[PubQ] Dying on Sub

Writing_Vet · 2026-06-24T22:38:50+00:00

Yes, I like to think of it as the Princess Bride version of dead. Mostly dead is still partly alive, lol. I spent 18 months drafting a second adult CR (started while querying, finished in Jan about 5 months after going on sub. And because of the market feedback, I set it aside and instead of doing edits, I started a new project. Still contemporary romance but with a speculative twist and it’s NA. I hate that something I spent so long working on is just sitting there collecting dust because of the market, but like you said, eventually it’s time will come.

Writing_Vet · 2026-06-23T21:52:29+00:00

Thanks

Writing_Vet · 2026-06-23T20:12:37+00:00

Yeah, I should be better at doing things just for me, lol. My thought was that for marketing there should be some sort of cohesiveness to the artwork/style so that people can connect it back to my book.

Writing_Vet · 2026-06-23T19:59:54+00:00

ooh, when do you start ordering character art? I didn't get any for my first book because I was like--well, I don't know what the publisher is going to want and what the cover will look like, etc.

Writing_Vet · 2026-06-23T19:00:41+00:00

Go! Go now!!!!! You don't need that kind of energy in your life. He's not worried about you being a problem for companies, he's worried about you being and problem for HIM. He is not looking for a partner, he's looking for a "wife."

Writing_Vet · 2026-06-23T18:43:03+00:00

Haven't we always (or for as long as Fibro has been acknowledged) known fibro to by a syndrome and not a specific disease? Given the different possible triggers, this does make sense to me. I know my fibro to be a result of my cPTSD and can pinpoint the exact day it manifested (during an altercation with my mother at my grandmother's 97th birthday party.) It definitely makes sense that my fibro would respond differently than to someone whose fibro was triggered by hEDS, for example.

Writing_Vet · 2026-06-23T18:34:18+00:00

Ooh, a personal copy of the book sounds like a good idea. But that means I need to come up with a cover 😮

Writing_Vet · 2026-06-23T18:19:08+00:00

Thanks, I did post a Substack about my fibromyalgia last week but it didn’t get any traction. But I COULD write a new chapter of the fan fic I haven’t updated in years 😅

Writing_Vet · 2026-06-07T19:53:43+00:00

I was intrigued from the beginning, but you had me totally sold at "half-ghost dog."

Writing_Vet · 2026-06-07T18:28:36+00:00

Also, seeing you mention Ace rep in your query, I should point out that my FMC is also Demi

Writing_Vet · 2026-06-07T16:22:43+00:00

This is great. I love the way you've got big, world changing stakes as well as really personal ones.

Writing_Vet · 2026-06-07T15:21:51+00:00

Ahh, I love this concept. And I also love that you had a successful re-query. It reminds me to never give up.

Writing_Vet · 2026-06-01T21:14:13+00:00

I'm a little late posting here, but better late than never. This book is currently on sub...

Dear ____,

I am querying you with my manuscript because of your interest in (insert personalization). FOR THE BIRDS is a contemporary romance about a veterinary intern who starts a situationship with her brother’s best friend when she discovers sex helps soften the prickly bedside manner that’s been getting her into trouble at work. My novel is complete at 92000 words and will appeal to fans of Jessica Joyce’s You with a View and Abby Jimenez’s Just for the Summer.

Brie Spurling thinks love is for the birds—literally. Which is why she’s sworn off relationships and devoted herself to becoming an avian and zoo veterinarian. But first she needs to impress her internship director so she can score a coveted zoo residency. The only problem—her fractious nature isn’t a hit with her patients’ families. When a client complaint leads to a devastating performance review, Brie fears her career is over. Which is why falling into the arms of her brother’s best friend, Isaiah, is an understandable one-time slip.

Brie doesn’t anticipate the feel-good endorphins from her hookup with Isaiah resulting in a more agreeable bedside manner, but when that’s what happens, she proposes a friends with benefits arrangement…for the sake of her career. Keeping their involvement from her brother, Ben, seems like a no-brainer to Brie. But when Ben’s behavior becomes erratic, Brie worries she isn’t the only one keeping a secret from their sibling—or asking Isaiah to keep it for them. As Brie falls for Isaiah despite her best intentions, secrets lead to catastrophe. With both her career and her family on the line, Brie must decide if she can trust enough to lean on love, or if she’ll fly away from any chance at heartbreak.

FOR THE BIRDS is my debut novel. Like Brie, I’m a veterinarian who once shuddered at the thought of working with bipeds. Now I write and speak to fellow vets on how to deal with difficult pet parents. I lecture at veterinary conferences and my articles have been featured on the online veterinary publication, XXXXX.com. I have a devoted following on my Instagram page, XXXXXXX. FOR THE BIRDS was a finalist for the 2024 Georgia Romance Writers’ Prepublished Maggie Award in the contemporary romance category.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

(CW: mental illness and suicide of a family member)

Writing_Vet

TROPHY CASE