At the beginning of 2022 I was deep in my quest to secure a literary agent, and had been for some time. Finding one, let alone achieving a traditional publishing deal, seemed like an impossible dream. Today, my debut thriller has just been published by a leading UK publisher. The road to publication has had its ups and downs (which you can read about in previous blog posts), and these have certainly kept me on my toes.

Eight months ago I wrote a post called ‘Holding Out for a Blue Moon Moment’. This told of my first experiences approaching agents, and most of it was about the inevitable rejection that’s such a huge part of any writer’s life. Four months later I wrote about my journey continuing as I began querying a new book. Now, eighteen months after I sent my first query, I’m finally writing the post I’ve had my heart set on since I started writing about four years ago … it’s the ‘How I Got My Agent’ post!

One year (and thirty-five rejections) on from my first experience of querying, here I am again. The last time it was a middle-grade fantasy, this time it’s a psychological thriller. How are things different this time around?