Query Letters and Shaving the Dog

I was very blessed to meet an agent at the Florida Heritage Book Festival.  And she said she would love to read the first 5 pages of my manuscript.  WOW.  So she asked me to send her a ....  Query Letter!  AAAAUUUGGGGHHHHH!  No - not a query letter!  Ask me for a novel, a short story, even a poem!  Ask me for a research paper, a speech, an editorial!  But not a Query Letter!  

I tried a Query Letter last year when I submitted my manuscript to a small publishing house in San Francisco.  It was agreed that my letter was awful, but would be overlooked - it was even said that the best writers write the worst query letters.  I didn't get it!  It looked OK to me!  I've read every article I can find on Query Letters and tried to emulate what others have written and it just sounds so stiff when I do it.  I think it has something to do with selling myself and my work.  whatever. 

I spent 2 hours last night and 2 1/2 hours tonight working on the Mu&*#$&#%^#&fU&#&*$#& Query Letter and still feel like I was just basing my whole writing career on a long shot!  Jeez Louise.  Well, it's done and it's sent.  Along with the first 5 pages of my book.  By the time I finished with the letter even my book was sounding lame.  Talk about a confidence-killer.  You know what the worst part is?  In procrastinating finishing the stupid letter tonight I even shaved my dog!

Now don't panic.  He's not like naked.  He gets kind of wiry looking - he has two coats - a short thick undercoat and then this wiry overcoat that sheds like crazy.  So I was going to shave him outside and the stupid electrical outlets wouldn't work!  What's that all about?  Another home repair - on the long list.  So I brought him into the bathroom and the two outlets in there didn't work!  I checked the circuit breakers - all were fine.  Another item on the home repair list.  So I plugged in an extension cord in the hallway and still was able to cut Harley's hair in the bathroom.

He looks much neater.  And I combed and combed him so he shouldn't shed for a day or so. 

Boy, is he pissed.  He's not speaking to me and I know he's plotting his revenge. 

So I got the Query Letter done - and may have destroyed any chance of getting published - and my dog looks much neater.  A productive evening without TV.  And I thank God I was never a fan of the show Heroes because they must have played that commercial on the radio every 15 minutes today.  If I was a fan it would be killing me!  OMG - I hope they don't play Amazing Race commercials....