Current Queries: Blake Friedman

Blake Friedman Requirements:

In brief, please send an introductory email, along with a synopsis and a writing sample, as Word.doc attachments

Please only submit to one agent at Blake Friedmann — our agents will pass your work on to a colleague if they think it has promise but would be more suited to someone else.

The title of your work and your name should be included in the subject line of your email.

  • Your cover letter — introducing us to your book and to you — should form the body of the email (see more details below).

  • Attach your synopsis and sample as Word documents (please do not send PDFs or Pages), preferably with with 1.5 line spacing. Please number your pages.

  • Each attachment should be named with the BOOK TITLE and YOUR NAME (plus SYNOPSIS or CHAPTERS).

  • Each document should have a first page with the book title, your name and contact details. Include your contact details in the email too!

  • If you are using a pseudonym, please include both your real name and your pseudonym on the sample material, as well as in the email.

FICTION SUBMISSIONS

When submitting a work of fiction, please attach:

  • A full synopsis, of 250-300 words (the full story in brief, including the ending — more details below)

  • The first three chapters, or first 10,000 words (please do not send later chapters instead!)

Subject: Query: Shadows at Dawn – Thriller, 74,000 Words

Dear [Agent's Name],

I am seeking representation for my thriller, Shadows at Dawn, complete at 74,000 words. The novel is noir in its tension and intrigue with a more modern political sensibility. It reads as an unholy combination of Le Carre’s Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane.

Shadows at Dawn asks, "What if a billionaire weaponized his followers?" The novel spans D.C.'s elite and the strange, regressive town of Elderbridge, controlled by billionaire Dr. Richard Keeler. After his wife's death, Keeler withdrew from the world, only to return with a cult following and a plan: to create the first privately owned nuclear weapon. FBI Special Agent Ana Carter is sent to Elderbridge to investigate both the cult and her husband's suspicious death. She discovers the town is a mix of open-air prison, militia training ground, and laboratory, styled as a 1940s-era archive. To infiltrate, Ana endures a brutal physical transformation and forms a tenuous alliance with Marcus, a smuggler skilled at moving people. As her mission unfolds, she contends with Keeler's ruthless countersurveillance and the perils of her new face. In the end, Ana confronts Keeler, dismantling his cult and stopping the nuclear threat, but at a staggering cost.

I hold an MSc in Creative Writing from the University of Edinburgh, where I focused on narrative structure and character-driven storytelling. My research culminated in developing a novel form, Southern Graffiti, which reimagines traditional storytelling by incorporating collaborative and interactive elements.

Thank you for considering Shadows at Dawn. I look forward to the opportunity to share more about the manuscript.

Sincerely,

Austin Lee Stember

[Contact Information]

WHAT TO INCLUDE IN YOUR COVERING LETTER

  • An opening paragraph about your book – introduce it with the title, which genre you think it falls into, and a couple of comparative titles

  • A one-paragraph blurb for your book, such as you might find on the back of a book jacket; these are usually intriguing & compelling.

  • A note on any significant previous publications or writing experience, if valid (don’t worry if not!)

  • A note on any personal experience relating directly to the subject of the book, if you think it relevant

 
 

WHAT TO INCLUDE IN YOUR SYNOPSIS

  • The synopsis should detail the core narrative of your book, including the themes, setting, characters and plot —from the first to final chapter, ending with the resolution of the story. This is not a book jacket blurb, but a more practical outline of your main narrative thread — agents want to know the beginning, middle and end of your story upfront!

 

Shadows at Dawn asks, "What if a billionaire weaponized his cult?" The novel is a noir thriller split between D.C.'s most influential and the obsessive, regressive town captured by a billionaire's cult. FBI Special Agent Ana Carter is sent into Elderbridge to investigate the cult and her husband's suspicious death. The town is controlled and monitored by billionaire Dr. Richard Keeler. After the death of his wife, Keeler became a recluse before reemerging with a following and a purpose: to develop the first privately held nuclear weapon.

As Ana investigates, she and the world discover Elderbridge is an open-air prison, militia training ground, barracks, and laboratory. The town is curated, the allure of the brief era when the United States was the sole nuclear power manifesting as a Luddite 1940s recreation. To infiltrate the town, Ana undergoes a brutal physical transformation to preserve her deep cover. She forms an uneasy alliance with Marcus, a smuggler and civilian, who proves more adept at navigating shifting allegiances. As Ana's mission progresses, she faces the brutal suppression of Keeler's counter-surveillance and the repercussions of her cover identity. At the climax, Ana confronts Keeler, and the certainty of her investigations dissolves. She does succeed in dismantling Keeler's cult and preventing the nuclear threat, but at a staggering cost.

Shadows at Dawn explores themes of power, identity, grief, the allure of the past, and the very limits of the Executive Branch, set against Cold War-style paranoia and the moral ambiguity of following orders.

Austin Stember