Dear Secret Agent,
The stars and signs don’t lie, but sometimes the diviner reading them does.
On the surface, life is pretty normal for sixteen year-old Mossy Burke. She goes to a regular high school, she’d love to make varsity cross-country and have a boyfriend--if she could get her parents to lift their ban on dating, imposed after Mossy’s epic indiscretion. But Mossy’s home life is far from normal. Her family belongs to an ancient Druid clan. They work with the elements, and wield secret knowledge, which is memorized and safeguarded by a few select members.
When Mossy finds a wren’s skeleton during her coming-of-age ritual, the clan’s diviner proclaims Mossy’s path in life is to memorize all the Druid’s secret knowledge. Mossy fears she isn’t smart enough, but accepts the task to regain her parents’ respect. Soon a crush-worthy shape-shifter and a nightmarish kayak trip make Mossy question why anyone would entrust her with secrets capable of tipping the balance of all realms: mortal, immortal and fey.
Too late, Mossy discovers she’s been set up. The very knowledge she is responsible for protecting has been stolen from her while she slept, and is about to be used to destroy her family and clan. To save them she has to act now, she must push aside her fear of failing, risk the respect she craves. And confront a powerful diviner who knows Mossy’s weaknesses and the true meaning behind finding a wren skeleton.
SECRET KNOWLEDGE is unique to the market because Druids haven’t been prominently used in contemporary YA novels. At the same time, Druids are popular in computer games and therefore are a culture and mythos which many of teens are familiar with.
I am seeking representation for my 65,000-word YA contemporary fantasy, SECRET KNOWLEDGE and future works.
I am a member of SFWA and SCBWI. I have had short stories appear in a number of magazines, including Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show, The Mythopoeic Society’s Mythic Circle, and also George Scither’s Cat Tales anthology (Wildside Press).
Thank you for your time and consideration.
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Mossy blew out a breath and pushed herself from a jog to a sprint. If she didn’t stop worrying and start focusing on her running, she’d never make the varsity team. But how could she not think about it? Tonight she’d recite the words, take the candle and go into the forest alone. Tonight everything would change.
A pair of varsity runners passed Mossy on her left. She willed her legs to move faster, but her muscles tightened and she dropped to the back of the pack. Damn. She had to focus.
Mossy pumped her arms. She struggled to catch-up. But by the time she reached where the jogging path started up the forested hill, she was a good fifty yards behind the team.
As the other runners disappeared over the hill’s crest, Mossy stopped running and hunched over in the middle of the path, hands on her knees, dizziness pulling in around her as she struggled to catch her breath. Of all days, why did practice have to start today?
The thud of a runner’s footsteps came back down the hill toward her. “You okay?” Bethany’s voice asked.
Mossy looked up at her older sister. “I feel like I’m going to puke.”
“I told you to pace yourself.”
“That’s not it.” Mossy took a gulp of air to steady her voice. “I keep thinking about tonight.”
“Why don’t you skip the rest of practice?” Bethany nodded at the forest, toward the direction of their house. “Take the short cut home.”
