07/04/2011
Bethany Myers (brmyers on QT) has signed with agent Roseanne Wells of Lucinda Literary.
I've always loved a good ghost story with an unexpected twist, and spent most of my teen years behind the covers of Lois Duncan and Ray Bradbury. I think the idea for NIGHT SHIFT came from a jumble of memories that decide to congeal one day.
About fifteen years ago, while visiting my sister-in-law in London, I got lost in Harrods. I remember wandering through the sumptuous confectionary thinking how cool it would be to have the whole store to myself at night.
But I did grow a thick skin, paying attention to those helpful rejections, and calmly filing away the form rejections. Most importantly, it was this site, and the writers who offer advice and encouragement, that essentially gave me the fuel to continue.
But this didn't guarantee success. That book was turned down by eight editors. I started working on NIGHT SHIFT again, and my agent suggested I write it completely from the male POV. In February of this year, my agent left the publishing business altogether. I had a few options, query for the YA coming of age, or give NIGHT SHIFT a second chance.
I gave NIGHT SHIFT a second chance, and started querying in late February. Roseanne requested the full in early March. I continued to query, racking up a few requests and many rejections. Then, last week, Roseanne made the offer.
At Willards Department Store, no one survives long on the night shift, and eighteen-year-old Daniel Gale is about to find out why. Tired of staying in hotels and living out of his backpack, Daniel ignores the clerks' gossip about the old building being haunted, and takes the job as the newest night security guard. On his first shift, Daniel narrowly escapes a fatal drop down the elevator shaft, and is rescued by Mary, a wily teen far too beautiful for after hours inventory.
Anticipating every night shift as a chance to be with her, Daniel hopes his traveling days are over, and that he's finally found a place to call home. But as his life becomes more entwined with Willards, Daniel senses unnatural changes, both with Mary and the store itself. Soon he suspects Willards is hiding something more sinister than gossip about ghosts---something that could make him the next casualty of the NIGHT SHIFT.
NIGHT SHIFT is a modern day YA paranormal romance, complete at 76,000 words. I am a member of the SCBWI and the Writer's Federation of Nova Scotia. Thank you for your attention in this matter, and I look forward to hearing from you.