tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post3610025879412854170..comments2024-03-18T13:32:44.865-04:00Comments on Evil Editor: Face-Lift 881Evil Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03879826770199639420noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-85291792008832574742011-03-23T20:29:32.652-04:002011-03-23T20:29:32.652-04:00I think you're leading with what should be the...I think you're leading with what should be the end of your query.<br /><br />You don't want the fact that Nez was a real person to feel like an excuse for your story seeming dull or confusing. You need to make Nez and his story seem as clear and compelling as any work of fiction. Then you can hit your query readers with the added bonus that your story is based on the life of a real historical figure. Because that's what it should be: an added bonus, not the main selling point of your story.Ink and Pixel Clubhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00023898860226517591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-6650773470770019262011-03-22T19:56:00.442-04:002011-03-22T19:56:00.442-04:00Logic niggle: if the father loses the throne by dy...Logic niggle: if the father loses the throne by dying in a surprise assassination, how can he give a last command to take it back?<br /><br />If you follow everyone's advice, you'll get something like this. Lots of room to beef up Nez's character and his personal stakes:<br /><br />Nezahualcoyotl, poet-prince of Texcoco, hides up a tree and watches as his father is assassinated by so-called allies. Nez wants the throne back, but first he'll have to transform himself into a statesman and warrior, and that's not straightforward. In exile, the young prince poses as a gambler and playboy, cover for his secret campaign to unite a handful of city-states against Texcoco's new tyrant Maxtla. But his real goal? Personally cutting Maxtla's heart out on the sacrificial altar.<br /><br />Hungry Coyote's Gambit is a 157,000 word historical novel based on actual events in Mexican history. Thank you for your time,Aikanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-24416268736248062282011-03-22T14:14:37.662-04:002011-03-22T14:14:37.662-04:00The story sounds terrific. The query, less so.
Na...The story sounds terrific. The query, less so.<br /><br />Nahuatl will be a stumbling block for some and an attraction for others, especially the people who are interested in Aztec history. Nahuatl names are difficult at first but do eventually become familiar, although whether an agent or publisher will be that patient is anyone's guess.Khazar-khumnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-43579698309001210652011-03-22T13:33:51.885-04:002011-03-22T13:33:51.885-04:00In agreement with what's here. Cool that you&#...In agreement with what's here. Cool that you've found a nugget of history not widely known. Clean it up a bit and I agree with Alaska, the reason people will want to read the book is the character and the story, not that it's a real story.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-20809658361971261412011-03-22T13:15:39.401-04:002011-03-22T13:15:39.401-04:00One of Coyote Who Fasts Poems
I love the song of ...One of Coyote Who Fasts Poems<br /><br />I love the song of the mockingbird, <br />Bird of four hundred voices,<br />I love the color of the jadestone <br />And the enrapturing scent of flowers,<br />But more than all I love my brother: man.<br /><br />Look on the 100 peso bill, small printWilkins MacQueenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05601091849024992561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-75661107563037334862011-03-22T12:51:16.889-04:002011-03-22T12:51:16.889-04:00"...assinated by so-called allies."
Et ..."...assinated by so-called allies."<br /><br />Et Tu, Quetzalcoatl?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-72398411596117708952011-03-22T12:29:12.272-04:002011-03-22T12:29:12.272-04:00When the Spanish landed and effectively tossed tho...When the Spanish landed and effectively tossed thousands of years of pre-Columbian civilization out the door, neither side thought the other was human. The Pope cleared that up in the 1500's and declared the native folk human. He kind of had to after forcing conversion for decades and decades.<br /><br />Coyote Who Fasts very likely could have been declared the only "human" when the aboriginal folk were considered not human until the Papal authority sorted it.<br /><br />Need to put it in context.Wilkins MacQueenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05601091849024992561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-26706462125386944812011-03-22T12:00:37.068-04:002011-03-22T12:00:37.068-04:00The only human? Seriously?The only human? Seriously?nonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00415222406280230021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-89448904825157103592011-03-22T11:43:23.274-04:002011-03-22T11:43:23.274-04:00That has to be some ms. I was carried along on you...That has to be some ms. I was carried along on your enthusiasm for Nezahualcoyotl (1402 - 1472).<br />Maybe work a date into the query to anchor it. You can call him by many names "Coyote Who Fasts" or "Coyote in Fast" to suggest alternates.<br /><br />Do what Evil suggests. Historical biography? I would read this! Iron out the problems, you have a few as pointed out, and all the best. <br /><br />I'm not really helpful, but I found a charming or sparkling element in your presentation.Wilkins MacQueenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05601091849024992561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-44152973845974762372011-03-22T11:32:38.399-04:002011-03-22T11:32:38.399-04:00The only human? ^_^ Well, I guess if your intended...The only human? ^_^ Well, I guess if your intended audience is all fifteenth-century Europeans...150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-15581948364600455372011-03-22T11:16:08.634-04:002011-03-22T11:16:08.634-04:00All right, I'm a total history buff and I neve...All right, I'm a total history buff and I never heard of this guy, so that's good. Uncovering an untouched bit of history for your historical novel is great.<br /><br />However, you still have to sell the <i>story</i>. This query reads as if major selling points are that the character was a real person, the events really happened, and they can show us something about our own day. None of that is a selling point. It may be true, but it's not a selling point. <br /><br />I've sold some historical fiction. What you want to do is describe the character and make him interesting, just as you would in a query for any other kind of fiction, and then at the end mention that it's based on a true story or actual events or whatever-- briefly.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com