First attempt at a query letter so all feedback is welcome and appreciated.

Dear [Agent name],

Steven Langtree is a middle-aged father and husband who has developed stress-induced insomnia leading to a disconnect between him and his family.

After finding a text message on his wife’s phone causing him to suspect she is cheating on him Steven begins displaying erratic behavior such as obsessing over a cat in their home that does not belong to them and which no one else has seen.

Steven goes on to publicly accuse his wife of infidelity prompting her to kick him out of their home. The separation from his family causes his mental stability to worsen and he becomes convinced that the cat he saw was a malevolent entity in disguise who is the real cause of his and his family’s problems.

While fleeing from hallucinations Steven meets a younger woman who seems to suffer from the same affliction as him. Steven and Tara have each had negative experiences with traditional mental health professionals so together they seek out unorthodox assistance in the form of Colleen an occult expert and disgraced college professor.

As they travel together they piece together more information about the entity they believe to be affecting them and causing them to affect others around them. All the while they develop a relationship that is codependent, vaguely romantic, and enables their mutual delusions.

Steven must balance his desire to return home and work out his personal issues with his family and his beliefs that he is protecting his family by staying away and that he may be able to rid the world from a cosmic entity responsible for his and others’ pain and suffering

WATCHING SHADOWS (81,000 words) draws on elements of uncertain realities similar to Steven Hall’s The Raw Shark Texts and Maxwell’s Demon. Thematically Watching Shadows is comparable to Zoie Stage’s Wonderland in that it explores the roles of the family against the backdrop of existential horror.

When I am not reading and writing I am spending time with my four children or learning the use of each of the Ninja Turtles’ weapons. Watching Shadows would be my debut novel.

Thank you for your time and consideration.