Success Story Interview - Shay Galloway

An Interview with Shay Galloway (ShayGallowayAuthor on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Cecilia Lyra of P.S. Literary Agency.

07/13/2023

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

Shay Galloway:
It's a historical fiction set in the Gilded Age about mixed-race twins, one of whom can pass and one of which cannot. I have always had a feeling I needed to write a book with mixed-race characters like me.

QT: How long have you been writing?

Shay Galloway:
I started writing stories basically once I could write a sentence. I actually won a contest in the 3rd grade and my story was chosen to be printed and bound.

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

Shay Galloway:
I started it in Fall of 2020, so about two and a half years at this point.

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

Shay Galloway:
I haven't felt like giving up, but I did go through a lull. I think what helped is getting other people to read what I already had and give me feedback.

QT: Is this your first book?

Shay Galloway:
No, my book The Valley of Sage and Juniper was published in March 2023 with Running Wild Press.

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Shay Galloway:
Both my bachelor's and MFA were in Creative Writing.

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

Shay Galloway:
I have a toddler, so mostly I write in the afternoon during nap/quiet time in the afternoon. I'm lucky if I get about two hours a day.

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

Shay Galloway:
I think I'm on round three of edits.

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

Shay Galloway:
I did. I paid a couple of freelancers to read the whole manuscript, and I had a few chapters here and there that I shared with my local writing group.

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

Shay Galloway:
When I started drafting, I had the beginning and the end in mind. I then wrote scenes as they came to me, but didn't really have a strict outline.

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

Shay Galloway:
I queried for about three months. My first book I think about two years.

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

Shay Galloway:
For this book I only sent out about 35 queries.

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

Shay Galloway:
I wanted someone who was passionate about OwnVoices projects and historical perspectives.

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

Shay Galloway:
A little. Obviously I change the name, but also included specifically why I chose them--usually including a quote from their agent profile or manuscript wishlist.

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

Shay Galloway:
Don't have a timeline going into it. It could take three months, it could take two years to get one. There are so many reasons why an agent might not choose your work even though it seems a perfect fit for them.

Query Letter:

Dear AGENT,

Personalize paragraph to agent.

Selah, Selah is an upmarket historical fiction of 101,000 words that tells the story of SELAH and SILAS, mixed-race children of an ex-slave and conscripted Confederate soldier. Ideal readers would include fans of Brit Bennett’s The Vanishing Half and Alexander Chee’s The Queen of the Night.

Silas, passing as a white U.S. Marshal, once reveled in the excitement of serving justice to the clearly defined “outlaws,” but as he realizes the perpetrator of his most elusive case is his own darker-skinned twin sister, he begins to question his position and what justice truly means. Selah, eager to break the constraints of her sex and coloring and will stop at nothing—even murder—to gain notoriety as a vaudeville performer. But her targets are not innocent: wayward husbands, heartless men, exploitative bigots. In freeing these men from their lives, Selah not only frees herself, but the hearts and lives of the women they have wronged.

For fifteen years Selah and Silas’ paths cross and diverge until, ultimately, Selah is forced to flee to Europe, but tragedy calls her back—not only to the US, but to the very place that set Selah and Silas’s lives in motion, and they are confronted with the same questions that have permeated their convergences: Will Silas allow Selah to walk free? Will Selah allow Silas’ true parentage to stay hidden? Should either’s secret be revealed, it will surely mean the ends of their lives; for one, metaphorically. For the other, literally.

I am the author of the novel The Valley of Sage and Juniper (Running Wild/RIZE Press, 2023), which Kirkus Review called “A riveting tale of impressive siblings battling oppression.” A constant practitioner of all things writing, I attended Utah State University where I received my Bachelors in English, Creative Writing (2012) and an MFA from Roosevelt University (2017), and my shorter work has been featured in The Nasiona, Adanna, The Lindenwood Review, A-Minor Magazine, and Scribble Lit. Along with my husband and son, I now live in Washington State, where I teach English Composition and Literature at Pierce College.

As per the guidelines of submission, I have included the first five pages of my manuscript below.

I look forward to your response!