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What happens to a reader's attention when you blend or combine genres? The Birds starts out as an obsession love story and ends as a monster horror film. Yes, it's Hitchcock (a filmmaker many consider untouchable) but is this a successful genre blend/transition, or is it a bust? The answer may surprise you — it sure as heck surprised me. And if you're curious about how woman are portrayed in film and literature, particularly how they're presented as witches and "unnatural" women, then you absolutely must hear Melanie's thoughts this episode. Seriously, she's outdone herself. Your perspective might just change forever. -V.   Watch us on YouTube (and subscribe)! The Hook Formula: the works-every-time method for describing your book in a way that captivates readers and makes them beg for more. Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca. For your FREE First 10 Pages Checklist, visit valeriefrancis.ca/checklist To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website. To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here.

What are the telltale signs of a first-time writer? (Yep, they exist and agents can spot them a mile away.) Are you making them? In this Hook Your Reader episode, Kathleen and I reveal some of the biggies, and best of all, we give you solutions and strategies for how to fix and/or avoid them. Enjoy! -V.   Watch us on YouTube (and subscribe)! The Hook Formula: the works-every-time method for describing your book in a way that captivates readers and makes them beg for more. Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca. For your FREE First 10 Pages Checklist, visit valeriefrancis.ca/checklist To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website. To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here.

When writing historical fiction, how important is historical accuracy? After all, it's fiction, right? Surely there's wiggle room, isn't there? This week, we study The Northman, an excellent example of historical fiction that brings the harshness of Viking reality to life. There's no need to have watched this film to enjoy today's episode. It's a pretty gruesome, bloody film, and we figured many of you would want to give that a pass so we start the episode with a G-Rated plot summary...this is the source material for Hamlet, so it's a storyline you're already familiar with. The lessons here around worldbuilding are something you won't want to miss! And when it comes to the villains, well, The Northman is burdened by the same problem as Spy Games - the antagonist isn’t antagonising. The result is the same too - no significant conflict or rising tension. This is a powerful lesson in why the middle build should belong to the villain. -M&V. Watch us on YouTube (and subscribe)! The Hook Formula: the works-every-time method for describing your book in a way that captivates readers and makes them beg for more. Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca. For your FREE First 10 Pages Checklist, visit valeriefrancis.ca/checklist To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website. To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here.

How do you know if your query letter is accurately representing the narrative within your manuscript? Yes, you have to hook the reader in the query, but what happens if the hook you present doesn't match the story? It's all inside today's Hook Your Reader episode. Enjoy! -V.   The Hook Formula: the works-every-time method for describing your book in a way that captivates readers and makes them beg for more. Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca. For your FREE First 10 Pages Checklist, visit valeriefrancis.ca/checklist To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website. To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here. Watch us on YouTube!

Meet Kathryn Willms (The Rights Factory, Toronto). Kathryn represents writers of both fiction and nonfiction. On the fiction side, her list is focused on cozy fantasy, women’s fiction, and select literary fiction. She loves high-concept and speculative premises and is most drawn to books with a sense of humour, strong pacing, and satisfying conclusions.   The Hook Formula: the works-every-time method for describing your book in a way that captivates readers and makes them beg for more. Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca. For your FREE First 10 Pages Checklist, visit valeriefrancis.ca/checklist To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website. To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here. Watch us on YouTube!

How do you write a story where the protagonist is her own worst enemy? In other words, when the protagonist is also the antagonist. Well, it isn't easy, that's for sure. Luckily, today's episode offers up a terrific example of it (and good examples are rare!). Enjoy! - V.   The Hook Formula: the works-every-time method for describing your book in a way that captivates readers and makes them beg for more. Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca. For your FREE First 10 Pages Checklist, visit valeriefrancis.ca/checklist To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website. To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here. Watch us on YouTube!

Why is it that when Kathleen and I read the same query letter and same sample pages, we had completely opposite opinions? One of us loved what we saw, the other, frankly, didn't get it. Is this just how it goes in the query process, or is one of us right and the other wrong? Check out the episode and then let us know what you think. Are you Team Kat or Team Val? -V.   The Hook Formula: the works-every-time method for describing your book in a way that captivates readers and makes them beg for more. Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca. For your FREE First 10 Pages Checklist, visit valeriefrancis.ca/checklist To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website. To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here. Watch us on YouTube!

