[QCRIT] THE ANATHEMA, Horror/Speculative Fiction (63k) Attempt #2

Hi all! I am a totally amateur writer, and this is my first novel. I just started querying about 1.5 months ago and don’t really know what I’m doing. Somehow I got a partial request, but all other responses were rejections, so I want to take a break to seek feedback on my letter before I start querying again. Please give me your honest opinion.

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Hello,

Your impressive representation roster, including horror titles such as [agent personalization], would find a fitting and natural addition in my horror/speculative fiction novel.

A threat has arrived in Sandhaven. It’s more than the real estate developer eager to gentrify the quiet shore town, or the affluent new neighbors ready to reshape its identity. Amid the deteriorating relations between the transplants and locals, Ingersoll “Soll” Casey sees an opportunity to unite his divided town, and to mend the fractured relationship with his brother—paralyzed in an accident Soll caused.

But as he attempts to make things right, Soll discovers Sandhaven, and everyone in it, may soon face a horror far darker than they could ever imagine. An ominous presence has taken root, inflaming the unrest and festering the wounds of contention. With divisions deepening and violence threatening to erupt, Soll learns that Sandhaven unwittingly sits at the threshold of another dimension, where a monstrous entity hungers to cross over.

THE ANATHEMA is a 62,700-word adult speculative fiction novel. It blends psychological horror, cosmic dread, and dark fantasy, which would appeal to readers of Victor Lavalle's The Ballad of Black Tom, P. Djèlí Clark's Ring Shout, and The Edge of Sleep by Jake Emanuel and Willie Block with Jason Gurley.

[bio]

THE ANATHEMA is a standalone novel but has series potential, which I have begun developing. A full manuscript is available upon request. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Kind regards,