Success Story Interview - Taryn Christeen

An Interview with Taryn Christeen (tarynchristeen on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Alexandra D'Amico of The Rights Factory.

10/08/2026

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

Taryn Christeen:
Paralysis is a New adult/adult gothic fantasy about a saint who has depended on her goddesses to rid her of the wraith that has haunted her shattering sanity for years. But when the church she serves begins punishing those “corrupted” like her, she makes the impossible decision to journey the kingdom in search of an exiled creature of magic to help her find the cure before loses herself entirely to the demon inside her head.
The idea for the story was sparked by my own sleep paralysis demon that haunted me when I served as a religious missionary.

QT: How long have you been writing?

Taryn Christeen:
My whole life. But I have been writing with the intent on creating a career for myself since early 2023. Paralysis is my 4th fully written project.

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

Taryn Christeen:
I came up with the idea for this book in 2022 but finally sat down to write it out end of 2025 then sent my first queries out April of 2026.

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

Taryn Christeen:
Absolutely. Every day if I’m being entirely honest haha. But I just keep writing. Even if it’s only a couple words a day.

QT: Is this your first book?

Taryn Christeen:
Nope. Early 2024 I queried my first book which was an upper YA romance. I signed with an agent and went out on submission late 2024. In the meantime, I wrote my sophomore novel which was the sequel to that first. After being with that agent for a year, and deciding the relationship wasn’t benefiting my long term career, I left my agent in the midst of submission. I wrote my third book, and entered the query trenches a second time early 2025. I shelved that book after 6 months with no success. Lost with no direction on what to do, I self-published my first two YA romances the summer and fall of 2025. Then I wrote Paralysis and here we are.

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Taryn Christeen:
The only training I have is from being an avid reader.

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

Taryn Christeen:
I am a new mom and work full time so the only schedule and routine I have is writing on my phone before baby wakes up, during breaks and after baby goes to bed.

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

Taryn Christeen:
Yes. I fortunately I am blessed to be a member of bestselling author, Alissa DeRogatis’s, writers group. Every member is always willing to offer to read and help out in polishing up a manuscript.

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

Taryn Christeen:
I unfortunately write from the hip with minimal outlining as I write. It’s fun but it leads to a lot of editing later on haha.

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

Taryn Christeen:
I sent out my first query for this project April 22, 2026. So about 5 months to the day before I received my offer of rep.

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

Taryn Christeen:
About 45 queries!

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

Taryn Christeen:
Hmm, depended. If there was something specific in the agents MSWL that was niche and found in my novel, I let them know. But it was rare I personalized it.

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

Taryn Christeen:
Do your research. My first time in the trenches and signing with an agent, I knew nothing. I think if I knew what I know now, I would have been able to avoid a lot of wasted time and heartache.

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

Taryn Christeen:
Absolutely, the following is my query letter for this project.

Query Letter:

Dear Agent,

Natalie Goldberg once said, “Write what disturbs you, what you fear, what you have not been willing to speak about…” I took that to heart and wrote PARALYSIS, a dark, gothic fantasy inspired by my sleep paralysis demon that haunted me when I was a missionary. A tale molded with the romantic obsession of Sleep Token and the raw rage of Florence + The Machine.

Aniela Amana is a Saint, a devout missionary that has given her name, possessions and body wholly to the service of the Great Church and the goddesses it worships. This was not a life she wanted for herself but with the promise that she would finally find peace from her own mind if she did, she was too desperate to consider any alternatives.
While Aniela is the daughter of the late Chosen, a mortal tongue and representative of the goddesses, and the sister of the current Chosen, she is not as pure as her ancestry might allude, for she has a secret. A wraith she did not invite in has haunted her unraveling mind since she was a child.

Eager to rid herself of this ailment, Aniela accepts the calling to preach in the perilous, magic-infested Outlands based on the Chosen’s promise of peace that is contingent on her obedience and willingness to serve the Church.

But as Aniela sets out to the Outlands, a decree is set into motion by the Chosen. The purging of anything that resembles magic, death to anyone internally tormented by evil like Aniela. Running from the fires, the betrayal of her faith, and family, with her sanity continuing to shatter, Aniela chooses to rely on outlawed magic for a cure. With the assistance of her sister companion, a revered, brutish captain of the Church’s armies and his second in command, Aniela takes off in search of an ancient, magical being that can present her with the cure, not realizing she has set off on a journey wrought with more betrayal, forbidden romance, insanity and certain death.

PARALYSIS is a new adult/adult dark, gothic fantasy complete at 90,000 words. It will appeal to fans of One Dark Window (Rachel Gillig), Daughter of No Worlds (Carissa Broadbent), and The Knight and The Moth (Rachel Gillig) for the eerie, gothic atmospheres, breaking away from religious hierarchies, romance between a gentle FMC and a headstrong soldier, and deeply complicated characters. Imagine Crimson Peak, meets the Witcher and The Black Swan for the mind-bending betrayals, dark fantasy and the paranoia of something demented inside, taking over the fragile mind.

Over the last three years I have been pursuing literature as a career through writing, podcasting, and networking. I am the host of The Wannabe Author Podcast where I have had the opportunity to interview NYT bestsellers, agents and editors about the publishing world. I am a part of a writing group with members whom have read critiqued and fallen in love with this book. I have previously self-published two works in the YA Romance genre that have gotten a great response from readers, but have since turned all my attention to the new adult/adult genres with the goal of making it into traditional publishing.
As someone who has been agented before, and on submission with another project in the past, I put a lot of value into who I choose to represent me and my books and I believe we could make a great team. I am very grateful for your time and consideration. Thank you for reading and I will look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you,

Taryn Christeen