Guess the Plot
Secrets Behind Closed Doors
1. Charlene discovers the hard way that secrets behind open doors are much harder to keep than secrets behind closed doors. Now she keeps her door closed when her little sister is in the house.
2. The house Tania inherited has many doors. Yet the sounds she hears at night don't seem to emanate from behind any of them.
3. Conman Ferdle Ferdleson kickstarted a company to insure life-changing, politically liable, world-fate-type secrets. But after his trailer house is bombed and his payrolled employee (a dachshund) murdered, he must rely on blackmail/extortion schemes to find the culprit before he ends up in a grave under a pile of first-world governments.
4. Kidnapped by her fiancé, Angela escapes, only to find her husband has been convicted of her murder. Will anyone believe her when she tells them she's alive?
5. It's been said, "No one knows what goes on behind closed doors." But Charlie knows what goes on behind Evelyn's door, because he installed hidden cameras and microphones in her place while he was fixing her cable.
Original Version
Dear So and So,
I am seeking representation for Secrets Behind Closed Doors, a 75,000-word psychological suspense novel and the first in a completed two-book series. This emotionally charged story follows Angela, a woman haunted by childhood trauma who escapes an abusive fiancé only to uncover a conspiracy that ties her present-day nightmare to her family’s long-buried murder. You don't need that; you say it all again in the next paragraph, with more specificity
On her fifth birthday, Angela’s world was shattered by the brutal murder of her parents and brother. Sixteen years later, trapped in an engagement with a controlling and manipulative fiancé, she yearns for an escape from a life of suffocation. When a chance rekindling of affection with her childhood friend AJ ignites a forbidden love, Angela is forced to confront a devastating ultimatum: remain ensnared in a familiar lie or [decides] to risk everything for an uncertain future.] <new paragraph> That fateful decision triggers a relentless chain of peril. Angela narrowly escapes a kidnapping attempt and finds refuge in AJ’s protective embrace, leading the two to marry in secret. Their fragile hope is then shattered when a violent confrontation with her fiancé Tom and his accomplice, Jessica, results in Angela’s abduction and captivity. After a harrowing struggle, she makes a breathtaking escape—only to learn that AJ has been wrongfully convicted for [of] her murder. [Without a body? Do they have a weapon? A motive? How long was she being held captive?] Determined to uncover the truth, Angela embarks on a dangerous quest that exposes a far-reaching conspiracy intertwining her personal torment with the long-buried secrets of her family’s tragic past.
Secrets Behind Closed Doors and its sequel offer a layered, emotionally charged narrative about survival, injustice, and the strength it takes to rebuild not only a life, but one’s very identity. Readers who love the intricate suspense of Lisa Jewell, the uncompromising intensity of Karin Slaughter, and the evocative depth of Celeste Ng will find Angela’s journey as captivating as it is unforgettable.
I have long been passionate about blending steamy romance with gripping murder mysteries, crafting stories that crackle with both heart and danger. My love for storytelling was kindled in childhood and refined through countless creative writing classes in college. I revel in exploring the tension between love and loss, secrets and truth—with a dash of the supernatural—to create tales that keep readers awake at night, stirred by both passion and fear.
I would be honored to send you the complete manuscript of Secrets Behind Closed Doors along with an outline of the duology. Thank you very much for your time and consideration.
Thank you,
Notes
Are the police in on this conspiracy? It seems to me if she goes to them and says, Hey, morons, I'm alive, they might embark on a quest to expose the conspiracy.
It would take a lot of time and evidence to convict someone of murder, even if they were guilty. You need to tell us how much time elapsed between her abduction and AJ's conviction. Otherwise it seems like it was a few days.
How many of the adjectives in the following list are needed in front of their nouns?
brutal murder; controlling and manipulative fiancé; fateful decision; protective embrace; fragile hope; violent confrontation; harrowing struggle; breathtaking escape; dangerous quest; far-reaching conspiracy; layered, emotionally charged narrative; intricate suspense; uncompromising intensity; evocative depth
You don't want to give the impression your novel has a heavy concentration of adjectives and adverbs. They might think you're addicted to your thesaurus or AI.
