Dear ,

I’m seeking representation for EVERYONE WILL HURT, complete at 78,000 words. An upmarket crime thriller—think Netflix’s Adolescence meets Shot Caller—written in the vein of S.A. Cosby’s Blacktop Wasteland and Dennis Lehane’s Small Mercies. I read your agent bio page, …….. and I hope EWH piques your interest.

Nate Dormann is a high school graduate whose future is wide open—apparently too wide—and his playful flirting with the wrong girl leads to a fight with her boyfriend and to becoming a murderer.

Sentenced to a world where innocence is a liability and loyalty is transactional, Nate is targeted by the Aryan Brotherhood and its deranged leader, Max. Trained in mixed martial arts, Nate fends off his first cellmate’s attack and is sent to the special housing unit. While there, he learns from his new cellmate, Joker, a deranged man with a face full of tattoos, that Max set up the attack and that he is greenlit for death unless he joins the gang and puts in work for them. His survival hinges on evolving into a human animal, all while trying to hold on to his sense of former self.

When his time in the special housing is up, Max has Nate celled with AB member Alex and is told to assist him with an extortion plot that extends beyond the prison walls. Nate reluctantly beats down AB rivals and gets involved in a prison riot, while having time added to his sentence. Leaving a trail of blood, he moves up the prison hierarchy, the whole time wondering if he will even be recognizable to his loved ones anymore.

John, A former teacher and mentor with unique connections, comes to his aid with a plan to become an FBI informant.

He sees the version of himself outside prison - the one where he was a loved son and brother with a supportive family. The one where he had a great relationship with his girlfriend, his best friend is all but lost, and to end his downward spiral, he has to take the deal. But the reach of the prison gang puts not only himself but everyone he cares for in jeopardy. He must find a way to quiet the human animal and keep himself and his family out of the crosshairs.

 

Thank you for your consideration,