It's Official!

I have an agent. Yippppppeeeee! An agent at Writers House, LLC (the same folks who rep Nora Roberts, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Linda Howard, Janet Evanovich and Laurell K. Hamilton, to name a few) has agreed to represent me. She read my 85,000 word paranormal, Beyond the Beast, and luuuuuved it! *G* (And, lest you think the first agent I queried snatched me up...oh, ho! Would you be wrong. Although my agent quest wasn't a prolonged affair, thank God--I only queried 7 agents (all on my "A" list) over a 3 week period--I did receive rejections from 4 of them, and no responses from 2 of them, and it's been 8 months since I sent out the queries.)

Here's the initial query letter I sent, in case it helps others out there who are starting their agent search. This would also work as a query to an editor, as well. I've put what I included in the letter in italics; my comments are non-italicized in parentheses:

The reputation of the staff at Writers House, LLC is one of professionalism and enthusiasm, and I'm looking for both in an agent. Plus, several of my favorite authors (Linda Howard, Sherrilyn Kenyon and Laurell K. Hamilton to name three) are represented by your firm, and I believe my work would be similar in nature to theirs. (It's all true, plus a little schmoozing never hurts...)

What's an independent woman to do when the ex-boss stalking her turns out to be a homicidal werewolf with delusions of grandeur? She shoots him, of course. Too bad that's not enough to keep him down. (This not only starts giving the premise of the story, it also shows my sense of humor, which comes out in the manuscript as well.) Beyond the Beast is a spicy paranormal romance (85,000 words) that tells the story of Taite Gibson, an independent investigator with the Pima County Attorney's office in Tucson, Arizona. When she finds herself with a maniacal stalker on her trail--a stalker who is also a werewolf--she flees to the Isles of Scilly off the coast of Cornwall to seek the help of renowned horror novelist and werewolf expert Ryder Merrick. What she doesn't know, and discovers only after she's fallen in love with him, is that Ryder, too, is a werewolf.

Afraid he's too much of a danger to others, Ryder is a man who is in self-imposed isolation. He doesn't want Taite on his island, but once she's there he can't bring himself to turn her away. When the other werewolf shows up and threatens to take her, Ryder must decide what's more important--protecting his secret, or helping a woman he's come to recognize as his mate. He has to face his own fears and overcome them.

A desperate drug smuggler, a werewolf, and their own foibles and fears conspire to keep them apart. But in the end, Ryder acknowledges his love for her. And Taite... She's been able to see beyond the beast and loves him in spite of it all. (Don't leave the ending of the story open for the agent to guess at what happens. You can do that in a blurb for a reader, but the agent--or editor--needs to know you've wrapped up the loose ends, and that you've closed the story properly.)

I pitched this story idea at an RWA chapter conference in April, and Monique Patterson of St. Martins requested the full manuscript. I have also had an invitation from Sulay Hernandez at Kensington to revise and resubmit another manuscript, which was the first place winner in the erotic romance category of last year's On the Far Side contest, sponsored by the Futuristic, Fantasy & Paranormal Special Interest Chapter of RWA. Ms. Hernandez also requested that I submit anything else I might have as well. (It's good to let them know of contest wins or that other editors have expressed an interest in your work.)

I am published with Amber Heat, Liquid Silver Books, New Concepts Publishing, and Whiskey Creek Press Torrid. Should you wish to review my credentials more thoroughly, you can go to my website at www.sherrillquinn.com. I have also enclosed a business card that lists my other sites. (Here's where you begin listing your credentials. Doesn't matter if you're not published yet--if you have a particular interest/expertise in an area that is relevant to your book, let them know.)

I coordinated Passionate Plume, the first annual contest for published authors sponsored by Passionate Ink, the erotic romance chapter of RWA. Currently I am the PRO Liaison, Critique Group Coordinator and newsletter co-editor of the Tucson chapter of RWA. (I put this in there to let the agent know how serious I am about my writing career. I do more than just sit on my behind at the computer--I'm out there learning and growing as a writer.)

Please be aware I am querying other agents on this work as well. Thank you for your consideration and time. (Remember, this is a query letter, so it's OK to send out multiple/simultaneous queries. It's a matter of professionalism to let the agent know. And ALWAYS thank them for their time.)

One thing I didn't include that would be all right to do so is an ending line of "I look forward to hearing from you."

Another thing--I misspelled the agent's name. Twice. In the initial query letter AND in the letter that accompanied the partial I sent at her request. This is something people tell you to be VERY careful about--get the agent's name right!

Oy. Vay. What a dweeb. But she graciously overlooked my faux pas, bless her. She's probably used to people getting it wrong but, still... *sigh* Doofus. (Me, not her.)

Hope this is helpful.

And...I have an agent! (doin' the Snoopy dance!)


"The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor." ~Vince Lombardi