RE: Query - Not Peace, But a Sword

Dear Barrett, I enjoyed the sample chapters you sent to me. “Sex, Marriage” was probably my favorite of the three. It has enjoyable subplots and scalding interrogations of the central characters. I was also impressed that you must have sat through the entire Liberty Sunday affair once, let alone several note taking times.

I was wondering if you’ve made any headway with the proposal. The chapters are sadistic and fun twist but they feel more like individual essays on the current establishment and I was expecting more continuity/development. I’m almost fine with the jumping off point “these people are freaking crazy, don’t ask questions” but part of me is going to be asking “how did the situation among the evangelicals lead them there?” Meanwhile, taking potshots at the Left Behind series and pointing out misquotes are good for keeping a reader enticed.

Let me know how you’re progressing,
Paul

-----Original Message-----
From: Barrett Brown [mailto:barriticus@gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 25, 2008 12:51 PM
To: Paul Lucas
Subject: Re: Query - Not Peace, But a Sword

Paul-

Thanks for getting back to me.

I've attached three sample chapters to this e-mail. I also have a ten-page proposal divided into the usual sub-sections, but I'm thinking of re-writing it, so since you're not in a hurry to see it, I'll wait on sending that along.

Thanks again,

Barrett

On Mon, Mar 24, 2008 at 2:26 PM, Barrett Brown <barriticus@gmail.com> wrote:

Paul-

Our mutual friend Anna Bohichik tells me that you're actively seeking out non-fiction manuscripts, so I thought I'd drop you a line.

I'm a Brooklyn-based freelance writer whose work has appeared in dozens of publications including National Lampoon, The Onion A.V. Club, McSweeney's, Hustler, and American Atheist. My first book, Flock of Dodos: Behind Modern Creationism, Intelligent Design, and the Easter Bunny, was released last March by a small New York publisher called Sterling and Ross, and received praise from Alan Dershowitz, Rolling Stone, The Huffington Post, Air America Radio, and other sources. I've also worked as a copywriter for various media outlets and a couple of ad firms, and I do some blogging here and there both for pay and as a hobby/blatant bid at self-promotion.

I've been working on a second book which I'd like to eventually place with a larger publisher. The working title is Not Peace, But a Sword: Why Evangelicals Are Not Only Bad for America But Also Somewhat Irritating on a Personal Basis. As you might expect, it's a political humor treatise on the threat presented by the Evangelical movement. You're probably also aware that quite a few books have already been written on this subject. What sets this one apart, I hope, is the prose style.

Let me know if you'd like to see some sample chapters or a formal proposal.

Thanks,

Barrett Brown
512-560-2302