Welcome to our latest Mystery Agent episode. We asked you, our lovely writers, to send in your query and first page—and asked a wonderful literary agent to choose a lucky writer for a critique. What follows is the joy-filled, insightful consultation and conversation between them. There are wonderful lessons in this episode about pitching, character development, and more.

In this episode, listen as Larissa Melo Pienkowski (Jill Grinberg Literary Management) helps author Justine McDaniel with small changes that may make all the difference. (And yes, we like her so much, we're already placing bets on her publishing success.) With a focus on first page, pitching, character, and the nuances of this age group, Larissa and Justine work together to bring this submission packet to the next level.

Want to apply for our next Mystery Agent critique? Join our mailing list at https://manuscriptacademy.com/subscribe to be the first to know how.

Want to meet with Larissa to go over YOUR query or pages? Head to https://manuscriptacademy.com/faculty-members/larissa-melo-pienkowski.