About this episode

The hosts critique memoir and medical thriller queries, discussing narrative structure and emotional impact.

In this Books with Hooks segment, Bianca , CeCe , and Carly critique a memoir query about parenting a child with Down syndrome, emphasizing that while emotionally powerful, it lacks a clear hook, market positioning, and defined narrative arc—and may not yet function as a full memoir. They stress the importance of framing personal experience in a way that’s compelling to readers, with strong stakes, structure, and deeper interiority on the page. In contrast, a medical AI thriller query is praised for its sharp concept and stakes, with notes on refining the central conflict and strengthening the opening. Note: CeCe Lyra is a literary agent at Wendy Sherman Associates. If you’d like to query CeCe, please refer to the submission guidelines at www.wsherman.com. Carly Watters is a literary agent at P.S. Literary Agency, but her work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly on this podcast are solely that of her as a podcast co-host ​and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency. Find us on our socials: Threads: https://www.threads.net/@the_shit_about_writing…

People in this episode

Hosts: Bianca Marais, Carly Watters, CeCe Lyra

Topics covered

• memoir writing
• query critique
• parenting
• Down syndrome
• narrative structure
• medical thriller

Keywords

• memoir
• query
• Down syndrome
• narrative arc
• medical thriller
• writing advice
• literary agents

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Wendy Sherman Associates, P.S. Literary Agency

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