Success Story Interview - Jerin Falcon

An Interview with Jerin Falcon (jerinfalcon on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Sara Megibow of Megibow Literary Agency.

08/13/2026

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

Jerin Falcon:
No One Came Looking is an Indigenous supernatural mystery featuring an FBI agent investigating a series of cold cases on his grandmother's reservation as he reunites with his own Native heritage.

I retired after twenty-seven years in tribal, county, and federal law enforcement, much of it working in Indian Country. The people, institutions, and failures behind this story are not abstract to me. I wanted to write a book that entertains readers while taking them inside a world most will never otherwise see.

QT: How long have you been writing?

Jerin Falcon:
My career required constant narrative writing: police reports, warrant affidavits, investigative reports, and operational plans. You are telling a story involving real people and real stakes, and it has to be clear, persuasive, and airtight. I wrote professionally for more than twenty-five years before attempting fiction.

The transition felt smaller than people might expect. The difficult part for me was learning to put emotion on the page. In investigative writing, emotion was something you documented, not something you inhabited.

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

Jerin Falcon:
About six months.

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

Jerin Falcon:
No. Once I started, the book came together quickly. I knew the world, the characters, and the story I wanted to tell.

QT: Is this your first book?

Jerin Falcon:
Yes. It was also my first attempt at writing fiction.

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Jerin Falcon:
No formal fiction training. I received extensive training and experience in investigative and report writing throughout my career.

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

Jerin Falcon:
When I write, I fall into a zone and lose track of time. I have to set an alarm to make myself stop.

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

Jerin Falcon:
A few times. After completing the manuscript, I went back through it and performed my own line edit.

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

Jerin Falcon:
Yes. I sent it to several friends and former colleagues, including people who knew the world and the work portrayed in the novel.

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

Jerin Falcon:
I outlined it. I started with a solid structural skeleton, then fleshed out the scenes and characters as I wrote.

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

Jerin Falcon:
I wrote my first query letter on January 17, 2026, and began querying the following day. This was the first book I queried.

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

Jerin Falcon:
Thirty-one. Those queries produced ten+ full-manuscript requests and four offers of representation.

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

Jerin Falcon:
I targeted agents who represented my genre and specifically expressed interest in Indigenous writers, characters, or themes. I also looked at their clients, sales, agency history, and stated interests.

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

Jerin Falcon:
Yes. I researched each agent and personalized the query whenever I found a genuine connection. That sometimes included mentioning a comparable author they represented or explaining why I believed the manuscript fit their stated interests.

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

Jerin Falcon:
I came to fiction differently from most writers. I completed a full career, retired young, and wrote my first novel about a world I had inhabited for decades. My strongest advice concerns querying.

Research agents the way you would research a case. Know who they are, what they represent, what they have sold, and what they say they want. Treat every query as a document that must be precise, compelling, and supported by the right facts. I essentially approached mine like a warrant affidavit: establish authority, present the essential facts, and give the reader a clear reason to keep going.

My professional background gave me a strong biography, but credentials only help if the pitch works. Sara Megibow’s Query Writing Class is an excellent resource for learning how to build that pitch.

QT: Would you be willing to share your query with us?

Jerin Falcon:
Yes, with one caveat. After I signed with my agent, the manuscript went on submission and was acquired shortly afterward. Because the novel is now being edited for publication, I have redacted the plot summary to avoid revealing spoilers. Everything else appears as submitted.

Query Letter:

SPIRIT WALKER PROTOCOL, subsequently retitled NO ONE CAME LOOKING, is a 72,000-word supernatural thriller.

[PLOT SUMMARY REDACTED: This novel was subsequently acquired by Melissa Rechter at Poisoned Pen Press, an imprint of Sourcebooks, in a two-book deal for publication in fall 2027 and fall 2028.]

I see this shelved alongside The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones and Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden.

The full manuscript is available upon request. Thank you for your time and consideration.