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🗓 Last Time

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🎙 Interview

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📇 Biography

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📜 Transcript

T000 – Carey Blankenship Kramer

T000 – Carey Blankenship Kramer

Carey Blankenship-Kramer: [00:00:00] I love when an opening page can make me forget I’m an agent, and just become a reader in that moment.

You’re right, I don’t have a checklist at all of what I’m looking for. I think as long as you don’t keep yanking me out of the story , like, let me just be there with you in the moment but you wouldn’t really notice it until you pull yourself out and look at it in a more analytical way.

David Gwyn: Should you include a theme in your summary? How do agents read queries anyway? And what do you need in your opening to catch an agent’s attention? All this and more on this episode of Thriller 101. I’m David Gwyn, an agented writer navigating the world of traditional publishing. During this first season of the Thriller 101 podcast, we’re going to focus on building the skills necessary to write the kind of thrillers that land you an agent and readers.

I’m talking to agents and authors and other publishing professionals about the best way to write a novel.

If you want the expert’s secrets, this is where you’re going to find them. Last week on the podcast, I talked to Mel Madison [00:01:00] about how he introduces his characters in a really organic, efficient, and effective way.

Mel Mattison: the backstory on the characters, let that stuff, dribble out, you can hint at it, you can foreshadow it. And so I worked hard to do that and then at, at the end, I think I, I struck a good balance, but it’s definitely not easy.

David Gwyn: That episode is linked in the description if you want to check that out. Today’s guest is Carey Blankenship Kramer.

After growing up surrounded by books and people who loved to read them, Carey’s debut novel, Ghost Scouts Honor, is being published by Scholastic in January of 2025. Carey graduated from Berry College with a dual degree in English and creative writing. She later received her master’s in writing and digital communications from Agnes Scott College.

She has experience working with both publishing houses and literary agencies and loves her role as a junior agent at Belcastro Agency. Let’s get into the interview.

Carey, thanks so much for being a part of this pitch series for Thriller 101. I’m really excited to chat with you.

Carey Blankenship-Kramer: Thank you so [00:02:00] much for having me. I really appreciate it.

I’m so excited too.

David Gwyn: Oh good. I’m really looking forward to it. We have a lot of fun stuff to talk about today, but I want to start with kind of a big question, which is why did you decide to become an agent?

Carey Blankenship-Kramer: Oh lord. Actually, I, Wanted to become one for a long time. I started writing when I was eight and then just fell in love with books and publishing as I got older.

And when I graduated college, I really wanted to become an agent, but I was not a city girl. Back then, remote wasn’t really a thing that was happening, and I did not want to move to New York City to live on non livable wages so I waited and worked in marketing for a while instead, and then got some, like, internships here and there, and then last year I finally got the full I guess full time.

I’m just an agent now. It is more than full time basically, so yeah.

David Gwyn: I feel like it’s one of those jobs and I’m sure you’re feEEEeling this now, like when you start out it’s really like [00:03:00] you’re just kind of trying to build momentum and get writers who are doing stuff. I imagine it’s quite a process to get up and running.

And you’re with Belcastro, correct? So can you just tell us a little bit about, you know, what you like about working there?

Carey Blankenship-Kramer: Oh my gosh, I love Mel Castro, especially the people that I work with. They’re just incredible amazing, wonderful humans, and very much go getters, and they’ve got a lot of really incredible stuff coming up, and they care about their authors too.

That was really important to me. That, you know, we’re not just chasing the next best thing, but, you know, we love literature and that we’re helping people accomplish their goals. And I was so shocked. Sharon, who like owns Belcastro is, and started it, like is also an engineer and like does that too, on top of being an agent and helping us.

So it’s, I was really inspired by the people I work with and all of them are like that. We all work, we all love our clients. We all love reading, so.

David Gwyn: Yeah, I have [00:04:00] a, I have a friend who’s repped by Belcastro and she just loves it. Said, you know, says a rave review about it, about being an author there too.

