Success Story Interview - Nikki Savoy

An Interview with Nikki Savoy (NikkiSavoy on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Jessica Faust of BookEnds, LLC.

01/24/2024

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

Nikki Savoy:
My debut novel is about a Black woman’s journey to hold on to her piece of the American dream, in an America that’s now mostly Brown, but hasn’t changed all that much.

It’s Jayne Allen’s Black Girls Must Die Exhausted meets Jordan Peele’s Get Out.

I was inspired to write this in the summer of 2020 during the pandemic and the height of national and global protests due to the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor.

QT: How long have you been writing?

Nikki Savoy:
Since elementary school

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

Nikki Savoy:
Since April 2022

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

Nikki Savoy:
I did struggle early in the process. Once I got a few chapters in I didn’t have any direction because I was pantsing, which works for me as a poet and singer-songwriter, but did not work as a novelist. I worked through creating a bit of structure to my pantsing and I’m now a full-fledged pantyliner. And I absolutely love using Scrivener for drafting.

QT: Is this your first book?

Nikki Savoy:
It is.

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Nikki Savoy:
Nope.

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

Nikki Savoy:
I do my best to write every day before work and getting my youngest off to school, and in the early writer mornings on the weekend.

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

Nikki Savoy:
I went through 5 rounds of edits in 2023. One after receiving a revise and resubmit from an agent after my first batch of queries.

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

Nikki Savoy:
I did. It was an essential part of the process for me. I worked with a few of them between each round of edits.

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

Nikki Savoy:
I used a very flexible outline with a few bullets for each chapter to help me go in the right direction. As the story unfolded, I just tweaked the bullets. No heavy outlining and I didn’t have the entire thing fleshed out.

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

Nikki Savoy:
6 months

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

Nikki Savoy:
100 letters over six months. I ended up withdrawing 15 after receiving two offers of representation.

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

Nikki Savoy:
The agents at the top of my list were those looking for thrillers and stories by underrepresented authors. I received two offers, and selected Jessica Faust at BookEnds Literary Agency

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

Nikki Savoy:
I did as much as it made sense. If I watched any of their interviews or saw that they were looking for a book similar to one of my comps I’d make a point to mention it. Otherwise I’d start the query letter with the details of my ms and jump right into the query.

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

Nikki Savoy:
Search far and wide, the worst thing they can say is no. Stay busy by working on your next project! The distraction will be helpful.

Query Letter:

Dear [Insert Agent Name],

I’ve reviewed your submission requirements and have included my synopsis and the first fifty pages of my manuscript. I am seeking representation for my debut novel, SOMETHING STOLEN, an adult thriller complete at 84,125 words, which tightly weaves in narrative elements of women’s fiction. SOMETHING STOLEN could be described as Jayne Allen’s Black Girls Must Die Exhausted meets Get Out (2017 Film by Jordan Peele).

There’s struggle in power. People are desperate. The methods are new. The victims are not.

In the not-too-distant future, in an America that’s now mostly brown but hasn’t changed all that much, Monica Harper-Jordan’s happily ever after feels like a lie, and success is a far cry from what she imagined long ago. In the throes of a years-long heat wave, and in the middle of her first assignment as a law partner, her assistant goes missing and her husband is in a tragic accident that leaves him in critical condition. Her personal and professional life appears to fold in on itself, and everything she’s built is on the brink of collapse.

Certain she can’t handle any more bad news, unanswered questions about her husband's accident fan the flames of her insecurity, while a professional relationship grows more and more disturbing. Will Monica succumb to her deepest fears and watch everything fall apart, or keep her head and uncover what’s unraveling her little piece of the American dream? It’s her choice to make, but some questions are harder to ask when you’re deathly afraid of the answers.

A member of James River Writers, I am based in Richmond, Virginia where I live with my husband and our youngest daughter. I’m a Senior Vice President, Diversity and Inclusion Manager in the finance industry. I’m a woman who dreams of joy and justice and writes about the intersection of Black love and Black pain in search of the two. I write stories I crave to read, stories for and about Black women. In addition to writing novels and reading, I am a singer-songwriter, I enjoy laughter, travel, and good food. Nikki Savoy is my pen name.

Thank you for your consideration. I would be thrilled to send a full manuscript at your request. I look forward to the possibility of partnering with you.

Kindly,

Nikki Savoy
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