My First Query Letter

Composing the Query Letter was difficult for me, because this topic is so broad and so important to me that I had a hard time narrowing down the ideas that I'd like to cover. I got the query letter posted to my classmates the last day of our vacation from the hotel room while David was swimming with the kids. Only the instructor has responded so far, but her comments have encouraged me to keep going with this. She said that it's an excellent query letter on a very important topic and she has no "nudges" for me or suggestions on how to make the query letter better. She said it's ready to go. Just for fun, here's my letter:

Dear Mrs. Magazine Editor:

Women hear a lot these days about hormone replacement therapy as it relates to dropping estrogen levels and menopause, but we don't hear enough about hormone imblance and the havoc it can cause in the years (as many as 20 years!) leading up to the "change of life."

In a 1200-word article, I will share first-hand experience and research, as well as expert knowledge, about the signs and symptoms of endocrine hormone imbalance in pre-menopausal women and practical steps to take to restore balance and vitality to feel and live well. Topics covered include:

• How to communicate clearly with your healthcare provider about what ails you, even if your symptoms seem vague and difficult to articulate
• The science that shows that physical and psychological complaints of PMS are often the result of low progesterone, not low estrogen
• The many "estrogen-like" substances and stressors abundant in our environment that further tip estrogen into excess and throw the hormones off-balance
• Once one hormone imbalance is detected (e.g. low progesterone) very often additional hormone imbalances will surface, (e.g. low thyroid and low adrenals) as a woman's endocrine system is an intricate and connected web of functions
• Over-the-counter hormone support in the form of vitamins, supplements, herbs, nutrition, and exercise
• The difference between synthetic and bio-identical hormone therapies and which treatment experts recommend

I am a thirty-four year old mother of two whose life for the last few years has been riddled with bone-crunching fatigue, depression, foggy thinking, irritability, pre-menstral tension and acne, and general malaise that is rooted in at least three endocrine hormone imbalances. Through extensive research, tenacity, patience, a willingness to try new treatments, and an attitude that feeling well again is worth the effort and money, I am finally getting a grip on my personal hormone hell. If you are interested in my sharing what I've learned and am learning with other pre-menopausal women, please contact me at the e-mail address or phone number that is listed below.

Sincerely,

Sarah L. Knows-A-Lot-About-This-Stuff