Success Story Interview - Rachael Wright

An Interview with Rachael Wright (rachael_m_wright on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Ruth Gila Berger of Red Sofa Literary.

11/12/2025

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

Rachael Wright:
Mistress Morrigan is the story of a woman who in 1830 saves the right woman from the wrong man by helping her through a miscarriage. She is then forced to flee Glasgow as the man accuses her of performing an abortion. Morrigan is the last of a line of witches who serve the Scottish goddess Cailleach. I was inspired to write this book because I wanted to explore the idea of how women keep themselves safe from men and what that looks like even if you are lucky enough to have powers.

QT: How long have you been writing?

Rachael Wright:
I have been writing for over a decade and I’m also a journalist.

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

Rachael Wright:
I have been working on Mistress Morrigan since late 2023 and finished the first draft within a few months. I started querying in July 2025 and got an offer at the end of October 2025.

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

Rachael Wright:
There have been so many times. It wasn’t necessarily that I wanted to give up but that I felt like it just wasn’t going to happen for me. I have been lucky enough to have support from my spouse but what has been the biggest reason that I stayed the course is that I just couldn’t stop. Writing has been a lifeline for me for so long. I do have an undying love for the craft.

QT: Is this your first book?

Rachael Wright:
No, my first novel, The Twins of Strathnaver, a book about a family that can see and speak to ghosts, came out September 2025 with Green Avenue Books.

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Rachael Wright:
I have two Bachelor’s degrees in History and Political Science and my day job is as a journalist.

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

Rachael Wright:
Yes my schedule is to write in every spare moment I have. I’m constantly thinking about my characters, the story, the plot, the history. Everything. I can’t turn off either my parent brain or my writer brain.

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

Rachael Wright:
Three

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

Rachael Wright:
I had fewer beta readers than with my last book, I narrowed it down to three people I really trust that would read the book quickly they were phenomenal.

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

Rachael Wright:
I outlined this book because I wanted to get the pacing and plot spotless.

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

Rachael Wright:
With my first book, The Twins of Strathnaver, I queried for over a year. With Mistress Morrigan it has been 4.5 months.

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

Rachael Wright:
About 100

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

Rachael Wright:
I selected agents that I knew had a desire for women’s fiction with magical and historical elements. I wanted an agent that was excited for me to lean into Scottish myth and folklore while also retaining the historicity.

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

Rachael Wright:
A few of them had requested the full manuscript of my previous novel and I thanked them for that. In my research I always looked for clients of theirs who had written books that I felt were similar in genre and theme to mine. I also queried newer agents who didn’t have sales yet. I don’t think tailoring is necessary but research definitely is.

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

Rachael Wright:
It’ll take longer than you think and it’s hard and rejection is hard but if you love writing and if you believe in your story and in the future stories you want to tell, then just keep going. And send out as many queries as you want!!!!

Query Letter:

DEAR AGENT,
I'm seeking representation for MISTRESS MORRIGAN a professionally edited 98,000-word novel of gothic women's fiction set in post-Highland Clearances Scotland. Mistress Morrigan has echoes of the romance of Thomas Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd as well as the magic and family ties of The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young and Emilia Hart's Weyward.

When a witch hunt gets under way for an abortionist who helped the wrong woman Morrigan Chattan’s dying grandmother forces her to flee. Only at the coast does Morrigan stop running and while desperate to stay anonymous she’s begged to save the life of a mother. Against her better judgement Morrigan resumes healing. On the day rot creeps into her garden and her magic fails for the first time, three old friends stagger into Inverhope begging for sanctuary. Accused of witchcraft, abortion, and murder, they face the noose unless Morrigan can spirit them across the Atlantic and out of the clutches of British Justice.

Hot on their trail is a paunchy vindictive Glaswegian lawman who barrels into Morrigan's life demanding cooperation and information. The docks are patrolled night and day, and Morrigan can't pay for three berths. As her magic is cannibalized by a darkness in her very bones, as lovers turn to witch-hunters, as Morrigan is accused of the murder of her ex-lover's mother, she must risk entrusting the truth to the only man capable of keeping her from the scaffold.

I am a Colorado-based journalist, an active member of Scotland's 1745 Association, and my debut novel was published by Green Avenue Books in September 2025, a small hybrid publisher specializing in fantasy.

Sincerely,

Rachael Wright