Query Got Ya Down?

Mine sure does! I'm back at it again; my third attempt did not turn out so well.  I wish I could snap my fingers (or tap the keyboard) and have a perfect query appear.  But that isn't going to happen.

I've gotten great feedback on each of my attempts, so I'm glad for that at least.  My biggest problem initially was keeping my query from reading like a synopsis.  Now I'm having a hard time narrowing down what to put in the query.  There's a lot going on in the story.  My MC (Emily) wants her friendship with her best friend (Nicky, a guy, not a girl) to become something more.  She also is dealing with alcoholic/abusive parents, and her not-so-great relationship with them becomes worse when their friend rapes her.  And on top of all that, she's trying to figure out her relationship with God.  She believes in God, but she has trouble believing Him to be a loving God considering everything she's been through.  How the heck do I narrow all that down? Plus, part of the story takes place when Emily is still a child.  Actually, it's a pretty good chunk.  And I really think I have to get that across in the query somehow.  But maybe I'm wrong.  I don't know.  When it comes to queries, I have a lot to learn still!

Eventually I'll have a workable query, and when I do, I'll post it to share.  And in case I don't get a chance to post in the next few days, HAPPY NEW YEAR'S! Come on 2012...bring on my dream agent!