So that’s great. So I do want to ask you a little bit because you have a book coming out at some point. Yeah. And less than a

Carey Blankenship-Kramer: year actually. That’s crazy. It is, it is. Yeah.

David Gwyn: And it’s through Scholastic and it’s called Ghost Scouts Honor. Can you tell us a little bit about it?

Carey Blankenship-Kramer: Yeah, absolutely. It is middle grade horror.

It’s queer and neurodivergent, so it’s gonna be really fun there. It is set in Savannah, Georgia, based on the very haunted city that we all know and love there. But basically the premise is that ghost scouts exist in the most haunted cities in the world and only children can see ghosts 16 and younger, so they have been hired to help.

The community deal with angry people who want the people out of their houses. So, the story follows one girl named Evie who becomes a ghost scout [00:05:00] despite not wanting to and just runs with it and uncovers a century old mystery behind the first ghost that came to Savannah, Georgia. It’s a lot of fun, really twisty, very action packed, but I had a blast writing it, so I hope everyone loves reading it too.

David Gwyn: So fun. And remind me when it’s out.

Carey Blankenship-Kramer: January 2025. I don’t have a specific date yet, but it’s coming.

David Gwyn: I don’t know why I didn’t pick up on it earlier when I was reading about, about it, but now I’m hearing more of like the submission that you picked today has like, obviously very different, but like there are shades that I’m starting to pick up on maybe what your, your vibe is of stuff that you’re looking for.

And so that’s kind of leading in nice to my next question, which is. What are you looking for in a submission?

, I

Carey Blankenship-Kramer: love horror. I love speculative stuff too, I love Thriller something that’s gonna keep me up at night. I actually haven’t signed a horror or a thriller client yet, and I don’t know how that hasn’t happened yet.

It’s my favorite. I have lots of really great fantasy clients, [00:06:00] but nothing horror yet, so I’m really, really hungry for that.

David Gwyn: I have, I have a friend who’s an agent and it’s funny. She’s a, she’s a thriller writer and she’s signed as a thriller writer and it took her a long time to find thriller writers. And I don’t know if it’s, I don’t know why that is, but it sounds like maybe the same kind of thing for you where maybe either you’re pickier or like, you’re like, I don’t know.

Carey Blankenship-Kramer: I guess. That’s such an interesting theory. I wish we could study more now. I’m going to ask some of my other friends who write interagents. Did it take you a long time to find your first client in your genre? Yeah, I, I haven’t gotten a lot of submissions. I’ve gotten some. But I would just love like a good middle grade.

Kids are getting chased by ghosts. That’s all I want, you know?

David Gwyn: It’s the little things in life.

Carey Blankenship-Kramer: It’s the little things that keep us going, you

David Gwyn: know? That’s cool. So let me ask you in those first couple of pages, you get a submission, you’re opening up and those first couple of pages, what are some things that you’re looking for that make you end up either [00:07:00] requesting more or wanting to read more?

Carey Blankenship-Kramer: Yeah. I say, There’s a lot that I love about a lyrical prose. I tend to lean a little more towards that. It’s more descriptive or a little more creative with syntax, but also just something that puts me right in the setting very quickly. I want to be able to slide right into your story and your world and be in your character’s vision.

So I think that’s why it’s so important to find that right opening that gets us really sucked in. So. Yeah, I just want to be able to vibe with the pitch and keep it going, you know, the whole way down the line, so.

David Gwyn: And what is your, what is your order of operations here? Are you a query first, pages second type person?

Carey Blankenship-Kramer: Oh god, you’re going to expose me. , I do it different every single time, I swear. I,

David Gwyn: Well you’re still trying to figure it out, right? Yeah. You’re still, yeah, that’s good.

Carey Blankenship-Kramer: I think with my different clients who I was signed with, I feel like it’s been different every time. I sometimes I’m just in the mood to read the first couple of paragraphs about knowing what I’m getting into.

