Kimberly Bea (YA Fantasy)

Author: Kimberly Bea (@KimBea)

Age Range: Young Adult

Genre: Contemporary Fantasy

Agent: Zabe Ellor, Jennifer De Chiara Literary

The Query Letter:

Dear M–:

You recently liked my Pitmad pitch, which read, “Her family waited 3000 years for another oracle, but island exile & a vow of chastity don’t mesh with Claire’s college plans. When her prediction saves a man’s life, she must choose: lose her freedom or betray her family by letting an imposter take her place. #YA #Con #F”

In her daily life of first crushes, overachieving, and hanging with her best friend, sixteen-year-old Claire Dorian is too busy to worry about some nebulous psychic gift. That is, until she makes a prophecy during her own poetry reading and must face the possibility she is her family’s long-awaited oracle, destined to serve the goddess Metis for the rest of her life. Since the job comes with an oath of chastity and exile on a Greek island with no bookstores and spotty WIFI at best, it’s a fate Claire would just as soon avoid.

At first, Claire sets out to remove her eligibility to be oracle, starting a new relationship and taking baby steps into the world of virginity-losing behavior, though not enough to risk her reputation or GPA. When that fails, she hides her prophetic ability until her family’s annual pilgrimage to Mantis.

On Mantis, Claire discovers her cousin Alexa falsely claiming to be oracle. If Claire goes along with this deception, she can return to California--her friends, classes, and new boyfriend--with no one the wiser. Then she makes a prophecy that saves her favorite cousin’s life. Maybe throwing her support behind a false prophet isn’t the wisest move. Claire will have to decide between losing her freedom and betraying her family and the goddess they’ve served since before Homer.

SIX EASY STEPS TO BECOMING AN ORACLE is a 77,000-word YA Contemporary Fantasy that will appeal to fans of Rebecca Sky’s Arrowheart and “That’s So Raven.” It is a stand-alone with series potential.

A member of SCBWI, I was chosen for Round 4 of the YA Author Mentor Match and SIX EASY STEPS TO BECOMING AN ORACLE has undergone substantial revisions under mentor guidance.  I have graduate and undergraduate degrees in history, with a specialization in Classical Greece and Rome.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Kimberly D. Bea