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Guess the Plot

Whirlwind Harvest

1. Researching a method to harness energy from tornados, hurricanes, and cyclones, a reckless young scientist is blown away by what he finds.

2. James Doolin has discovered how to capture tornados and harness their tremendous power. As he struggles to find a good use for this power, Greenpeace has a more sinister idea.

3. Stan Huber can't understand why FEMA vetoed further farm subsidy payments for his tornado farm--so he's sending some free samples off to Washington...unless a lowly government meteorologist with unusual powers can call up a cold front in a hurry.

4. When Amanda Gudmundssen inherits the family farm in Mississippi, she is determined to make a living where her father failed. Betting everything on a high risk cotton contract, she must bring in the crop before an approaching hurricane destroys it.

5. A soldier, a diplomat and a mechanic team up to end an interdimensional war between galactic empires. Impossible? Not for these resourceful babes.

6. Billions of crickets, locusts and giant mealworms fight an epic battle for survival in the heartland, their larvae and immortality hanging in the balance.


Original Version

Dear Big Name Agent;

I am seeking representation for my completed 100,000-word novel entitled Whirlwind Harvest. The genre is science fiction, with a dash of fantasy thrown in just to keep things interesting.

Barbara Gantry is an ambassador for the Terran Empire. When an interdimensional portal brings the empire into contact with a set of alternate worlds, diplomacy becomes the order of the day--at least at first. Then they inexplicably declare war on the Path. [Earthlings always choose war over diplomacy. Evil Editor blames it on fast food.] The six-armed Pathchildren are the most technologically advanced of the new worlds, and attacking them may not be the brightest idea her planet has ever had. But the situation doesn't get really complicated until she visits Gaia and meets her Atlantian doppelganger. [Her what?]

Stardancer is a Pathchild mechanic living at the interdimensional crossroads created by the empire. [Also known as Deep Space Nine.] Not quite an outcast from her anarchistic people, the last living descendant of the ancient and despised royal family is not quite accepted either. When the war begins, her fear is not that the Path will be defeated, but that the tactics they use to win may destroy everything they stand for. [Actually, everything they stood for was pretty much destroyed when they killed off the royal family.] After a Gaian secret agent offers her an alternative, she realizes that the Atlantians themselves may have manipulated Terra into declaring war for exactly that reason. [The people of Earth will never stand for renaming the planet after the plantation in Gone with the Wind.]

Denise Cooper is an army grunt with an unhealthy tendency to talk to the people she's supposed to be fighting. [She's the equivalent of trash-talkers in basketball.] When her squad is taken prisoner on the Path, she uses that talent to convince one of their captors to help them escape. [The Path: most gullible race in the eighth dimension.] However, as they travel across the planet, she remembers why getting to know the enemy can be dangerous. When her people take him prisoner in turn, she has to decide between her duty to the empire, and her responsibility to the man who risked everything to save her life.

Chaos Dancing follows these three women's stories separately as they try to survive the war, and then brings them together as they try to end it. [Evil Editor is aware that ballroom dancing can bring people together. He's not even sure what chaos dancing is.] [Actually, maybe it should be the title. I haven't figured out why it's called Whirlwind Harvest, and Chaos Dancing is a little catchier. Let's vote on whether to make it Chaos Dancing.] [It's a good idea, by the way, when sending off a query letter, to have settled on one title for your book.]

I have one short story in press at Analog. This is my first novel. Although it could be a stand-alone, I am hard at work on a sequel and have ideas for several other books set in the same universe. I have enclosed an SASE for your reply, and will happily send a partial or full upon request. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,


Revised Version

Dear Big Name Agent,

I am seeking representation for my completed 100,000-word science fiction novel entitled Chaos Harvest.

Barbara Gantry is an ambassador for the Terran Empire. When an interdimensional portal brings the Empire into contact with a set of alternate worlds--Atlantia, Gaia and Path--diplomacy should be the order of the day. But without warning, the Terrans declare war on the Path. The six-armed Pathchildren are the most technologically advanced race of the new worlds, and attacking them may not be the brightest idea.

Stardancer is a Pathchild mechanic living at the interdimensional crossroads created by the Empire. When the war begins, she has no fear that the Path will be defeated. She does worry that the tactics they use to win may destroy everything they stand for, and that the Atlantians may have manipulated Terra into declaring war for exactly that reason.

Denise Cooper is an army grunt with a remarkable gift for persuasion. When her squad is taken prisoner by the Path, she uses her talent to convince one of their captors to help them escape. However, when her people later capture their liberator, she must decide between her duty to the Empire, and her gratitude to the man who risked everything to save her life.

Whirlwind Dancing follows these three women's stories separately as they try to survive the war, and then brings them together as they try to end it.

I have a short story currently in press at Analog. Although Dancing Harvest could be a stand-alone, I am hard at work on a sequel (Whirlwind Chaos) and have ideas for several other books set in the same universe (Dancing Chaos, Whirlwind Harvest -1, the Pre-prequel, etc.). I have enclosed an SASE for your reply, and will happily send a partial or full upon request. Thank you for your time and consideration.


Notes

The format was fine; it seemed a bit unclear here and there, however.