Success Story Interview - Melissa Hawkes

An Interview with Melissa Hawkes (melissahawkesauthor on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Safae El-Ouahabi of Rogers, Coleridge & White.

02/04/2026

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

Melissa Hawkes:
My book is an adventurous young adult and fantasy story, loosely inspired by my childhood in the UK foster care system. The plot essentially revolves around the rebirth of the God of Death! There are duplicitous demons, forbidden love, shadow assassins, foresight, and so much more!

Here’s a short logline: Verina Laskaris, an assassin for the God of Death, hopes to win a tournament that will see the return of half her soul. The tournament will end when one chosen individual is murdered, and the God of Death will walk the mortal realm once more. After living a decade with only half a soul, will Verina become Death’s Champion, or will she lose the freedom she’s been searching for all this time?

QT: How long have you been writing?

Melissa Hawkes:
Since childhood! I grew up watching my autistic siblings write fantastical stories and fell in love with reading. That soon turned into wanting to write a book of my own! This has been a career goal of mine since probably the age of six! (And six-year-old Melly was determined to see it through!)

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

Melissa Hawkes:
This is a complicated question to answer because I started the draft for this specific storyline in December 2024 and secured my agent in December 2025. However, I’ve been working on a novel for the past three years, shelving many previous story ideas.

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

Melissa Hawkes:
I genuinely think I’m just too stubborn for that! I have worked extremely hard at having a resilient mindset, and I think growing up in foster care helped develop this. There’s never been a time for me that I’ve felt like giving up, and I’ve always understood that things like this don’t just happen, rather you constantly have to work hard and work towards it.

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Melissa Hawkes:
None! I took a few writing courses with CBC and also had a Masterclass subscription (which was so worth it) but other than that I used trusty YouTube and Google to further my knowledge.

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

Melissa Hawkes:
It’s taken me a while to intuitively write, ensuring that I’m holding myself accountable whilst giving my brain the rest it needs sometimes too. I’m fortunate enough to have a 4-day working week with my full-time job, so I’d usually write for at least 3-4 hours on a Friday and then at least 1-2 hours per weekend day. I will try to write after work on some days too, however, if I’m too exhausted from the day’s affairs I’ll give my brain the rest it deserves. I think new writers often feel like they need to be writing 24/7 to see some progress, but in my experience, that’s not the case. It’s so important to give your brain a recovery period to allow yourself the opportunity to write at your best.

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

Melissa Hawkes:
Is it alarming to share that I shelved my story FIVE times before finding success with storyline number six? I also found that (because of my stubbornness I mentioned in an earlier question) I would have to write 60,000+ words and get onto the second draft of each before realising that the plot wasn’t working and moving onto the next shelve. I’d then take the things I did like from the previous story (characters, plot points, world building) and include them in the next story. As mentioned, I repeated this, rather painstaking, process six times!

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

Melissa Hawkes:
I had a wonderful Alpha Reader who writes horror and is being published with Titan Books (so exciting!!) I also put my novel through Faber Academy’s manuscript review service twice. The feedback from everyone was so helpful and gave me a clear direction on how I could improve certain aspects.

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

Melissa Hawkes:
I’m definitely an outliner, though I do like to leave some room for spur-of-the-moment creativity. I used these fantastic worldbuilding templates from Eva Deverell and also used a mixture of the three-act and save the cat plot structures.

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

Melissa Hawkes:
I think I’m incredibly lucky because I was only querying for 56 days - less than two months and this includes the Christmas holiday period. I sent my first query on 20th November 2025 and signed with my agent on 14th January 2026. I was honoured to have been chosen by esteemed author, Andy Darcy Theo (The Light That Blinds Us series) to take part in his 4-week writing course alongside other talented writers. At the end of the course, we were each able to send him the first chapter from our WIPs. I did so, he loved it, and asked whether he could mention my name to his agent (spoiler: I ended up signing with his agent!) I then went through the usual querying process with his agent, as well as others, and made sure to track my progress on QueryTracker.

