Success Story Interview - Monica Rodden

An Interview with Monica Rodden (mcrauthor2022 on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Nicole Cunningham of The Book Group.

05/30/2024

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

Monica Rodden:
Processing my deconstruction from evangelical Christianity while working at an archive and reading tons of romance novels.

QT: How long have you been writing?

Monica Rodden:
Ten years spent seriously writing novels, but I've been writing since high school (I'm in my thirties).

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

Monica Rodden:
I started drafting this book in early 2022, so about two years ago. I worked on it for about six months, then put it away. I picked it up this year, spent two months revising it, then sent it out.

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

Monica Rodden:
This book was too important and personal for me to give up on it.

QT: Is this your first book?

Monica Rodden:
This is the sixth full book I've written, and I have one published previously.

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Monica Rodden:
I have two degrees in English, but no formal creative writing training.

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

Monica Rodden:
I write between the dog's morning and afternoon walks.

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

Monica Rodden:
Three times.

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

Monica Rodden:
Yes, two.

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

Monica Rodden:
I outlined but not heavily. I wrote a synopsis and a three act structure to help guide me.

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

Monica Rodden:
I queried this book for 19 days before getting my first offer. The majority of my queries were sent within one week. The total process took 40 days.

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

Monica Rodden:
146

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

Monica Rodden:
They were open to queries and represented women's fiction and/or romance.

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

Monica Rodden:
Most of my queries were not specific to the agent. I was counting on the book's hook to do the heavy-lifting.

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

Monica Rodden:
You have to be very resilient and really want to achieve the goal of traditional publication. You have to be willing to write multiple books and query a lot. Consider working with a freelance editor or an author coach if you're not having luck. There are a lot of great resources out there that can help you refine your craft and give you support during the process.

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

Monica Rodden:
Yes. See below.

Query Letter:

Dear [AGENT NAME],

I am a young author who has been published by Random House [xxxxx] and The Boston Globe. Though previously represented by [xxxxx], I am currently seeking new representation, as I am shifting my focus from mystery to women’s fiction/upmarket romance.

PAST AND THE PRODIGAL GIRL is a 92k-word high concept romance novel with series potential. It translates the religious trauma discussed in THE EXVANGELICALS and PURE into a love story similar to IT ENDS WITH US without physical violence. But the stakes are still high because this protagonist didn’t just leave her toxic husband, but also the God of fundamentalist Christianity, who might be even worse. If you’re looking for a unique spin on a contemporary romance written for an upmarket audience that delves into complex social issues, this is it.

Caroline Rey walked away from the church five years ago, and she’s fine. Really. An archivist for the city of Waterloo, she prides herself on the meticulous preservation of history, though her love for the past doesn’t extend to her own. When she meets fellow city employee Evan Rutherford and begins her first real relationship since her deconversion, she is forced to confront the trauma regarding her previous life, her devastating marriage, and even her own body and desires. Evan, meanwhile, has his own demons—a sordid family history and a rigid perfectionism driven by a fear of repeating old mistakes. After the archive (and Caroline) teach him more about Waterloo, including a 100-year-old plan that tore apart the city and its people, he realizes ugly truths don’t stay buried unless people want them to be. But once you excavate everything…then what? If you bring the past into the present, and it’s bad, is a future even possible? Or is everything just too fallen to be redeemed? For Caroline, the answer hinges on one of the best things the church ever taught her: grace. Except this time it doesn’t come from God, but from herself.

I began drafting this book after January 6th, an event that also galvanized me to write about the religious undertones in the insurrection for The Boston Globe (“xxxxx”). This manuscript is a continuation of the themes of that article, as well as a culmination of my experience deconstructing from white evangelical Christianity while working at an archive.

In what some have called “The Great Dechurching”, over forty million Americans have stopped attending church in the past twenty-five years (including myself). There has been a recent flood of nonfiction, memoir, documentaries, and even podcasts and music on this topic (JESUS AND JOHN WAYNE, THE WOMAN THEY WANTED, SHINY HAPPY PEOPLE, LEAVING EDEN, PREACHER’S KID), but a scarcity of fiction. I believe there is a huge untapped market here, a whole generation that is hungry for a story about healing from these very specific wounds. Over the past several years, I have spent countless hours reading about and listening to pain that mirrors mine, trying to understand how it all happened and where we go from here. I have poured everything I’ve learned into this book, the story of a prodigal who never returns because the further she walks from the gates of heaven, the more she realizes it was a cage the whole time.

Thank you for your consideration,