Exploring the Critical to Compassionate Spectrum

In this episode of Books with Hooks, hosts Bianca, Carly, and CeCe dive into a query for the historical mystery ‘A Body at Rest', exploring the impact of its title, the clarity of its plot threads, and how well the characters’ interiority comes through. They also assess the effectiveness of the prologue and discuss how to strengthen character development. Later, CeCe introduces a second query—this time for an epic fantasy—which sparks a conversation about what makes a strong pitch and where writers often stumble.  Note: Cece Lyra is a literary agent at Wendy Sherman Associates. If you’d like to query CeCe, please refer to the submission guidelines at www.wsherman.com. Carly Watters is a literary agent at P.S. Literary Agency, but her work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly on this podcast are solely that of her as a podcast co-host ​and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency. Find us on our socials: Threads: https://www.threads.net/@the_shit_about_writing https://www.threads.net/@biancamarais_author https://www.threads.net/@carlywatters https://www.threads.net/@cece_lyra_agent Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/ https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/ https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting To sign up for our Substack newsletter, head to https://theshitaboutwriting.substack.com It’s Beta Reader Match Up time again where you can be matched up with those writing in a similar genre and/or time zone, so they can critique your work as you critique theirs. For more information and to register, go to: https://www.biancamarais.com/beta-reader-match-up.html Sign up for CeCe’s Fall Course: Writing Tension Creating Tension, Conflict and Stakes in a Story Our Sponsors: * Check out Rosetta Stone and use my code TODAY for a great deal: https://www.rosettastone.com * Check out TruDiagnostic and use my code TSNOTYAW for a great deal: https://www.trudiagnostic.com * Check out Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.com Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands