Success Story Interview - Ali Zagame

An Interview with Ali Zagame (azagame on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent James McGowan of BookEnds, LLC.

11/21/2025

QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?

Ali Zagame:
My book answers the question: what happens when the supernatural couple grows up? And is it really all that practical to be a werewolf? Definitely inspired by Grady Hendrix, Rachel Harrison, and my love of the supernatural in general.

QT: How long have you been writing?

Ali Zagame:
Since I was little, though professionally, I'd say since 2019.

QT: How long have you been working on this book?

Ali Zagame:
I started it in mid June, finished it in mid September, started querying Sept 28 and got my offer October 31st!

QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?

Ali Zagame:
So many. I had multiple books die on submission with previous representation, but the hardest part was I spent all summer on an R&R for a Big 5 publisher, then the editor ended up leaving and the book floundered. That was so incredibly difficult, heartbreaking, and I wanted to quit. My writing groups kept me afloat, and seeing other stories about authors who got deals after years in submission slogs, etc, was inspiring for me.

QT: Is this your first book?

Ali Zagame:
This is my 6th

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Ali Zagame:
I have a copyediting certificate, otherwise, no.

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

Ali Zagame:
My ADHD would not allow for that haha, though I try to set aside a couple hours before bed to relax, write, read.

QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?

Ali Zagame:
I did two rounds of edits. One for dev edits, another for line edits.

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

Ali Zagame:
Yes, several! I have two fantastic alpha readers (shoutout to M+Z) who read as I write, then once I was halfway through or so, I asked more people to read for me and they finished it as I did. Couldn't ask for better friends/readers, truly.

QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?

Ali Zagame:
I outlined it down to the scene, but that's not usual for me!

QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?

Ali Zagame:
I queried book 1 for three months, got an agent, book 1+2 died on submission. Book 3 wasn't my agent's style, we parted amicably and I queried book 4 from February-August this year, and it died in the trenches. I rage wrote book 5 about a personal thing I was going through from Feb-June, then wrote this one from June - Sept, and it's book 6!

QT: About how many query letters did you send out for this book?

Ali Zagame:
A little over 100+!

QT: On what criteria did you select the agents you queried?

Ali Zagame:
I wanted agents who either have experience or great mentorship, connections to large publishing houses, and of course, seeking my genre. Once I started getting requests, I queried pretty widely to get as many opinions/perspectives as possible, then narrowed it down.

QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?

Ali Zagame:
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I'd add a sentence or two about their MSWL or authors that are similar to me.

QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?

Ali Zagame:
Write the weird thing. Write what you want to read, and don't try to please everyone. Not every beta reader will like your book, and that's okay. Write for yourself first!

Query Letter:

I am seeking representation for TO HAVE AND TO HOWL, a supernatural mystery about moral ambivalence and the sacrifices we make for the people we (maybe shouldn’t) love. Complete at 70,000 words, it features supernatural couple elements as seen in Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison, along with the horror/humor stylings of Santa Clarita Diet and Grady Hendrix.

When Brandy married her high school sweetheart, she knew what she was getting herself into: wild passion, undying loyalty, and a freezer full of discarded limbs to curb his voracious appetite. Eleven years later, she’s thirty-one and completely over scrubbing blood off the basement walls.

Her husband, Caleb, is a werewolf. As a former supernatural-obsessed teen goth, that’s what Brandy loved about him; she even meets with a body broker to supply him with freshly dead chew toys every full moon. But lately, bodies of local residents have been showing up on their property, and Caleb doesn't remember killing them. Brandy wants to believe he's innocent, but the bodies only appear on full moons, covered in all-too-familiar bite marks. Either there's another werewolf in their remote town, or the husband who promised her “no human murders” has lost control, graduating from tearing apart cadavers to hunting living people.

With police (and hunters) closing in, Brandy must either use her intimate knowledge of werewolves to solve the crimes, keep covering for Caleb and risk going down with him, or finally admit that true love shouldn't require this much bleach.