Dashboard Literary Agents Success Story Interviews Sabrina Powell

Success Story Interview - Sabrina Powell

An Interview with Sabrina Powell (sabrinap on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Haley Warrington of The Booker Albert Literary Agency.

10/13/2025

QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?: Sabrina Powell:
I’LL FIND YOUR BONES is a speculative horror about obsession and belief. It follows the main character, Cain, who gets tangled up in a codependent relationship with the foreboding spirit of decay that haunts his hometown.

I get my inspiration from a mix of art (classic literature, museum archives, songs with lyrics that sound like poetry), as well as my personal life experiences. The tiny Mississippi hometown where my late grandfather was raised serves as direct inspiration for the fictional setting of my book. All of my books — written and unwritten — are vaguely inspired by a perfect storm of multiple of these sources of inspiration. For this one in particular, it was a mix of the atmosphere of Hozier songs with the storytelling abilities of Jordan Peele.
QT: How long have you been writing?: Sabrina Powell:
Ever since I could read, I’ve been writing fiction. I started writing full-length books in high school, and while searching for options to bind my school’s literary magazine, I found an online book printing service that was quick and easy. I printed one of my own books just to determine the quality of the service. Something about unboxing a novel that I had created and holding it in my hands made it clear that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
QT: How long have you been working on this book?: Sabrina Powell:
This book has been a whirlwind. I had the first inklings of an idea in October 2024 and finished the first draft in May 2025.
QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?: Sabrina Powell:
If I’m being honest, there was never a time that I felt like giving up on this book. I wrote it for myself and poured my heart into it. There was definitely a period of time where I considered not publishing it, but what helped was stepping back and remembering why I started: to explore something honest about identity and grief.
QT: Is this your first book?: Sabrina Powell:
It will be my first published book! I have several finished books and tons of half-baked drafts sitting in my drive.
QT: Do you have any formal writing training?: Sabrina Powell:
I have a B.A. in English Literature and have taken a few workshops here and there. Most of what I learned came from trial and error and a lot of humility.
QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?: Sabrina Powell:
I do my best work in the late hours of the night, but I advise against a schedule like that. It was an incidental result of too much caffeine and a terrible sleep schedule. I also have a rule: even if I don’t write one day, I have to read or otherwise consume literature. Whether that be my own story or a recent release to get a grasp on the current market, I make sure that I either read or write something every day.
QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?: Sabrina Powell:
The story went through one major rewrite and one round of edits after my beta readers got a hold of it, which prompted another round of edits in response to their feedback. I tend to edit as I go, and there’s still quite a bit to go with it, but Haley is an editorial agent and has been rooting for me ever since I first queried her.
QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?: Sabrina Powell:
I had a few eyes on my story! I found a handful of beta readers online, mostly just to get their immediate reactions, and had friends and family leaf through the first draft, but my agent and my wonderful critique partner were the two constants (and my lifesavers!).
QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?: Sabrina Powell:
I’ve learned to have a rough outline since I tend to write non-chronologically and can get easily sidetracked. I’m a big supporter of the “make it exist first, you can make it good later” mentality! I use a lot of placeholders since my creative process is very nonlinear, but having a general framework is very useful to me, even if it’s not the neatest — when the story isn’t progressing the way I thought or I’m otherwise unsatisfied, it’s much easier for me to edit the general structure rather than have to grapple with several simultaneous plotlines.

If someone were to map my writing process, it’d be extremely chaotic: I know because I used sticky notes on my wall to organize story beats, and by the end of the first rewrite, it looked like a tornado had struck a paper factory.
QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?: Sabrina Powell:
I queried for about a month before I got lucky with Haley. It only takes one. I spent about two months beforehand researching agents, revising my query, and sending it out in small batches.
QT: About how many query letters did you send out for this book?: Sabrina Powell:
I sent a total of 11 (!!!) query letters, including one by referral, before I got an offer. For reference, the total for my previous project was 74, which has now been shelved.
QT: On what criteria did you select the agents you queried?: Sabrina Powell:
I learned a lot from my first time querying, so I narrowed my list down to a few agents that I think would be excited to represent me by perusing interviews and wishlists. I had a list of a couple dozen agents that I thought would really resonate with my book, and then went down the line sending queries out in small batches. I wanted to be very intentional with my process and not try to bend my book to fit what someone was looking for.
QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?: Sabrina Powell:
Yes, always. Even if it was just a few lines, I took time with personalization since I think that sincerity goes a long way. It’s sometimes easy to see agents as infallible on the other side of the screen, but they’re human beings who may have even been in your shoes once. So even simply commenting that you like their taste in movies can really bridge that gap, in my opinion.

It also helped that I tailored my agent list around my query first: when writing my letter, I imagined that I was addressing the perfect agent. I then could tweak my wording to match what a specific agent was looking for, which was definitely helped by my book’s nebulous genre (the words Southern Gothic could be swapped out for folkloric horror or vice versa, depending on what was in the agent’s wishlist).
QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?: Sabrina Powell:
It’s cliché, but I mean this with my entire heart: don’t give up!

It helps me to think of the querying process like applying for jobs. If an agent sends a rejection, they’re not saying the draft you poured your heart into is bad in any way; they just don’t think that they would be a good fit to support you and your novel properly. And just like in the job search, it only takes one “yes” to jumpstart your career.

Please, please don’t let rejections bum you out. Try to see them as a redirection to something else rather than an indicator of your talent or hard work. I see so many amazingly talented authors lose hope at this stage (it’s known as the querying trenches for a reason!), but if you genuinely put your heart and soul into your book, there will be an agent out there who will return your passion. If you haven’t found them yet, keep searching! Don’t let go of the spark that made you write in the first place.

Success Story Interview - Sabrina Powell

Query Letter: