Plugging in Mental Modules
The Shit No One Tells You About Writing
Bianca Marais, Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra
4.8 • 842 Ratings
🗓️ 9 April 2026
⏱️ 40 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This week on Books with Hooks, Bianca, CeCe and Carly break down two query letters—and pull no punches. From missing plot lines to overstuffed author bios, they highlight the biggest mistakes writers make when pitching their work. They dig into why subplots don’t belong in queries, how vague “vibes” kill momentum, and why your protagonist must think on the page—not just act. Plus: the danger of performing for the reader, the myth of show don’t tell, and what agents actually need to say yes.
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.
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Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hi there and welcome to our show. |
| 0:09.0 | The Ship No One Tells You About Writing. |
| 0:11.8 | I'm bestselling author Bianca Murray and I'm joined by C.C. Lira of Wendy Sherman Associates and Carly Waters of PS Literary. |
| 0:21.7 | Hi everyone. |
| 0:23.0 | Welcome back to another Books with Hux. |
| 0:25.2 | As per usual, we are diving straight in. |
| 0:28.6 | Carly, can you please kick us off? |
| 0:30.9 | I am not used to diving straight in anymore because Cece and I are always shooting the shit. |
| 0:34.8 | I mean, we had some good jokes before this, guys. |
| 0:37.0 | I'm sorry that you missed out on it. But here we go, straight into query letter. We have a lovely note from this person. I won't read it, but thank you for your lovely note. Dear Carly, I'm seeking representation for no comment, a contemporary romance exploring lust, loyalty, and leather poisoning in the high-stakes world of Australian football. |
| 0:58.9 | At 96,000 words, my debut novel will appeal to fans of Beth O'Leary and Ted Lassow. |
| 1:04.1 | The narrative opens with Stephanie, a no-nonsense PR manager for the embattled Northern Lightning Football Club, navigating a media frenzy surrounding the sacking of a star player, Dylan |
| 1:08.4 | Marshall, following yet another drug-fueled scandal. |
| 1:11.7 | But can Stephanie keep her mind on the job of fending off rabid journalists and protecting her club's |
| 1:16.0 | reputation or is she otherwise occupied? Juggling a whirlwind of press conferences and preseason |
| 1:20.9 | matches, Stephanie's personal life becomes increasingly entangled with her work despite her best |
| 1:24.9 | efforts. There's Mark Campbell, a football player who's |
| 1:27.6 | unexpected and illicit attention, stirs feeling she tries to suppress. And then there's Ashley |
| 1:32.1 | Sullivan, a principal intelligent journalist whose gentle flirtations push the boundaries over |
| 1:36.5 | professional ethics. Whoever she chooses, Stephanie will be risking her career. Fratronizing with |
| 1:40.8 | players is a sackable offense, and she knows that even if she thinks about sleeping with the media, enemy, her head will be on the chopping block. |
| 1:47.5 | Meanwhile, Stephanie's zany best friend and housemate Francis has hooked up with yet another loser from Tinder. |
... |
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