Back to Nashville
My first mystery, Lyrics & Other Felonies, has been through my reading group and copyediting. What’s next? The fateful query for an agent process.
I’ve been through this process before and the only success I’ve had is meeting agents in person through writing conferences. So in a few weeks I’ll be back in Nashville at the Killer Nashville writing conference where agents are looking for mysteries.
Take a look at my query letter and let me know what you think. I’ll need to have it fine tuned by August.
Dear [Agent full name],
I see from your website that you’re looking for mysteries and hope you enjoy my amateur detective story, Lyrics & Other Felonies, 82,000 words. In Lyrics & Other Felonies, Reverie hides the secret that she processes the world through lyrics while solving crime one song at a time.
A tiara-topped woman is found dead in a Nashville alley. Wanna-be investigative reporter and secret songwriter Reverie Reeb hopes this story will earn the job of her dreams. First, she must beat out another reporter with a great crime story without exposing that she absorbs the world around her in lyrics. Embarrassing when stress spits lines of song out her mouth—she can’t carry a tune.
Reverie’s private life drags her in another direction as her aging rock-star mother and an elderly aunt unearth long-buried family secrets at the same time a woman goes missing and the Nashville body count rises. When her lyrics point to a suspect that appears crime repellent, Reverie must decide how far she’ll follow her instincts into danger.
While Lyrics & Other Felonies is a standalone novel, Reverie will continue to follow her lyrics to solve crimes in two planned sequels: One-Kill Wonders and Death in the Boom-Boom Room. If you’re interested in reading further, I’d be happy to send you a copy of the manuscript and series proposal.
In my career as a journalist, I’ve worked for several small-town publications including The Sonoma Index Tribune and The Bohemian. I’ve studied songwriting in Nashville and interviewed dozens of the artists and songwriters that make up Music City. I’ve collaborated with a Nashville songwriter to co-write and produce one of the songs my character “creates.” I worked with writing coach Ellie Alexander, author of the Bakeshop Mystery Series and The Sloan Krause Mysteries.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Tami Casias
Blurb: If you’re a fan of music and mysteries, you’ll love Lyrics & Other Felonies by Tami Casias. The author brings us a fresh new amateur detective in Reverie Reeb, wannabe reporter who secretly writes songs. When a puzzling crime comes to Nashville, Reverie uses her lyrical powers to solve the puzzle in a clever twist. I’m hoping there are more Reveries to come!
Penny Warner—Author of the DEAD BOY LANGUAGE deaf reporter series, the HOW TO HOST A KILLER PARTY series, and THE DEATH OF A CHOCOLATE CHEATER food truck series.