Successful Queries: Stacy Testa and “Eleanore of Avignon,” by Elizabeth DeLozier

Welcome back to the Successful Queries series. In this installment, find a query letter to agent Stacy Testa for Elizabeth DeLozier’s book, Eleanore of Avignon (Dutton).

Elizabeth DeLozier holds a BA in Spanish literature, a BS in biological anthropology, and a doctorate in physical therapy. An avid traveler, animal lover, and history nerd, she lives in Southern California with her husband, twin sons, and rescue dogs. Eleanore of Avignon is her debut novel.

Here’s her original query:

Dear Ms. Testa,

While reading your interviews and manuscript wish lists on various literary websites, I was struck by your championship of debut authors, the hands-on editorial approach you take with your clients and your palpable enthusiasm for your career. I hope your interest in fiction featuring historical hooks and empowered women will make you the perfect fit to represent my debut historical novel, Eleanore of Avignon.

It is the fall of 1347, and a terrible new illness has just made landfall in Europe. The Black Death spreads like wildfire, leaving half the population dead in its wake. Seventeen-year-old Eleanore Blanchet, like her mother before her, is an herbalist and midwife with remarkable skills. But in Avignon, where Pope Clement rules like a king, unusual women attract suspicion and blame, as Elea knows only too well.

While gathering herbs in the woods, Elea meets Baldoin, the mysterious dog who will be her protector, and Guy de Chauliac, known as Guigo, the enigmatic personal physician to Pope Clement. She and Guigo strike a deal: if she can cure the Pope’s mysterious illness, then Guigo will take her on as his apprentice. Under his tutelage she hones her skills as a healer, combining her knowledge of folk medicine with anatomy, astrology, and surgical techniques. Elea’s talent and Guigo’s experience, however, are no match for the deadly plague. Guigo and Elea work tirelessly against the disease, but the people of Avignon are desperate for a scapegoat. The odious Father Loupe, who despised Elea’s wise mother and accused her of witchcraft, calls for the burning of Jews and witches to appease God, as is already happening in nearby cities.

At the height of the pestilence, further news arrives. Queen Joanna, famous for her beauty, has fled besieged Naples for Avignon, where she will be tried by Pope Clement for her husband’s murder. But the queen holds a trump card no one could have anticipated. She is pregnant – a clear sign in their society that she is blessed by God and innocent of the crime. And she needs a midwife.

Complete at 108,000 words, Eleanore of Avignon is Circe meets The Great Mortality meets Wolf Hall. This book has a strong commercial hook and would be naturally and successfully adapted for TV or film. Although Eleanore is written as a stand-alone novel, I hope it will be the first book in a trilogy.

I didn’t mean to write I novel. I am a practicing Doctor of Physical Therapy specializing in pelvic floor dysfunction, avid reader, history nerd, and traveler. While visiting the South of France in the summer of 2018, I was captivated by Avignon’s twisting medieval streets. Take one too many turns, it seemed, and I might be transported to the fourteenth century. A year later I was on my honeymoon, in the bathtub, when the entire plot of Eleanore leapt into my head. I jumped out, dripping, and started scribbling on a hotel pad. This book demanded to be written – I just got out of its way.

Then COVID-19 hit. Eleanore was my companion through the long hours and empty weekends. As a healthcare provider, I watched helplessly as my patients contracted the mysterious new disease. Some survived, some did not. And then my husband tested positive. I counted his breaths, took his temperature, waited for the day when I would take him to the hospital and drive away, unable to accompany him past the front doors. Thankfully, that day did not come. But I was struck by the parallels in my novel and in my life: the fragility of modernity, the limitations of medicine, and the power of fear.

Per your submission guidelines I have pasted the first ten pages of the novel below.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

-Elizabeth DeLozier

Check out Elizabeth DeLozier’s Eleanore of Avignon here:

Bookshop | Amazon

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What Agent Stacy Testa Liked About the Query:

The first thing that caught my eye about Elizabeth’s query was her personal narrative – the story behind the story. I was won over by the visual of jumping out of a hotel bathtub to scribble down the first words of this novel…a book that demands to be written might just demand to be read as well! 

I found Elizabeth’s passion both charming and contagious. I also loved that Elizabeth was clearly bringing her personal life experience as a healthcare provider to bear on this novel, since medicine is one of its central themes. There’s nothing like firsthand experience to bring authenticity to the page and to make the world feel real and textured.

I was also intrigued by the mention of CIRCE and WOLF HALL as comp titles. Not only do both of these books happen to be personal favorites, which Elizabeth couldn’t have possibly known, but they are contemporary titles that have been both critically and commercially well-received. Whereas, sometimes authors make the mistake of choosing highly obscure works with low sales as comps – a poor way to forecast your book’s potential.

Finally, it was also clear to me that Elizabeth had done her homework in choosing to query me: she accurately noted that I’m interested in historical hooks and empowered women in debut fiction, all relevant qualities for her work. This indicated to me both that Elizabeth was a savvy author, and that her novel could in fact be a strong fit for my list.

Putting all of these individual components aside, the truth is, I could tell from her query that Elizabeth was a born storyteller. In a few short paragraphs, she brought me inside the world of her novel and told the story of the creation of that novel. It isn’t easy to weave two yarns in such a limited space! I could tell I was in very capable hands and therefore felt quite confident in requesting Elizabeth’s novel, which went on to exceed my expectations.

*****

Stacy Testa is a Senior Literary Agent at Writers House in New York City, where she has worked since 2011. She represents book club fiction, historical fiction, literary fiction, memoir, and books-for-a-better-life.

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