Success Story Interview - V. S. Holmes

An Interview with V. S. Holmes (VS_Holmes on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Laura Zats of Headwater Literary Management.

04/07/2026

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

V. S. Holmes:
THE PASSING OF EIR LAHREN is a 100K word folkloric fantasy meets gothic romance following a trans male necromancer who lost his power and now cons people to make a living. I worked in death care and archaeology for years and wanted to write about our relationship to death through a fantasy lens.

QT: How long have you been writing?

V. S. Holmes:
Professionally I’ve been writing and publishing for twelve years, but of course I wrote long before that as well. I also write scientific articles for my studies.

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

V. S. Holmes:
I first began this project in 2019, put it aside for some time to finish another series, then returned two years ago. All told, it has been in actively in the works for about three years.

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

V. S. Holmes:
No, though there were slow, fallow times. I understand how publishing and drafting work both from a business perspective and a creative one, and whenever I was burnt out I either worked on another project, or course-corrected if I felt I was going in the wrong direction.

QT: Is this your first book?

V. S. Holmes:
No, this is my eleventh full-length piece, but my second with which I’ve queried.

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

V. S. Holmes:
Not creative writing; I took two courses on writing in college, but ultimately they weren’t helpful, mostly due to the teacher. I have studied scientific writing for articles and papers, but that is vastly different. I read a lot and study every book I read, however.

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

V. S. Holmes:
I work a full time day job in the trades, since publishing is a fickle mistress financially, so I carve out time when I can. Often in the mornings, I’ll get up around 4 or 5 to write until I need to drive to work, and I’ll do brainstorming during my 1-1.5 hour commute. Since my work is seasonal, it slows down in the winter and I can find more time then as well.

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

V. S. Holmes:
There have been four solid drafts—a chaos/throwing sand in the sandbox draft, a second to organize everything, a third for line edits/smaller scene changes (then queried for a while) then a fourth draft based feedback from my first round of beta readers and a few agents, which added 20K words.

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

V. S. Holmes:
Always, two rounds of three-to-five people each time.

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

V. S. Holmes:
I am a die-hard pantser—the one time I missed a deadline was due to trying a new heavy outlining approach as a favor to a friend teaching a course and it was so bad I had to rewrite the entire book!

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

V. S. Holmes:
I queried my debut in 2012 for a year and a half, which I ultimately chose to independently publish due to market saturation, and this book almost exactly a year.

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

V. S. Holmes:
I sent out about 40 queries for this project.

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

V. S. Holmes:
I focused on agents who represented fantasy/horror, particularly those interested in the weird and genre-straddling pieces. I only queried those who said they were looking for or had repp’d queer authors and stories.

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

V. S. Holmes:
Overall, no, aside from their addressing them with their name, but I included a line after the bulk of my query that said “I believe this speaks to your interested in x and x” whether that was genres, specific subgenres, or demographics. If there was very little specifics on their sites, I did not include this line.

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

V. S. Holmes:
Have a really polished book, and make sure you do your homework on those you query. I’d keep track of everything, both through QT and your own files, and do not query your top choices first. Query those you’re not sure about, to get the hang of the process.

Query Letter:

Hello!

I’m excited to present THE PASSING OF EIR LAHREN, a 100,000 word standalone blend of folkloric fantasy and gothic romance with series potential. The book features an unreliable, acerbic trans masc narrator, ritualistic sex, and a grumpy x sunshine duo. THE PASSING OF EIR LAHREN would sit well on the shelf with Gabby Squalia’s Viscera, The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid, and Gideon the Ninth with its post-magical apocalyptic world inspired by my own Frisian heritage, the otherness of being queer, and our deep connection with the land that makes us and breaks us.

The dead deserve a proper afterlife, with a real necromancer for a grave warden, but they are stuck with Ivigh and eternal unrest.

Failed-necromancer Ivigh spends his days pretending to care for the dead, drifting in a poppy haze, and tending to the gaping, bloodless wound in his chest where he lost his magic years ago. But when Mudlark, a cheerful sex worker, discovers his con, she makes him a deal: she won’t turn Ivigh in if he helps her find Eir Lahren, the very necromancer who doomed the dead. Ivigh has a darker history with Lahren, one rooted in the hole in his chest and his inability—despite his best efforts—to die. But, with his terrible reputation barreling down on them and a drug habit he can't afford, he is forced to accept Mudlark’s offer.

On their hunt, Ivigh steals the witch knife of Eir Lahren, praying it helps their cause and desperate to once more hold the blade that opened his chest. The retaliation turns personal and when his sister falls victim to Ivigh’s sordid mistakes, Mudlark’s own power comes to light. But all magic has consequences. Ivigh may welcome his own death, but Mudlark’s? Her love for life is as intoxicating as the poppy he injects. Realizing she and her impossible daughter might be what make the world worth saving, Ivigh bares his last secret, even if it breaks his beatless heart: he is Eir Lahren.

I’m a trans man living in western Massachusetts and the author of two completed indie series under the pseudonym V. S. Holmes. Publishers Weekly says of my science fiction “Holmes blends archaeology and science fiction into a unique romp that’s sure to be a hit...." I have written several articles for media and literary outlets including File 770, Authority Magazine, The Horror Tree, and Readers’ Entertainment among others, and been featured in interviews for both my fiction and advocacy work with Stingray TV, BU In the Morning, Siren Radio, Sci-Fi Saturday Night, and many more. This year Pride With A Bite published "The Curse of Seewiif Strand," a short set in the same world as EIR LAHREN, in their queer horror anthology We Bite Back. I also write narrative content for SolForge Fusion, a game from the creators of Magic the Gathering. Outside of the writing sphere, I worked as a contract archaeologist for over a decade and bring my understanding of people, our past, and our deepest secrets to my fiction. I’m excited to leverage my publishing experience and readership to promote this and other future projects.

I feel this project appeals to your love for [] and [].

Content Warnings: Attempted Murder, Blood, Body Horror, Bones, Childbirth, Death, Hard Drug Use, Human Remains, Murder, Needles, PTSD, Skeletons, Suicidal Ideation, Undead.

Thank you so much for your time and consideration,