I'm an author who comes from a family of detectives, including a grandfather who filled my childhood with true crime stories I learned not to repeat at daycare. My novel, CHASE HARLEM, won the grand prize for the Monroe-Walton Center for the Arts New Writers Contest 2021 as well as the 2023 Killer Nashville Claymore Award for Best Unpublished Investigator Novel. I've had had stories and poetry published in Sojourn Literary Magazine, Dewpoint Literary Magazine, The Moonlit Road, and Southern Quill. I've also sold stories to the podcast, Chilling Tales for Dark Nights. I'm represented by Rachel Beck of Liza Dawson Associates.
How to Write a Query Letter
Published 2 months ago • 3 min read
How to Write a Query Letter
March 3, 2026
Hello Reader,
Welcome to the last Tuesday Tips for Writers! I hope some of you have found this series helpful. For today's tip, we're talking about Query Letters. A Query Letter is what an author who wants to be traditionally published would send to a literary agent or publisher. It should give a brief description of the author's book in hopes that the agent will request a full manuscript.
If you're an author who's completed your first manuscript, please feel free to follow along here, and send me any questions you may have.
What you need to write a good Query letter:
Personalization: Greet the agent like you've done your research.
Hook: 1-3 sentences that draw the agent in. Remember, agents get about 500 queries a day, so make yours stand out!
Book: 3-4 sentences describing your book. (Yes, this is the hard part, but you’ll get there.)
Cook: Your bio! Make sure to mention any experience you have as an author.
Now, let's break this down.
Personalization:
Google the agent you want to query. If your book resembles any of the books they've already represented, say that.
EXAMPLE: I was excited that you represent Stella Cameron. My manuscript, OUTSIDE PARADISE, is a character-driven mystery with a healthy helping of suspense, similar to her THE PLAYING FIELDS.
Hook:
These two or three sentences are meant to get the agent's attention. My writing is often comedic, so I usually try to make this funny. If you have a quirky character, and interesting set up, or an unusual setting, this may work for you. Keep in mind, my hook as the last thing I wrote because it is so important.
EXAMPLE: There are four things Kelsey Cash needs to be happy: white sand beaches, a piña colada, a healthy royalty check from her newest mystery novel, and for the Gulf Shores police department to stop calling her "Crazy Cash."
Cook:
Don't have a hefty writing resume? That's fine. Agents want to see that you're working on your craft. Mention the workshops you've attended or newsletters you've followed, like this one!
List the workshops you've attended. If you're a part of any writing organizations, mention those. If you're a member of a critique group or even a fanfiction community, mention it here. If you use social media, tell the agent.
EXAMPLE: As a member of Sisters in Crime, I actively work with critique groups to hone my craft.
The Query that got me my agent:
Dear Liza Dawson,
I was excited that you represent Stella Cameron. My manuscript, OUTSIDE PARADISE, is a character-driven mystery with a healthy helping of suspense, similar to her THE PLAYING FIELDS. My manuscript is complete at 82,000 words, and it would sit nicely on the shelf next to Hannah Morrissey’s WHEN I’M DEAD or Sian Gilbert’s SHE STARTED IT.
There are four things Kelsey Cash needs to be happy: white sand beaches, a piña colada, a healthy royalty check from her newest mystery novel, and for the Gulf Shores, Alabama police department to stop calling her "Crazy Cash."
The silent ghost of a murdered teenager has other ideas. When Kelsey was 12, she found the body of missing teen, Amber Carpenter, floating in the lagoon, and the ghost of Amber has never left her. Literally. When Amber leads her to a murder scene eerily similar to that of the spirit's own unsolved murder, Kelsey is certain the cases are connected.
As Kelsey and Amber hunt down clues and try to connect Amber's case to the latest murder, Kelsey faces death threats from the suspects and derision from the police. When another body drops and the chief detective's own daughter is taken by the killer, they must all work together to bring the murderer to justice before it's too late.
I amicably parted ways with my agent in July of 2023. Then, I won the Killer Nashville Claymore Award for Best Unpublished Investigator Novel of 2023 and my mystery, CHASE HARLEM, was acquired by Rising Action Publishing. A member of Sisters in Crime, I actively work with critique groups to hone my craft. I run the book blog, https://coupleofbeesread.com/, which has amassed over 14K subscribers across platforms and has over 6,000 monthly views.
OUTSIDE PARADISE is a standalone novel with series potential set in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
Sydney Jones moves to a cozy little northern town to start a new life, but when she joins the weekly bowling league at Riverbowl, she gets much more than she bargained for.
When the county coroner is murdered, Fenway Stevenson is thrust into a spotlight she never wanted as interim coroner. She's immediately faced with a murder that his far to close to home.
I'm an author who comes from a family of detectives, including a grandfather who filled my childhood with true crime stories I learned not to repeat at daycare. My novel, CHASE HARLEM, won the grand prize for the Monroe-Walton Center for the Arts New Writers Contest 2021 as well as the 2023 Killer Nashville Claymore Award for Best Unpublished Investigator Novel. I've had had stories and poetry published in Sojourn Literary Magazine, Dewpoint Literary Magazine, The Moonlit Road, and Southern Quill. I've also sold stories to the podcast, Chilling Tales for Dark Nights. I'm represented by Rachel Beck of Liza Dawson Associates.
