Dear Jessica Bell and other editors and publishers of Vine Leaves Press,
I’m the author of five novels and am seeking a publisher for my flash fiction collection Woman of the Hour: Fifty tales of longing and rebellion (23,000 words, 117 pages).
A girl turns into a fox as self-protection. An idealist imagines what her new leader should look like, using her pets as reference. A cruel ritual for teenage girls turns into a revolution. Guerrilla gardeners out at dawn sow hope.
The fifty vignettes in this collection transport the reader from an Amsterdam canal to the Oaxacan coast, from a silt-streaked Venice to an imaginary world, from an Icelandic waterfall to a hall of mirrors.
Women play roles to find themselves, face oblivion, break laws for those in need, swallow regrets, take revenge, eat spiders, and dream of being connected. They are everyday women climbing over obstacles and forging life to meet their needs. They are resilient. They are you.
I’m a Dutch author with representation in the United States. My agent sold my first novel in English (for younger readers) to Simon & Schuster, will send my new novel (for adults) on submission with publishers, and is helping me get my memoir in the best possible shape. She does, however, not represent flash fiction collections, and has encouraged me to find a publisher for this collection on my own.
I have a well-established presence on Facebook (5K friends + 8K followers), where people enjoy my travel posts, and I just started a Substack newsletter to grow my audience. This is the continuation of the travel blog I’ve published on my website. I also have profiles on Twitter (not so active recently), Instagram (1K followers), and Goodreads.
Over the years, I’ve been a good literary citizen, I think, writing reviews and promoting the work of others authors, so I won’t feel uncomfortable asking my connections to pay attention to the book upon its release.
I first learned of Vines Leaves Press from Jayne Martin, whose Tender Cuts you published, and I’ve been following the press ever since. I like the tone of your communication and your international background and feel it could be a good home for my writing.
I have included the first ten pages in a word document.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Kind regards,
Claire Polders