I scrapped the Query letter and gave it another try. See if you like this one better.
Title: The Merchant of Arimathea
Hybrid Genre: Biblical-Historical-Fiction-Biography
Word count: 100,233
Dear _____,
Drawing upon three years of extensive research in early Jewish and Christian history, recent work on the historical Jesus, and two thousand years of speculations, myths, legends, and traditions, this epic tale focuses on the Life of Joseph of Arimathea who, in his ninth decade of life, struggles to make sense of his life. His narrative begins when he takes the thirteen-year-old Jesus under his wing following the death of his father, Yosef of Nazareth, and brings the young Jesus with him as he travels to Britain, Egypt, and India.
The Merchant of Arimathea draws upon scriptural and ancient, non-Biblical sources to present an imaginative version of the founding of Christianity that will change the way the reader thinks about Jesus, first century Judaism and early Christianity.
This work of Fiction will appeal to fans of such books as The Gospel of the Twins by Ron Cooper, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan, Killing Jesus by Bill O’Reilly, The Dove Keepers by Alice Hoffman, and even Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code. The Merchant of Arimathea will also appeal to readers of such sophisticated Bible scholars as Bart Erhman, Marcus Borg, John Dominic Crossan, Elaine Pagels, Dale Martin and Christine Hayes.
The Merchant of Arimathea provides a potentially controversial, compellingly human, and thoroughly readable version of what many call “the greatest story ever told.”
The story borrows from Biblical scriptures and other ancient writings to create a satisfying tale. It is biblical fiction unhampered by conservative religious sensitivities and limitations.
Compelling and imaginative The Merchant of Arimathea is a deeply thoughtful and thoroughly researched story, one worth a careful reading and time spent in reflection. Provocative interpretations are sure to anger some readers and intrigue others as it challenges the reader to examine his or her beliefs and life’s meaning, a journey everyone must undertake. Leaves room to interpret miracles in psychological or supernatural terms.
Longing to know the inside story of Jesus, and feeling unsated by all available accounts, I directed my efforts at crafting a tale about Jesus as told through the eyes of his great uncle, using both the oldest and newest resources. The resulting rendition deals with timeless themes of the corruptive forces of power and wealth, of suffering, hope, and redemption.
The Merchant of Arimathea is a story about figures long known from other accounts. This work has redrawn them, placing them in a vivid historical framework and spiritual perspective, illumining them as vivid personalities and offering a new and deeply plausible interpretation of traditional gospel narratives.
Raised during childhood in a fundamentalist Evangelical Christian church, I became an Agnostic during my late teens. I have the unusual perspective of a work of Biblical-Historical-Fiction-Biography that does not endeavor to either cater to or refute any religion or faith. I also bring to the project four decades of full-time clinical practice as a Child, Adolescent, and Adult psychiatrist. My work involved dealing with the developmental growth of psychologically complex real people. I endeavor to bring this experience to this, my first work of fiction in such a way as to make the story and its characters distinctly human, tragic, funny, sometimes unfathomable, but always believable.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I will be happy to send you additional materials upon your request.
Yours truly,
H. Joseph Horacek, Jr.
Charlotte, NC 28205
Phone: 704 9624523
E-mail:brainstorms@earthlink.net
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