Searching for a Literary Agent/Publisher

Dear Literary Agent/Publisher

My name is Lindsay Wincherauk. I am an author and storyteller working on completing three manuscripts chronicling my fascinating, hilarious, and at times, turbulent life.

In the truest sense of the word, I am survivor; over the past sixteen-years the unrelenting traumae sent my way, have not only been overwhelming, they have epitomized surreal as well.

The manuscripts connect the dots of an intriguing life, weaving an intricate tale; winding through my tumultuous past into the present and then the constant struggle to define the direction of the future.

My story is about survival. It is about finding identity. An identity shrouded in family deception. It is about coming to terms with watching my parents die only to have them come back to life eighteen years later, and then figuratively, watching my father die for a second time. It is about adding vibrant colours to the connected dots, revealing a brilliant canvas, and uncovering a compelling story. Most important, it is about sharing, being vulnerable and allowing others in.

Why are these books a good fit for a Literary/Agent/Publisher?

Many reasons spring to mind:

1. The books are a raw, emotional, hilarious, and a voyeuristic ride through an incredible life of a fresh new Canadian author.
   
2. I possess the unique gift of bringing the reader into my story---making them vital characters in the plotline.
   
3. My experiences, though extreme, share common threads with every reader. Whether it be finding first love, learning to drive, delving into the destructiveness of vice, overcoming massive hurdles, or trying to make sense of living while deciphering what's truly important.
   
4. My voice is powerful. I write in a conversational manner, allowing my voice to echo with the consumption of every twist and turn of life.
   
5. If forced to compare myself to other authors, a difficult task---I'd say my writing is a collision between Hunter S. Thompson meets Augusten Burroughs sprinkled with a dash of the Dalai Lama.
   
6. I have several publication credits: 24 Hours Vancouver (commuter newspaper with a circulation of 220,000); a self-published book entitled: Seed's Sketchy Relationship Theories – A Guide to the Perils of Dating (how not to become a bar regular), as well as articles published in various other magazines.
   

I believe I am a gifted individual with a never-ending stream of stories. I look forward to the opportunity to work the right Literary/Agent/Publisher to bring my stories to life.

Regards,

 

Lindsay Wincherauk

Author/Journalist

Postscript: I have designed potential covers for each book!

 

Lindsay Wincherauk

 

Russians, Clowns & Drag Queens

Play

chasing neon

 

 

 

CONTACT INFORMATION:

 

 

How it all began

In 2004, I was randomly selected to pitch a book idea at a Book Expo. I pitched the story of two-month period of my life from 2003. The audience was blown away and left wanting more. One of the publishers asked me to put together a few chapters of the story and submit it. I did. Unfortunately, the traumatic events weren't far enough behind me to tell the story without being overly dramatic. I was told that it wasn't what they were looking for at the time. Discouraged by the response I stopped writing the story; instead, I focused on writing articles for 24 Hours Vancouver
a commuter newspaper with a circulation of 220,000, as well as other writing projects.

One of those projects was entitled: Letters to Ed. I started writing bizarre complaint letters to eight randomly selected men from around North America named, Ed. Over the course of three-weeks, I cranked out three letters, letting my new friend in on mostly humorous stories from my journey through life. The letters were intended to be bizarre and comedic in nature, with little snippets from my past thrown in to add to the comedic value. I imagined Ed opening his mail, and at first, being confused, only to have that confusion turn into hilarious conversations with friends at the pub, club, or golf course---about the bizarre letters.

While penning letter 4: I drove a dead man to work,
a light went on: I realized I've had an amazing life. At times incredibly difficult; nevertheless, full of adventure, laughter, despair and heartache. Most important, I've developed a unique way of sharing my story. Ed represented new friendships. With each letter, depth was added by opening a window into my life.

The beauty of this: as my life unfolds before us, I take my new friend(s) into my past, and in turn, building true friendships. Eventually, Ed becomes everyone!

Lindsay Wincherauk, Author

Vancouver, BC, Canada

Email: theseedvan@hotmail.com

 

Reality is truly stranger than fiction!

1 Page Treatments

Russians, Clowns & Drag Queens

 

letters to ed

 

 

(COMPLETED)

 

In the memoir, Russians, Clowns & Drag Queens, author Lindsay Wincherauk's life is turned upside down with a heartbeat pursuant to a civil servants casual inquiry, "Could you phone your parents and ask them who your real parents are?"

This innocent inquiry opens a window into a surreal Kafkaesque past, a past rife with bizarre characters, spectral entities and devastating family betrayal. Wincherauk, with radiant clarity invites the reader into his life. A life replete with tragedy immersed in hilarity and garnished with the intoxicating destructiveness of vice. Lindsay chronicles his remarkable journey through the window; a journey from darkness to light, a journey most people would find impossible, a journey through the "looking glass."

Wincherauk converts repeated traumae into a compelling search for identity. He layers the perpetually changing hessian of family, life, and dysfunction, utilizing long brush strokes dripping with passion. He bares his soul to great effect by placing his present positive world-view in juxtaposition to his prior emotional neediness.

