Announcement!

Draft one of Coven is complete, and the day I finished it, I sat back, wiped the tears from my face, and felt a deep sense of pride.

Choke and Burn felt simple by comparison. Creating a story, even loosely, based on my own life required much less effort, and while I truly love those books, I look at Coven through a completely different lens.

Coven required hours of research.

I wanted to include historically accurate pieces.

I wanted to be sensitive to victims of violent sexual crimes.

I wanted to honour the children that our system has repeatedly failed.

I read police files, listened to victim testimonies, and stockpiled news articles for reference. I've consumed so much traumatic content throughout this project, and the end result is that I'm no less angry than I was before I began.

Even now, as I write a post intended to be an exciting update, I find myself biting back tears.

I digress. After three rounds of line edits on Coven, I felt like I had something solid. Something I am both proud and excited to share with the world. I sat back and asked myself how I could do the story the most justice.

Last year, after finishing Choke, I did some research on Literary Agents. I am so new to writing, with a limited understanding of how to go about things, but I do love the show Californication. I love Hank and Charlie's relationship, as unrealistic as it is, and that limited information led me to researching Canada's top Literary Agencies.

Through that simple act, I found Carleen. I immediately loved her vibe from her headshot. So I went and found her on social media.

This whole story is a perfect explanation of how my brain and ADHD work, because it was a fleeting thought that led me to Carleen. Then I forgot all about literary agents and agencies, and enjoyed following my new IG friend.

Months passed. The holidays came and went.

My plan was to release Coven as soon as possible, but it was delayed when some of my art arrived a little later than I had anticipated.

The illustrator I used (Lulybot on IG) was transparent, and I wasn't frustrated with her at all. Her work is stunning, and she set clear expectations. However, I really should credit her for the way things have worked out, because if she had delivered the piece a week earlier, I would have moved forward with ordering special editions and self-publishing Coven.

But I didn't.

Instead, I was gifted the opportunity to see Carleen post that she was starting the new year with a call for queries. Her post listed the work she was keen to read, and as I read it, I checked the boxes where Coven fit.

Thriller

Horror

Suspense

Mystery

Romance

Historical

check, check, check, check, check...

Immersive settings, platonic love, complicated family dynamics, weird, real-world plots, ambiguous endings, dark, dreadful, scary, revenge, spiritual practices, more.

I read her post at least a dozen times, looking for reasons not to submit Coven. Ultimately, the only reason I came up with was my fear of rejection. How would I handle it if Coven were rejected, even though I believe it's great and tells an important story?

I wrote my query. I sent it to a couple of friends for feedback.

Then, with sweaty palms and a racing heart, I pressed send.

The auto-response said it would take up to 6 months for them to respond. That was on January 5th.

When my special editions arrived on January 22nd, I went to my Sent folder to email folks an update and noticed my query had an unread response, which was strange, since there was nothing in my inbox.

Turns out, one week after I submitted my query, they replied asking for more information. When I didn't reply for 8 damn days, they sent a follow-up. The following few weeks were a period of personal chaos as I provided the requested information.

There is a lot that I can be patient with. I work in GovTech sales. I am used to long sales cycles. I can honestly say I have never clicked refresh more than I have since January 22nd. Again and again. Trying to practice restraint, trying to respect Carleen's boundaries by not bombarding her on social media.

We scheduled a call for February 13th, after she had a chance to read the entire manuscript.

I went into that call with very few expectations, but hoping for the best.

There is something so incredibly validating about having an industry professional tell you they enjoyed your book and believe in it.

With that, I am so beyond proud to announce I have signed on with Carleen Geisler of P.S. Literary Agency.

Coven is heading into round one of proper edits, and I cannot wait to give you all the experience you deserve with the story.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for supporting this wild ride. This wouldn't have been possible without the ongoing support I've received over the last 14 months. The little girl who wrote stories, who wanted to write stories for a living, cannot believe this is her life.

Chase your dreams. Let your belief in yourself be unwavering.

Surround yourself with people who also believe in you.

Thank you for believing in me.

Shit is about to get real!

xoxo,

Meg