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

Melissa Hawkes:
Because I’d had such a great response to querying, I only sent one batch of 10 queries and received a 40% full request rate.

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

Melissa Hawkes:
I mostly went for agents who had a track record of selling to publishers with higher marketing budgets; particularly the Big 5 and their imprints. I also did thorough deep dives of their wishlists and agent profiles to see whether I felt like they’d be a good match for my book and my career.

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

Melissa Hawkes:
Yes! I did my research on each agent to see which other authors they represent in my genre and included that in the query, as well as any specific details such as notes from their wishlists. One agent even grew up in foster care, so I made sure to highlight the similarity between us both there.

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

Melissa Hawkes:
Query in batches! I’ve seen so many jump the gun and batch query 30+ agents all in one go, with very few results and no opportunity to then update your query package and try again. Don’t exhaust all your options and don’t query absolutely everyone on your ‘top-tier dream agent’ list in batch one either.

Query Letter:

I am writing to you because I am seeking representation for a YA fantasy novel I have written and I am hopeful that after reading this email Name Taker will be the next novel you wish to represent. You describe in your wishlist wanting a piece of work that touches on the gritty realisms of life, and I hope you'll find this well within the first few paragraphs.

At the age of nine, Verina Laskaris was murdered and met Xatar, the God of Death. Cursed by his own kind to forever remain in the underworld, unable to set foot on mortal lands, Xatar offered her a choice. Either be ushered onto the endless and be at rest or become his assassin, a Name Taker. As a Name Taker, half of Verina’s soul was stolen by Xatar, allowing her to walk between the underworld and the mortal realm, whilst remaining tethered to him as his servant. That is until the God of Death sensed one mortal with the power of the Gods, their death being the only thing that may release him from his curse. Only, he could not set foot on mortal lands. But Verina Laskaris, along with the hundreds of other Name Takers Xatar had created, could. A deal was struck; whoever murders this mortal with Godly power will receive the half of their soul Xatar stole and be free to walk on mortal lands untethered once more. Verina journeys across the sea, escaping hordes of vicious monsters in the process, and partakes in a race that could mean not just her freedom, but her chance to escape Xatar’s hold on her and seek her long-lost brother. After living a decade with only half a soul, will Verina become Death’s Champion or will she lose the freedom she’s been searching for all this time?

The central themes of this XXX-word high-stakes novel include redemption, loneliness, and fantastical adventure, with dark academia undertones. This book would find a primary audience amongst fans of the tyrannical world-building style of To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods (Molly X. Chang) and the chaotic, yet loveable found family adored by readers of Godkiller (Hannah Kaner).

Name Taker is the first novel I am seeking to traditionally publish and the first in, what I hope to be, a duology or trilogy. I have completed a mentorship with Melissa Welliver (Soulmates and Other Ways to Die, Scholastic) as well as completed a 4-week writing course led by Andy Darcy Theo (The Light That Blinds Us, Simon & Schuster) who will provide author endorsement quotes upon publication. Finally, I have had two manuscript reviews from Faber Academy to develop Name Taker, with feedback that reads, ‘Name Taker is an action-packed YA fantasy adventure with plenty of creativity to grab a reader’s imagination. The plot moves quickly and pulls the reader along easily, and with elements like dead Gods and duplicitous demons, there’s plenty to get your teeth into, making for an engaging read.’ Name Taker is loosely inspired by my experiences within the foster care system. It is inspired by the reality that, like my main character, when my brother and I were taken into foster care we were separated into different foster homes. One reader at Faber Academy said, ‘I am so touched to read about how it is inspired by your own experiences in the foster care system and your relationship with your brother, and you can feel that authenticity come through in the story.'

Thank you for your time and consideration. As per your guidelines, I have attached a synopsis and the first three chapters.