The Query
For Agents
Dear Beautiful Agent,
I’m excited to share DRACULA 1942, a 92,000-word adult horror novel blending Dracula’s gothic dread with a bloody sip or two of Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds. It’s Nosferatu meets the braided, dual-perspective war tale of Katherine Arden’s The Warm Hands of Ghosts by way of the operatic savagery of Jay Kristoff’s Empire of the Vampire.
The year is 1942, and Dracula wakes to find his beloved Europe drowned in war and undrinkable blood. His brides are gone, fled from the chaos or from him, and in his dark, shortsighted love, he will stop at nothing to find them.
Jack Sabinski, a former doctoral candidate at Lublin University, labors at a camp in the south of Poland. A strange prisoner bites him and gifts him an ancient, cursed relic. It whispers to Jack, urging him to open its casket, to break the seal, and unleash retribution on the German high command. Meanwhile, a psychotic doctor gleefully monitors his transformation into the undead, not knowing what he secretly carries. With his new and violent power, Jack escapes with the precious relic, causing the Nazis to hunt him across war-torn Europe.
As war ravages, a gothic Nazi nightmare unfolds. DRACULA 1942 is a dual-POV tale that seeks to honor the real dead and their resistance against fascist oppression while still being entertaining and darkly enjoyable.
I run a web design business that specializes in turning up the excitement in websites, writing, marketing, and online content. I’ve recently started a YouTube channel and TikTok presence for my creative endeavors, and I’m loving the chance to engage with audiences and create my own content.
I welcome the opportunity to send the full manuscript for your consideration. Thank you for your time.
James Cotter