If you want to get an agent, then this is for you! We know that researching agents can be hard because not all of them have a social media/online presence. So on these special Agent Spotlight episodes we'll feature a guest agent who'll give us their thoughts on a query letter and first page writing sample. We'll also ask questions about their MSWL and the kinds of writers they want to work with, so that you'll know whether they'd be a good fit for you. Agent Spotlight episodes will be ad hoc for now, but we're aiming to make this a weekly feature. So if you're an agent, or you have an agent, or you know an agent, please tell them to reach out to me because I'd love to interview them.  In this debut episode, I chat with agent Krista White from The Rights Factory in Toronto. Yes, she's one of Kathleen Foxx's colleagues and right now, she's open to queries! -V.  The Hook Formula: the works-every-time method for describing your book in a way that captivates readers and makes them beg for more. Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca. For your FREE First 10 Pages Checklist, visit valeriefrancis.ca/checklist To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website. To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here. Watch us on YouTube!

Spy Games is not a perfect movie, but one thing it gets right is the main character Nathan Muir. Muir’s belief system is established early in the film via his actions, decisions and contradictions. With one exception, this character’s logic remains steady throughout the film - a win for Melanie this week. However, the same can’t be said for Valerie’s area of study. Spy Games’ middle is missing a key ingredient - an antagonist who challenges Muir. So what does this do to the story? It leaves the tension to be carried by the ticking time bomb, which is a big job for one story element. -M   The Hook Formula: the works-every-time method for describing your book in a way that captivates readers and makes them beg for more. Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca. For your FREE First 10 Pages Checklist, visit valeriefrancis.ca/checklist To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website. To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here. Watch us on YouTube!

With all the chatter about AI-gen text (and whether a book was, or was not, generated by it), in this episode we talk about a genre that no machine or prompt will ever be able to produce. Like, never. Never ever. And it is ... SATIRE! Author Tasha Tinsley has submitted a strong query package for a story that's like The Studio but for publishing (my comps, not hers). Regardless of which genre you're writing in, you're going to want to give this episode a listen. -V.

We know that stories need conflict and very often writers default to two kinds: physical fights and shouting matches. Far more interesting — and far more versatile — is the more subtle type of conflict created by antagonists who are master manipulators. Head games. Holy smokes, are they compelling. And they work in every single genre. Say Anything is a teen romance, and the dad is a beautifully crafted and understated villain who is like a puppeteer yanking the strings of our star-crossed protagonists. It's a thing of storytelling beauty. -V.    The Hook Formula: the works-every-time method for describing your book in a way that captivates readers and makes them beg for more. Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca. For your FREE First 10 Pages Checklist, visit valeriefrancis.ca/checklist To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website. To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here. Watch us on YouTube!

If you're writing your memoir, or considering writing it, then this episode is a must because it offers an excellent example of both the query letter and the opening pages. Memoirs are tricky business — they're tough to do well. So how did this author impress us both with such a strong query package? Tune in to find out. -V.   The Hook Formula: the works-every-time method for describing your book in a way that captivates readers and makes them beg for more. Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca. For your FREE First 10 Pages Checklist, visit valeriefrancis.ca/checklist To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website. To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here. Watch us on YouTube!

What happens when a story's logic falters? You end up with plot holes...and boy oh boy, does Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (film version) have plot holes! How could they have been avoided? Well, that's exactly with Melanie talks about in this episode. For my part, I examine what happens to a reader's/audience's attention when the villain exits the story. This problem is more common than you think — you might even be doing it in your own WIP. -V.   The Hook Formula: the works-every-time method for describing your book in a way that captivates readers and makes them beg for more. Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca. For your FREE First 10 Pages Checklist, visit valeriefrancis.ca/checklist To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website. To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here. Watch us on YouTube!

Kathleen and I run the gamut of opening pages advice in this episode. We discuss the pros and cons of time travel stories (why we love them and why they're so prone to plot holes), setting up reader expectations, writing working scenes, genre identification, and the one thing your opening pages MUST do if you're to hook your reader. This is a jam-packed episode that you'll want to bookmark and keep. Enjoy! -V.   The Hook Formula: the works-every-time method for describing your book in a way that captivates readers and makes them beg for more. Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca. For your FREE First 10 Pages Checklist, visit valeriefrancis.ca/checklist To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website. To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here. Watch us on YouTube!

Ever heard of a story having a saggy middle? It's a real thing and this season, I'm revealing the fix for it! Meanwhile, Melanie is study story logic. I know, it sounds kinda dull but trust me on this one - you want to pay close attention because your reader sure will. -V   The Hook Formula: the works-every-time method for describing your book in a way that captivates readers and makes them beg for more. Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca. For your FREE First 10 Pages Checklist, visit valeriefrancis.ca/checklist To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website. To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here. Watch us on YouTube!