Last week, I did a pitch to an agent during a writers’ conference. I’d sweated over preparing my first query letter and honed my first page to what I thought was not cringe-inducing. All bright and eager, I sat myself down in front of the cool, pale agent. On the sign-up page, the conference organizers said she was seeking, “relatable themes that will resonate with books clubs and reading groups”. I thought that’s what I had to offer. Her first words to me were, “What do you want to talk about?” I admit, I gaped as my thoughts raced. I’d expected her to tell me to launch into my synopsis. Instead, she fussed in her pile of papers and took out my two pages.…

+Read more