Agent],

I’m excited to share THE NECROMANCER’S WIFE, a 110,000-word adult low fantasy. This novel is melting pot of necromancy and sapphic romance in the vein of Nicki Pau Preto’s Bonesmith, the alchemy, magic systems, and government conspiracies evocative of Hiromu Arakawa’s Fullmetal Alchemist, alongside the search for a missing person behind enemy lines from Saving Private Ryan.

Retired necromancer Layla Noor is living in suburban comfort when she learns that famed alchemist, Sabah Samar, was captured by the enemy to be coerced into making biochemical weapons to win the devastating war between Galum and the Allied Forces. Falsifying military documents, Layla joins the strike team tasked with extracting the alchemist at any cost—even if it means retrieving a dead body.

The only problem? The alchemist is her wife.

Dodging danger, detainment, and death while traveling across volatile war zones, Layla must balance keeping secrets from the team she’s growing close with and uncover why the allied governments are willing to sacrifice mancers and alchemists like her wife to turn the tide of the war.

It’s a race against time and imperative that Layla find her wife—alive. While necromancers can raise the dead, they cannot bring back the person that once inhabited the corpse. Layla knows well that every form of magic comes with a cost, and she’s willing to pay the price to ensure her wife survives—even if every corpse she reanimates for information and survival shortens her own life.

As a bisexual Lebanese-American, it’s long been my dream to publish stories for and about readers like me. I’ve been writing for almost 20 years in half a dozen different countries around the world. I enjoy blogging about various fandoms online and am the co-creator of the pitch event #MENApit and cohost of #PosterPit. Currently, I’m a professor of English composition, literature, creative writing, and poetry. Off campus, I enjoy working on puzzles, paintings, and keeping my hands busy when they’re not typing.

The full manuscript is available upon request. I appreciate your consideration!

Very best,

Krystal Elkhoury

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