That’s a little [00:08:00] chaotic. I think that’s the part Aries in me, but yeah, I, I definitely think when I’m being a little more organized, definitely the pitch first. And then sometimes it’s even just like, I really love pitches that have the first, opening line telling me why they queried me or, you know, maybe they saw a comp that I really want or something on my manuscript wishlist.

If that first sentence is killer, I’m just going to jump right into the pages. So, but then, so I never really read the synopsis until last. So that I do follow order, but if I’m really enjoying the opening pages and then flow into the synopsis to make sure there’s not any glaring potholes before I request the full.

David Gwyn: it sounds like you’re, you’re almost looking for like some type of validation to get into the pages. You’re like, if you either queried me for like a purpose or like you see something that you’re like, definitely fits your vibe. That’s really cool. I think. I think as, you know, authors on the other side of the, of the line, sometimes it’s nice to hear that there’s different ways of doing it, because I feel like some authors are like, oh, [00:09:00] my query letter, like, I’m not a query letter writer person, so like, I think that’s nice sometimes to hear that.

You know, you might get a break on a query letter if you’ve got something that says why you’re querying that person or whether it’s, you know, that you’ve got a comp or you’ve got a connection or you’ve heard something that they’re looking for something. And if you’re listening to this and you’re, you’re gonna query Carey, make sure you mention the podcast that you heard her here because it sounds like it might get you right into the thing.

Yeah,

Carey Blankenship-Kramer: let’s go. I’d be so impressed, actually. Yeah. I love that., I’ve signed a client that their query letter wasn’t the strongest. And I think writers can be really hard on themselves because it’s such a tough industry to break into.

But for me, if the vibes are great, it’s okay, I can help you with your pitch letter later. So I know some other people will say the exact opposite of how important your query and pitches and it is important. But for me, If everything else is sharp, then. It’s going to work [00:10:00] out so,

David Gwyn: and I do feel like a lot of newer agents, especially ones that went through the query trenches and now are agents like that.

I feel like they have a different thought process when it comes to looking at pitches. And like I mentioned, my friend who’s a writer and an agent, and I think that they just have, I don’t know if it’s just, they’re nicer to writers because they know,

Carey Blankenship-Kramer: I think that’s a great point. You don’t know. What it’s like until you’ve gone through it and my bless my loved ones who have no idea how publishing works, you know, I tried to make it like accessible for them, but it’s really not until you go through it yourselves.

And so I do think that brings an edge to author agents. And I feel like that’s probably a reason why I’ve gotten several of my clients is just because I what you’re going through. And I, I try really hard with all of my rejections. That people understand, you know, I hate that I have to say no, but here’s why or any any more information I can [00:11:00] give you I’m gonna give you as much as I can so

David Gwyn: Okay. Let’s pause there and check out this week’s submission.

Samantha: Summary: Twenty-nine-year-old Coretta finds shelter from her homicidal stepmother at a historic hotel in Boston, where legend says ghosts murder guests. But spending sixteen years on the run taught Coretta logic is safer than superstition, so she commits to unveiling the living murderer. Her investigation begins with Eli, an eccentric stranger who is addicted to Boston Cream Pie and idiotic ghost stories he calls fact. But even with Eli’s help, and support from hotel staff who may or may not have heartbeats themselves, the investigation challenges Coretta’s logical prowess. When she discovers her stepmother at the center of the murder investigation, Coretta must reevaluate her convictions against the existence of ghosts, seek support in the man whose heart she is trying not to break, and embrace a devastating truth about herself before she and Eli are sent to join the spirits cursed to haunt the Parker House Hotel.

[00:12:00] Chapter 1:

Rain pelted my umbrella, the occasional drop slipping through the tear in the back and sliding down my neck. Shivering, I walked faster. I couldn’t blame the poor umbrella for its inadequacies.in six years, it had shown more loyalty than any of my other possessions, which had come and gone with every two hundred miles. I revered my little umbrella, which folded humbly into itself and swung from a band on my wrist when I didn’t need it. Since my recent arrival in Boston in the middle of March, that wasn’t often the case. Who could blame it for being a little tired? I could relate.

