I worked with Jacqui as part of my Creative Future Writers’ Award prize, just as I was finishing putting together a short story collection that I planned to send out to agents. Jacqui’s advice was down-to-earth, acknowledging how difficult it is to attract agents with a short story collection, but also practical—she came up with a list of agents to approach and even suggested a couple of her own contacts—and full of warmth and encouragement. Her tips for shaping my query letter and synopsis were incisive and to the point, a testament to her many years of experience. Consulting her was a gift that came at exactly the right time in my development and provided me with the tools and the confidence I needed.
Jacqui also generously critiqued a short story of mine. Her feedback, like a truly good editor’s, was surgically precise. Her notes never tried to alter the voice of the piece, but always to hone and accentuate it, and she came up with a wealth of material for me to consult as I revised the story. A Welling Up is now published in Strange Horizons.
Natalia is represented by Lucy Carson at the Friedrich Agency. Find out more about Natalia’s work here and Welling Up here.
Find Natalia on Twitter at @natalia_theodor
Natalia’s pronouns are he/him or they/them.
Gillian Harvey