Success Story

Dear Mr. Evil,

It seems you are my good luck charm. Thanks to you and the minions, another of my novels is on its way to publication. Champagne Books recently accepted my hockey romance, Bad Ice. (Face-Lift 23) Yes, I know you didn't like the title, but I tried the query with the alternate title for a while and then went back to the original. Thanks for the encouragement and advice! Now, I must get back to finishing that darn Basque story.

All The Best,

Chumplet aka Sandra Cormier

p.s.
In case you're interested, this is the final query I went with:

Christina Mackey loves everything about hockey. Except the players.
Left alone and pregnant by an aspiring pro, she vows it'll take more
than a few muscles to change her view on jocks and their exploits.

During a rare visit to a game, she inadvertently foils a murder attempt
by a man who smuggles a gun into the arena. When star winger Jason
Peterson discovers that he was the target, he visits her to thank her.
They strike up a friendship that quickly develops into attraction.

Christina's six-year-old daughter Mishayla immediately accepts him,
prompting Christina to let her heart take the lead, albeit with
caution. She figures he'll soon come to his senses and move on.
Surprisingly, he doesn't. Maybe he's normal after all.

Jason is tired of the dating scene. He'd entertained a succession of
beautiful women since his rookie year, but none were a substitute for
his first relationship, which had ended in tragedy. Christina's gentle
spirit reawakens him, and Mishayla reminds him of the child he could
have had.

Shiela Duffy, Jason's ex-girlfriend, refuses to let him go. He had
ended their tumultuous relationship when she admitted she was involved
with the man who later tried to shoot him.

Her devotion to drugs and alcohol are second only to her obsession with
Jason and his lifestyle. She uses lies, threats and manipulation in
trying to get him back, but with no success. Aware that he is seeing
someone else, she drives herself between them, recklessly putting
Christina and her daughter in peril.

BAD ICE is a contemporary romance set against a hockey background.
Using MS Word count, the manuscript is 75,000 words.