I spotted my destination on a street corner ahead, its gold walls and glowing windows stretching to the sky, illuminated by proud street lamps. Emerald green window awnings adorned a tidy cluster of windows around the entrance, creating a soothing sense of order on the majestic structure. Bright golden orbs of light illuminated the entrance as if to say, “You are welcome here.”

The Parker House: the longest running hotel in the [00:13:00] United States.

I slipped my hand into the pocket of my canary yellow knee-length winter coat, the last remaining piece of the small wardrobe I’d taken with me when I left home at sixteen. Slightly too big then, it fit me perfectly now, despite the understandable wear it showed. The seams of the front two pockets bore most of the wear, as they’d held so much over the last thirteen years. The right pocket always stored a notebook, the left pocket, any cash I’d recently acquired. Dread surged through me whenever I wrapped my fingers around the bills—their bulk dwindling faster than it grew. But if I let the fear of scarcity rule me, I’d hardly have survived this long. With the remaining amount, I could buy one night at the Parker House. One night would be enough.

The first time I saw the Parker House, on the front cover of Showcase Massachusetts Magazine, I welcomed the distraction from my view at the time, looking through a restaurant window at something I knew I couldn’t have. “Proof that Ghosts Can Kill,” the magazine headline read. Curious how the writers could have come to such an [00:14:00] imbecilic conclusion, I flipped to the article and skimmed it. Between the lines of text I read one glaring message: Boston needed me to uncover how a murderer could disguise himself as a ghost.

David Gwyn: So let’s get into the submission for today which I’m really excited to talk about. So my first question for you is just like that summary, you read that kind of quick pitch, what was it that intrigued you from that summary?

Carey Blankenship-Kramer: The first line, I’m looking at it right now, too. Like, historical hotel in Boston already has me perked up a little bit. And then, ghost, murder, guest, sold. Let’s go. I, I think I mentioned earlier, I love speculative and I, I love horror in general. I could get on a high horse about how you could potentially argue all horror is a little bit fantasy too, if you want to talk about that, but you know, I, I love it when horror go, like, just, that’s such a strong sentence right there.

So I was sucked in immediately.

David Gwyn: It’s funny, I, I have like this, we have like this ongoing [00:15:00] thing with my writing group about the difference between thriller and horror, or thriller, suspense, horror, like all, like thriller, mystery, horror, like where do you draw the line in all of them, like how do you know what’s what, and I cannot wait for our next meeting, and I’m 100 percent bringing up the horror, no, horror is just fantasy, and people are, they’re gonna freak out.

I,

Carey Blankenship-Kramer: So, unless you really truly do bEEEelieve ghosts exist in this world, then how, I mean what else? You know, in fantasy, they have to have, usually like really good horror has some sort of like system that explains it.

Where the ghosts come from or it doesn’t that’s also great to leave it out. But anyway, I’m rambling. No,

David Gwyn: no, that’s so good I love this. I actually I have a question for you too because as I was reading this summary What I thought was really well done about it is like kind of the back end of the summary where we get a little bit Of like the journey the kind of personal journey that this character is gonna take maybe like some thematic stuff going on and And the stakes, of course, as well, too.

And I’m curious, when [00:16:00] you’re reading pitches and reading query letters, how many, and I’m not necessarily looking for a number, but maybe just like a roundabout, how many do this kind of like thematic undertone move? Is it something that you like? Is it something that you’re not seeing much?

Carey Blankenship-Kramer: That’s a great question.

And I will say probably the biggest shock that I had as I became an official agent was the Amount of queries I got that didn’t have a query. First of all, like any, any sort of format at all. It was quite a large number. And so even knowing that the, if. A query has a theme that’s even less of a chance. Like this, like you said, that’s a really great point.

