Dear Agent Name,
“The Turquoise Bones” is a 125k word young adult science fiction novel set in a bronze age culture on an alien world.
Apjay is a sixteen-year-old boy who belongs to a tribe known as the Astronomers, a people who believe in the stars even though they lost the ability to see them in the distant past.
When Apjay discovers a skeleton of turquoise bones with a gem inside the skull, he tries to give them a proper burial. Apjay’s father opens the grave, hoping to steal the gem, but instead he is caught and executed for his crime.
According to a vision from an ancient hero, Apjay’s father’s spirit will be damned unless Apjay completes a spiritual quest to see the stars–and Apjay not only loves his father, but feels guilt because his attempt to give the bones a decent burial led to his father’s death.
To succeed in his quest, however, he’ll need the help of the green-skinned girl who rose to life from bones Apjay found.
My name is Steven R. Brandt and I have a Ph.D. for studying simulations of rotating black holes from the university of Illinois, which informed the science fiction component of my story.
Thank you for your time.