Success Story Interview - Christina Fitz-Gallant
An Interview with Christina Fitz-Gallant (fitzthestory on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Arianna Siddiqui of FinePrint Literary Management.
04/21/2025
- QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?
- Christina Fitz-Gallant:
I was originally offered an R&R for one of my books and I queried my agent with another, which sealed the deal because she could see how far my writing had come.
My book that sealed the deal is OF GILDED DOVES, which is a dark academic romantasy that was written based on a joke I made about Spencer Reid being in a romantasy. The one I was offered an R&R on is HAUNTEDLY EVER AFTER, a haunted house queer rom com! - QT: How long have you been writing?
- Christina Fitz-Gallant:
I’ve been writing with intention for publication for 5 years. I was very lucky to have received mentorship on my first querying book from author Jasmine Skye, Daughter of the Bone Forest (2024) - QT: How long have you been working on this book?
- Christina Fitz-Gallant:
I started the first draft in mid-2024. The first draft took me 5 weeks to write, and then I rewrote it 6 more times between October and late January when I started querying - QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?
- Christina Fitz-Gallant:
I’m a Taurus with a lot of Capricorn placements. Giving up isn’t in my nature. I stayed the course because I knew I wanted to do this and I had so many people who believed in me.
(Hi Aly, Michelle, my discord group the Scribes, Maddie, Corn, Brooke, and of course my friends in my personal life!) - QT: Is this your first book?
- Christina Fitz-Gallant:
No, it is not! I have written many books. I’ve learned so much in the time I’ve written them. - QT: Do you have any formal writing training?
- Christina Fitz-Gallant:
I was a scholarship recipient of THE SHIT NO ONE TELLS YOU ABOUT WRITING’s Deep Dive 2025 and STORYBEAST’s Romantasy Summit.
I also invest heavily in taking courses. - QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?
- Christina Fitz-Gallant:
The first draft took me 5 weeks to write, and then I rewrote it 6 more times between October and late January when I started querying. Shout out to my Alyssa’s for supporting me in that final leg - QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?
- Christina Fitz-Gallant:
Yes, I did. I have a close friend who offers beta services and she was invaluable in taking the temperature of this book. - QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?
- Christina Fitz-Gallant:
I outlined (and re-outlined, and re-outlined again!) - QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?
- Christina Fitz-Gallant:
For anyone reading this, please, PLEASE keep in mind i’ve queried three books consecutively (and sometimes concurrently) for almost 3 years.
OF GILDED DOVES however I queried for five weeks. - QT: About how many query letters did you send out for this book?
- Christina Fitz-Gallant:
I queried approximately 45 agents for this book, but my past books were 90, and 77 for another. - QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?
- Christina Fitz-Gallant:
Yes, I did. I looked at which agents requested in the past and who had complimentary things to say. I also got a PM membership and tailored it to the books that they sold, which I think helped with the 1/3 request rate I had on this book which special mention for the agent I queried the most: Dorian Maffei who was so kind to me at every part of my journey and even when she passed, always found a way to uplift me in her rejection. - QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?
- Christina Fitz-Gallant:
Listen to your gut. Decide what kind of career as a writer you want. And when receiving outside advice about your book really sit with it. It’s okay if it hurts. It’s okay if you don’t agree. It’s okay to need time to ruminate. This is YOUR art and YOUR vision. Honour that.