I do love it because at the end of the day, I love a great story that has a really good emotional character arc. And I think that’s what the summary does really well is pointing out. This is how much my character is going to grow. And I, It sounds probably a little problematic to say, but I love a good traumatic character that’s gone through a lot and will go through a lot in the [00:17:00] book too.

I love seeing that front and center too.

David Gwyn: Yeah. And you’re getting a character here who’s, who’s obviously already been through a lot and it’s just kind of ongoing. And I think it’s interesting. I, I, I think it’s interesting. Just kind of thought of that because I feel like that’s not in all the like query notes Like make sure you drop in like a thematic undertone And I feel like you don’t see it a lot which I which I do think is something that does it makes it more intriguing It makes you feel like you’re on a journey with the character The character is gonna change over time the things that you know as a as an agent I imagine you’re trying to tick off a list to make sure that it’s done over the course of a novel

Carey Blankenship-Kramer: Yeah, absolutely.

And I love it when there’s a really deep Good theme centered. It doesn’t have to be heavy handed, right? Especially with kid lit. We don’t want to like force that onto the children reading and also the adults. No one wants to read that either where it feels like a preachy lessons coming on. But yeah, I love that.

And I also love the The line about the eccentric stranger who’s addicted to Boston cream pie. What a small fun way to add Characterization to it too. Like it’s [00:18:00] very clear. Every every word was very Thought out so

David Gwyn: so let’s talk about this opening opening page and a half or so What do you think was the like biggest strength of these opening?

pages

Carey Blankenship-Kramer: Yeah, I love that we’re just thrown right in to the setting. Like I mentioned before, get me in there. Let’s go as fast as possible. And I think the opening paragraph does a really great job of showing. the level of detail that the, the writers put into this story. And, and also, again, we talked a little bit about sliding in some characterization there without telling us, you’re showing it to us, right?

Like, this idea of the umbrella being the one possession that’s been loyal to this character says so much with so little words.

David Gwyn: It sounds like as we’re, as we’re kind of, we’re able to look at this a little bit more closely, it feels like we started with setting and then we got into character pretty quickly, like in terms of characterization and then when I [00:19:00] think what I really liked about this too is, by the end, you already know what the goal is, what the stakes are, like she only has enough money for one night, like there’s like a lot packed in here is that something that you’re thinking about as you’re reading, or is this kind of just, you’re looking for the general feel, like there’s, I imagine there’s not a checklist you go through, but is there something that you’re like, Ooh, like, if it doesn’t have this, or if it does have this, you’re more likely to feel one way or another?

Carey Blankenship-Kramer: That’s a great question. I think what this paragraph does really, or all of these paragraphs do really well, is you slide right into the story. And I love when an opening page can make me forget I’m an agent, and just become a reader in that moment. And I think this What this strength is for this opening page, for sure.

You’re right, I don’t have a checklist at all of what I’m looking for. I think as long as you don’t keep yanking me out of the story, like this opening page does not do that at all. I’m not a big fan of when it’s It’s when a character’s like, [00:20:00] oh, just wait until you see what I get into, like, let me just be there with you in the moment and I think this is, you’re right, there’s so much jam packed in there, but you wouldn’t really notice it until you pull yourself out and look at it in a more analytical way.

David Gwyn: What are you hoping to see in the next couple of pages from this author that will make you kind of really excited to read on? Like, what are you really hoping will be in these next, like, even like five to seven pages or so?

Carey Blankenship-Kramer: I would love to see something maybe a little creepy.

happened. And it’s okay if it’s not within the first five to seven. I think that would probably be an edit, I suggest, if I were to sign with this offer. I think just a small little breadcrumb, we don’t have to see a full ghost right away, right? We want it to be a nice, easy transition that keeps us on the edge of our seat the entire time.

And then maybe meeting another character too, like maybe we go ahead and meet Ellie or someone else. But yeah, I’d love to see that and I’d love to see more description of, of the [00:21:00] hotel, itself too which I can tell the author is going to do a great job describing that. So.

