I put together a (kind of long) query thingy for this new project that I can't get out of my head. It isn't a query for agents or anything. Just for me. The story itself is not yet fully formulated in my mind, but the characters are so, so complex and intriguing to me. I want to write them SO BADLY.
One of the problems is that I'm not sure if this story will have teen appeal. Or if it sounds interesting to anyone. Or if it has a strong enough hook. Or, or, or!
Okay. Here it is:
Kae Roberts is only seventeen, but she feels about one hundred. Her life changed—and not exactly for the better—after she hooked up with Jay Avery, a college student she met at a concert last October. In a few short months, Kae went from being a predictable good girl to a pregnant, married, high-school drop out.
Now, the summer before what would have been Kae’s senior year, the baby arrived stillborn. Kae is depressed to the extreme and uncertain about what to do next. Going back to her old life is out of the question—she’s estranged from her parents, and has vowed to stay with Jay until death do they part—but she’s beginning to realize that she has little in common with her husband. In fact, she barely knows the guy.
Then, things get even more confusing when Jay’s younger brother, Travis—whom Kae had never met—shows up for an unexpected visit. Kae learns that Jay didn’t tell anyone in his family about the baby, their marriage, or even of Kae’s existence. When she probes as to why, Jay gets defensive and refuses to explain. So, while easy-going Travis comes up with wacky schemes to help Kae get out of her funk and to make her act and feel like a regular teenager again, Kae decides to find out what else Jay is hiding—even though she suspects her discoveries will call everything about their relationship into question.
P.S. In case you wonder, I have researched the whole teen-marriage thing. I have it all worked out how my character can be legally married while under the age of 18.