Post by farah on Jun 16, 2017 19:21:00 GMT -5
As I am not moving to the next round, I won't get feedback on my revisions so I thought I'd post them here. I have changed my query considerably-- added more stakes and put more of the plot in. I'm worried now its a little dry-- too much like a synopses. Any feedback welcome!
Engineering grad student Amira Khan is too old for her noisy dorm, and emotionally exhausted from her constant fights for justice on social media. She has one goal right now— submit a kick-ass thesis so her professor will give her a glowing recommendation. Then her boss will see she’s more than a “pretty little thing” and give her the promotion she deserves.
She needs quiet, and she intends to get it by leaving grad school early to finish her paper at her Grandmother's house. But it turns out, her grandmother rented her basement to… a Barbershop Quartet? Amira needs silence; they need to rehearse for an upcoming competition, and Duncan Galahad, their overgrown garden-gnome of a baritone is making her absolutely crazy.
When the noise warfare in the basement reaches critical levels, Amira makes a deal with the quartet— they abstain from rehearsing in the mornings so she can write her paper, and she will fake-date Sameer, their lead singer who’s hiding sexuality from his family. The plan seems to work, and she finds friendship will all the singers— except Duncan.
Duncan is smart, loyal and refreshingly honest, but he seems to know exactly how to push Amira’s buttons. When he confesses he has a weakness for women who fight for themselves, even if it’s him they’re fighting, their verbal battles end in the bedroom. Amira is surprised to find breathtaking harmony with the snarky baritone, and wonders if she can have a future with someone so unlike her.
But bearding for one singer while sleeping with another gets messy, for everyone involved. Sameer’s family is practically planning a wedding and Duncan’s family sees Amira as nothing but a cautionary tale against multiculturalism. Cultures clash and intolerance rears its ugly face, and Amira once again has to start fighting against hate to protect those important to her. Worst of all, these distractions get in the way of what Amira needs most— if her thesis isn’t perfect, her dream job will slip between her fingers.
CHAI, BEARDS, & HARMONY, is a 72,000 word own voices, comedic contemporary romance novel that will appeal to readers of Sofia Khan is not Obliged, and The Hating Game. It tackles Islamophobia and homophobia in the diverse city of Toronto.
As a South-Asian, Muslim writer, I have drawn on my own experiences living and learning in this vibrant city. I am a member of the RWA, and the Toronto Romance Writers. Be advised that this work is being simultaneously submitted to several literary agents.
Engineering grad student Amira Khan is too old for her noisy dorm, and emotionally exhausted from her constant fights for justice on social media. She has one goal right now— submit a kick-ass thesis so her professor will give her a glowing recommendation. Then her boss will see she’s more than a “pretty little thing” and give her the promotion she deserves.
She needs quiet, and she intends to get it by leaving grad school early to finish her paper at her Grandmother's house. But it turns out, her grandmother rented her basement to… a Barbershop Quartet? Amira needs silence; they need to rehearse for an upcoming competition, and Duncan Galahad, their overgrown garden-gnome of a baritone is making her absolutely crazy.
When the noise warfare in the basement reaches critical levels, Amira makes a deal with the quartet— they abstain from rehearsing in the mornings so she can write her paper, and she will fake-date Sameer, their lead singer who’s hiding sexuality from his family. The plan seems to work, and she finds friendship will all the singers— except Duncan.
Duncan is smart, loyal and refreshingly honest, but he seems to know exactly how to push Amira’s buttons. When he confesses he has a weakness for women who fight for themselves, even if it’s him they’re fighting, their verbal battles end in the bedroom. Amira is surprised to find breathtaking harmony with the snarky baritone, and wonders if she can have a future with someone so unlike her.
But bearding for one singer while sleeping with another gets messy, for everyone involved. Sameer’s family is practically planning a wedding and Duncan’s family sees Amira as nothing but a cautionary tale against multiculturalism. Cultures clash and intolerance rears its ugly face, and Amira once again has to start fighting against hate to protect those important to her. Worst of all, these distractions get in the way of what Amira needs most— if her thesis isn’t perfect, her dream job will slip between her fingers.
CHAI, BEARDS, & HARMONY, is a 72,000 word own voices, comedic contemporary romance novel that will appeal to readers of Sofia Khan is not Obliged, and The Hating Game. It tackles Islamophobia and homophobia in the diverse city of Toronto.
As a South-Asian, Muslim writer, I have drawn on my own experiences living and learning in this vibrant city. I am a member of the RWA, and the Toronto Romance Writers. Be advised that this work is being simultaneously submitted to several literary agents.