David Gwyn: Yeah, I was, I was curious about that because I feel like as, as writers we feel like in those first, I mean, there’s obviously a lot riding on those first couple of paragraphs and you don’t know what to do.

I think this one starts off well. I think there’s like some movement to even, which is nice. But I love that suggestion of, Having them interact with another character tells us a lot about, about characters. And doing that early on.

I am curious because I don’t, I don’t read. It’s funny, I actually, I love horror movies. I watch a ton of horror movies, but I don’t read a lot of horror novels here and there. But but not many. But it sounds like early on you need to at least, like, lean into the vibes, I imagine, early on of, of horror.

And so. That’s something that you’re, are you looking for when you get like a submission like this? Are you saying like okay, like, let’s see if we can get creepy early on.

Carey Blankenship-Kramer: Yeah. I feel like a big mistake. A lot of people have [00:22:00] with haunted houses or just haunted situations in general. There’s so much emphasis on getting the character there.

But why? Why don’t we just open with the character already there? I’ve read so many stories where the character’s in the car driving somewhere and it’s just like slapping the reader over the head with the themes and what’s about to happen. I would rather just get thrown into that moment right away. Especially with so many editors and publishing houses calling for shorter books.

We really have to think through how we can get that to happen. And you know, sometimes too, I feel like horror can be great either way if it is just a really slow build, but things happen here and there to get us. You know, that hunger that to feel that good bite of something a little spooky. But then also I love it when we’re thrown right in.

I’m trying to think of Hacienda was, I can’t remember the author’s name, was a really, really good horror I read where There’s no [00:23:00] slow build. You are thrown right in there and it’s a very aggressive violent ghost and I loved that so much. So yeah, I think it can be done very well either way.

David Gwyn: I was listening to you describe this and it reminds me of a Spite House by Johnny Compton.

I had him On, oh gosh, when his book came out at the beginning of last year, I think and he, his, I mean, it was his debut and he like, he like nailed it.

And it was a super cool you know, kind of like a take on a haunted house, a little bit of a different take, but it was good. I have two more questions for you. One is, so obviously like the nature of querying is that you really have to grab an agent’s attention really quickly.

And we’ve talked about a lot of things with this particular submission and kind of what you’re looking for in general. What do you think if you’re talking to people who are listening who are mostly querying agents, a lot in the like, Thriller, mystery, horror, suspense, area what do you think is like the, the one thing that you want to tell them as they’re going into this query journey about how [00:24:00] to really grab an agent’s attention?

Carey Blankenship-Kramer: Oh, oh, that’s, that’s a great question. It’s a

David Gwyn: really hard question.

Carey Blankenship-Kramer: I think not necessarily about how to grab an agent’s attention, but just. It’s just a reminder that publishing is so subjective and everyone has different opinions. I’ve seen that a lot as a writer and also as an agent.

I’ve had people pass on my client’s book for one reason and then that very reason is why that client’s book gets sold. So it’s just like so much up and down. So take every bit of feedback you get with a grain of salt and every rejection. I truly believe every book has its readers and it’s the challenge is to find the correct audience for our books.

So I hate to say like, what makes your book different, but truly like, if you can’t answer that for yourself, then how are you, how are you going to sell your book for your agent? Every book is unique and should have its own pitch and spin. There’s a lot of really great [00:25:00] ideas out there. It’s just, how do I articulate that the best for agents in a digestible way is, is really important too.

I think if you know, the horror genre really well and are able to also put that in your pages. I think that’s, that’s really great. Comps are always a really big conversation that people have and I think it’s okay to be able to comp to something a little bit older but also if you want to throw in a newer published book that will really show that you know your stuff, you are reading up and practicing.

