An Agent's Inbox #31

Dear "The Agent":

I would be honored if you would consider representing TROWEL AND ERROR, a contemporary romance complete at 70,000 words. Per your guidelines, I have pasted the first 250 words of my manuscript below.

It’s 1986 and Eleanor Blake is an archaeologist at the Smithsonian. A traumatic assault on a dig frightens her into giving up field work, the part of her profession she loves most. She hides behind her desk job, refusing to admit that she’s unhappy. On a road trip to install an exhibit at a rural museum, she picks up a woman during a thunderstorm. When the pedestrian climbs into her car, she realizes her mistake: it's a man.

Their situations are similar. Eleanor is afraid to pursue her life’s work; Tom Gage has given up his dream of acting on the stage, accepting a movie role to please his demanding parents. A sense of connection over their personal challenges and some strong mutual attraction leads to what Eleanor intends as a one-night stand. Still, it’s hard to say good-bye and the two continue to travel together. As their feelings deepen, bitter arguments erupt. Tom gives Eleanor unwanted career advice he isn't willing to take himself, and Eleanor resents his interference. When she returns home, Tom follows her, hoping to repair the damage. Instead of being flattered, Eleanor views his attention as creepy obsession and sends him away.

An opportunity to return to the field, this time as project director, gives Eleanor a sense of purpose and control. She beings to regain her confidence, determined that a past she can't change won't negatively impact her future. When a strange coincidence brings Tom back into her life, she opens herself to the possibility that a relationship with him is another step forward. From the Great Smoky Mountains, to the National Museum of Natural History, to a Spanish mission in California, Eleanor finds the courage to pursue a life of purpose and fulfillment. But that new life may take her away from the man she now loves, and separate them permanently.

I am a former archaeologist with more than twenty years of museum experience. I worked for the Smithsonian's natural history museum and later for the institution’s national outreach programs. I am active on Twitter [redacted] and on my blog at [redacted].

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.

Warmest regards,
L.S.

TROWEL AND ERROR

Eleanor Blake glanced with trepidation at the menacing clouds gathering on the horizon. She hated the thought of driving through a storm, but the prospect of delaying her journey was worse. Random gusts of wind buffeted the car and raindrops spattered the windshield. She fumbled for the wipers control in the unfamiliar vehicle, finding it just as the deluge hit.

Red lights glared and she tapped the brakes. The speed of the traffic slowed until it was stopped altogether. The car windows were fogged, the glass pebbled with raindrops, making it hard to see. But something was moving out there. A lone figure, obscured by a heavy pack, only jeans and a pair of hiking boots she imagined squelching through the puddles visible. Eleanor was sympathetic, but every warning she had ever heard about hitchhikers clamored in her mind. Offering this stranger a ride might be kind, but that didn't make it right. Not for her. The walker removed the pack and set it on the ground, looking into the distance. Water dripped from the end of a ponytail and ran down the back of a denim jacket. A ponytail? A woman! Her initial sympathy was rekindled, the sense of possible danger faded. She hit her directional signal and pulled over, pressing the button to lower the window.

“Can I give you a ride?”

The head turned and Eleanor's eyes widened as a jolt of adrenaline flooded her stomach. The person looking back at her was a man.