Success Story Interview - Alma Tallahassee

An Interview with Alma Tallahassee (atallahassee on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Francesca Riccardi of Kate Nash Literary Agency.

03/19/2026

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

Alma Tallahassee:
DIVORCE THE LIGHT is a gothic horror set in 1890s England, about a doctor who comes to an isolated estate to consult on the case of a reclusive woman with a mysterious illness. I've always loved gothic fiction in general but for this one I was specifically inspired by CRIMSON PEAK and INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE, particularly the AMC adaptation of the latter. Also, as an autistic writer I really wanted to write a horror story from the lens of an autistic protagonist.

QT: How long have you been writing?

Alma Tallahassee:
I've been writing non-fiction for over a decade and fiction for around eight years.

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

Alma Tallahassee:
I had the idea mid-2025, started working on it a little then and put it down for a while, then finished it in around three months once I picked it back up.

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

Alma Tallahassee:
Oh, a bunch. I agonised over my query letter, over my word count, over the fact that the book might be too weird. My partner helped me stay sane and reminded me of why I was doing it, which is to write the horrible toxic lesbian representation I want to see in the world.

QT: Is this your first book?

Alma Tallahassee:
Yes!

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Alma Tallahassee:
I have had journalism training, but no formal training for fiction.

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

Alma Tallahassee:
I was lucky (or unlucky) enough to have recently lost my job while I was writing this book, which meant I had a lot of extra time on my hands I normally wouldn't have had while I looked for something else. In that time I pretty much treated writing as my full-time job and wrote during the day; it was pretty much the only thing that kept me sane!

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

Alma Tallahassee:
My partner, who is also a Horror writer, read the book as I wrote it like a serial and gave me real-time feedback which was incredibly helpful when I got lost in the weeds of the plot at times. She also beta read it once it was complete, and I had a couple of other beta readers as well.

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

Alma Tallahassee:
I wrote the first couple of chapters off the top of my head to see if the story had legs, which is how I tend to write in general. Then once I could see myself writing more in that world and with these characters I outlined all the big beats, twists, and the ending. After that, I outlined scenes to come until the next big story beat, then once I reached that I repeated the process. So I'm mostly an outline writer with a bit of discovery thrown in!

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

Alma Tallahassee:
This was my first time querying a book, and I got my offer two months to the day after I started querying.

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

Alma Tallahassee:
I sent 108 queries in total.

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

Alma Tallahassee:
It's not over until it's over. Each time you receive a rejection, send another query to pick yourself up. Celebrate every win, big or small, because statistically you will have fewer of those than you will rejections. This is Horror-specific, but I think it can apply to other genres too: write all the out-there, sickening, specific stuff your heart desires, because the unique things that fascinate you as a writer are what will make your book truly stand out. And most importantly believe in your book; that's going to make others want to believe in it, too.

Query Letter:

Dear Francesca,

I was so pleased to see historical novels focusing on lesser-known experiences and weird fiction on your wishlist, and I am thrilled to put forward a query for my gothic horror debut novel, DIVORCE THE LIGHT.

Complete at 100,000 words, DIVORCE THE LIGHT, a vampiric tale that blends the chilling conventions of the gothic genre with a compelling lesbian romance in a historical setting, has elements that would entice fans of THE DEATH OF JANE LAWRENCE, THIRST, HUNGERSTONE, and BURY OUR BONES IN THE MIDNIGHT SOIL.

In 1890s England, Florence Lodge, an autistic doctor, is called to consult on the case of Elizabeth Fortescue in an isolated house on the moors. Dissatisfied with her life in London and tired of not being taken seriously by her peers, Florence jumps at the chance to treat Elizabeth even though her letter seems too good to be true— she is offering a hefty consulting fee, unrestricted access to her home, and says she wants to meet Florence's every need. Upon Florence's arrival at Hillthorn, Elizabeth's sprawling estate, Florence finds herself caught in Elizabeth's thrall, all while having to cure her of a life-threatening bout of cholera. The two women strike up a relationship rife with tension as they toe the line between doctor and patient, guest and host, and hunter and prey. As it becomes increasingly obvious that Elizabeth is a vampire, Florence also has to navigate a much less overt threat: Hillthorn is haunted and very much alive, and it will not let her go. On one rare day out of Hillthorn's grasp, Florence meets Jack Vernon, a charming blacksmith who seems harrowed by her own history with Elizabeth and her house. As Florence grows closer to both Jack and Elizabeth, she unwittingly forces them to revisit their painful past and brings about irreversible change to all of their lives. But even as the three women find an equilibrium together, it becomes clear that Hillthorn is not finished with Elizabeth, and she will have to reckon with the bodies the house is built on or doom them all.