Your skills. So

David Gwyn: yeah, it’s funny. I heard this somewhere and I can’t remember who said it So I’m just gonna steal it and pretend like it’s mine they said like when you when you pitch it you should be proving like this idea like Your book is the same as these other things but different You unique twist on this thing that’s happening right now And I really like that because I know a lot of authors feel one way about like, oh, you know agents want something unique and something Different but they also want comp so like how do you play that?

[00:26:00] I really think it’s It’s that thing, that same but different, it’s this but with this, or it’s this but without this, like I think, or it’s these two things smashed together, like whatever it is you want your unique perspective and it sounds like that’s what you’re saying here is like, yes you need to know what’s going on in the genre that you’re writing in, but you also need to do something that’s like slightly different, something that makes your story unique and stands out from all the other ones.

Carey Blankenship-Kramer: Yeah, that’s, I love that. We’ll pretend it’s yours.

David Gwyn: Well, now you can steal it and say it’s yours. Yeah, no, no,

Carey Blankenship-Kramer: no, I won’t do that. I’ll be like, yeah, this one guy you were talking to is so smart. He has a podcast, you should listen to it. Love it. Yeah, I think that’s great. And I actually did see a tweet before I jumped on here, like an author expressing their frustration with that, because it’s so fair and valid.

It is really frustrating to be told Hey, you gotta do something different, but you also have to relate it to these already published books. I think to The comp conversation is, again, [00:27:00] very subjective. And I think it’s okay to be a little creative with it. We are living in a new digital age with so much content being thrown at us and so much content we all know.

Like, can you comp to, like, a viral TikTok story? That’s sick. Tell me. Like, the only reason, the first thing that came to my brain was, like, the Dear David tweet thread that went around for a while. To like, if you can comp to something like that, that’s really cool, too. And it’s not even just, I think what’s really important, too, is I wouldn’t write a sentence that’s just like, my book is like this meets this.

I need to know why. That’s a good comp for your story, so include like a little phrase of exactly why your story relates to this other one. And then feel free to explain why it’s different, too, in that phrase.

David Gwyn: Oh, I feel like this, we could go on and on and on. I’m like having such a great time. Yeah! So my last question for you is just where can people find you?

Where can people look you up?

Carey Blankenship-Kramer: Yeah, I’m the most active on Twitter these [00:28:00] days, which is, you know, it’s fun as it falls apart before our very eyes, but you can follow me on Twitter and that is at Carey F. Blankenship. C A R E Y F B L A N K E N S H. Which is why I said sh at the end there Instagram is CareyBlankenshipKramer. I also have a website that I keep up to date pretty frequently if I made a script wishlist, which is CareyBlankenshipKramer. com. And if you don’t like social media, you can always just check on there. I, I, I let people know if I’m open or not there.

David Gwyn: Great.

So yeah. And for people who are listening, I’ll link to some of that stuff. So you have a quick access to Carey. Carey, this was so much fun. I really appreciate you taking the time to chat. I really, I really had a great time.

Carey Blankenship-Kramer: Yeah, I did too. Thank you so much for having me on.

David Gwyn: Okay, so that’s it. Carey provided a ton of value for querying writers. If you’re still on the hunt for your agent, I imagine you took a lot away from this episode. As a reminder, I write a weekly newsletter through Thriller 101 with exclusive information, advice, and updates you [00:29:00] only get from the newsletter.

I talk about goal setting, systems, productivity, and I share the best resources and advice for Thriller writers from all around the internet. If you want to level up your writing skill, be sure to subscribe. There’s a link in the description where you can do that. Next time on the podcast, I’ll be talking to Michelle Glogovac

Michelle Glogovac: all of these ways are going to bring you. visibility, your author brand, it’s going to sell books, it’s going to help you when you’re doing that proposal of where have you been, oh I was featured on all of these podcasts and I can also go back and ask to be on again because now I have a book coming out and it’s part of my marketing plan.

David Gwyn: she is the podcast matchmaker and award winning publicist host of the my simplified life podcast and author of how to get on podcasts. We’re going to talk about how to build your author platform , the writing process, and so much more. I’ll see you next week.