Lindsay's wit is razor sharp, self deprecating and scandalously non-political correct. His ability to captivate the reader inviting them as intimate participants into an intricate plotline reveals a unique voice remarkably fresh and doubtlessly destined to become a household name.

Wincherauk's memoir transforms episodes of intense despair into segments of tranquility imbued with comedic insight. The pitfalls of dysfunction are eluded as life progresses, creating an intricate weave. Lindsay, a consummate storyteller layers panoramic strands of events into a kaleidoscopic tapestry. Ergo we wind our way through foundation, collapse, escape, rebirth and loose ending leading us to...

 

Play

a sequel

 

(COMPLETED)

In Russians Clowns & Drag Queens, Wincherauk relived his past when the realities of being a secret unwanted child are placed on his doorstep during a time of heartache and misfortune. In a sense, the truth set him free; destiny took him down a path where survival, destruction, and the search for identity became strange bedfellows, in a story told in real-time. The past was being unmasked employing stream of consciousness storytelling, making every reader a character in the plot.

Play picks up where Russians left off---Lindsay's, again-living mother abandons him for a second time---and he fatefully meets his real father, eighteen-years after he had watched his father die.

Unlike Russians, Clowns & Drag Queens in which the past was catching up with the present, in Play, the present is prevalent with the occasional glimpse backward in an attempt to find meaning in what has transpired.

Play, continues to unravel the mysteries hidden in family deception, with reality becoming a tragedy---necessary to overcome.

Colourful and tragic new characters are introduced and issues of sexuality are examined in the Chapters: Gay Bar, and Gay Bar: Episode 1: Bert Apocalypse Now.

Gay Bar resembles Cheers with a lilt---attitude---swagger---and a double snap!

A place where everybody most people won't hesitate putting a dagger in your back.

It's raining out and time to come in from the relentless mist: neon invites, seduces, and draws one in. On the edge of a bustling Gay Village, sits a non-descript bar. A bar full of energy and deception; its façade is inviting but underneath the warmth lays a multitude of characters; colourful, devious, kind-hearted, hateful, deep, shallow, lost, and mostly, draped in a façade themselves. Characters on the edge of reality, a reality skewed by alcohol and lifted by the illicit, including an ingredient list, mostly, sugar free.

The Chapter: William Richard Dowrey---Ritchie Rich explores and examines the consequences of senseless violence in an urban landscape. It ties numerous lives together after Ritchie, a father of two, becomes a victim of an alleged gay bashing in Vancouver's West End.

As Play winds down, after blasting through: go; next game; new plane; twist; integrity; and free play---evolving is amped up to a lightning pace; making sense of the nonsensical is dropped onto life's docket, highlighting the necessity of embracing life, finding balance, and accepting who you are.

And as we continue to live in the moment, we accelerate forth into...

 

chasing
neon

a sidequel

 

(IN PROGRESS)

Chasing Neon, volume three of the series, continues the journey. It is about searching for the future while coming to terms with life---best lived, moment-by-moment; five-year plans often don't come to fruition. We must be able to adjust course in a flash, when both good and bad, are thrust our way.

I've had a crush, can someone entering year 49 still have crushes.

Anyway, I have one, on a beautiful, in my eyes, individual, who works out at my gym. We've said hello on a couple of occasions---I'm not certain the crush is reciprocal, or safe.

Two beers into MY day, what the hell, safe or not, it's time to explore, to crack open the door. I stopped by the gym, Dave, a trainer, and a friend, needed to know it was my birthday so he could wish me a happy one.

After Dave, I headed downstairs for a sip of water, to my surprise, the apple, too corny... my interest; was there, "Hello, my name is Lindsay. I've wanted to introduce myself for quite some time now."

Our hands touched. Embarrassingly, I became hard. I had to sit down.

"My name is..."

"You have a beautiful smile" ---still sitting--- "I'd like to do something with you sometime?"

Days later: "Fiona, I got a woody when I said hello, what is that called? A priapism."

Wayne suggested, "Its called puberty."

After leaving the gym, it was off to see Danielle---and her two children. Danielle and I have a history, flashing back to Russians, Clowns and Drag Queens---we both dated her boyfriend Kevin at the same time---no priapisms for him.

Two hours of effortless flow---we don't want anything from each other---my day is looking forward. I've always wondered if Danielle and I...

Chasing Neon is about finding peace. It is about extending ones' arms spinning in circles and accepting who we are; then nurturing all who are important in our lives and dropping anger/hatred to replace them with kindness/love---it is about communication and connectivity and sharing the sentiment with whomever crosses our paths. Because if we speak to one another, judgement free, we'll come to the realization there is really no reason to hate.

The aftermath of: fuse; splice; amperage; chase; shine; and glow, bring to the forefront that chasing what may never be, at the expense of the brilliance of now... leading us to..?

Book Covers