Rachel E. Tell (is querying)
LightNews LightNews
banner
racheletell.bsky.social
Rachel E. Tell (is querying)
@racheletell.bsky.social
15 followers 60 following 45 posts
✨ goes by Rae, hi!
☕ 50% coffee 30% emotional turmoil 20% punctuation
🖋️ querying The Refinement: Mercury
📚 YA | fantasy | psych. horror | romance
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
racheletell.bsky.social
Rachel E. Tell (is querying) @racheletell.bsky.social · 19h
Spent way too much time in Canva last night, but it was a good distraction from the query trenches. New cover art for The Refinement: Mercury, plus mock-ups and trope notes for my other 3 WIPs.

Which one's your favorite?
Which WIP should I focus on first?

#YABooks #amquerying
A dark academia-themed promo slide for The Refinement: Mercury by Rachel E. Tell. The left side features a mock book cover with a soft-focus photo of a girl's face surrounded by flowers and golden sparkles, framed in shadow. Above her, the title reads "The Refinement: Mercury." Below is the tagline: Till the well runs dry. The background is black with honey-gold accents. On the right, handwritten white text lists: “90k word upper YA dark fantasy cult horror” “neurodivergent rep” “stands alone, trilogy-ready” “slow burn grumpy mentor/student to friends to lovers” “an egregious amount of Jungian theory.” At the top, a label reads: Status: Querying. A glitchy, surreal horror-themed slide for Distortions by Rachel E. Tell. The book cover features a warped double image of a woman's face in neon green, blue, and purple, with data-like distortion effects. The bold title "DISTORTIONS" appears at the bottom in all-caps with a cyan and magenta 3D effect. Background is dark maroon with smoke textures. On the right, white handwritten text lists: “YA paranormal psychological horror” “stand-alone novel” “multiple POV” “‘stranger comes to town’ trope” “inspired by Silent Hill and The Haunting of Hill House.” At the top, a label reads: Status: Drafting. A romantasy-themed slide for The Ariad by Rachel E. Tell. The mock book cover shows a silhouetted figure in front of desert rock formations under a star-filled purple sky, framed by ornate white scrollwork. The title reads “The Ariad” in white fantasy font. The background of the slide is muted pink with a galaxy motif. On the right, handwritten white text lists: “new adult post-apocalyptic romantasy” “stand-alone novel” “blacksmith fmc / fish out of water” “ragtag band of heroes” “mmc gets stabbed for fun, might not be human at all.” At the top, a label reads: Status: Drafting. A gritty, thriller-style slide for Broken Link by Rachel E. Tell. The book cover is black with three torn-paper photo fragments showing intense eyes against a broken mirror backdrop. A white illustration of a broken chain winds diagonally across the center. The title “Broken Link” is in bold red font. The background resembles dark riveted metal. On the right, handwritten white text lists: “YA genre-bendy superhero thriller” “mind-linked dual POV romance” “teen agents solving a cold case murder” “physically strong fmc who knows if you’re lying” “kidnapper/murderer getting brought to justice.” At the top, a label reads: Status: Full Re-write.
racheletell.bsky.social
You fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! Never spend an hour researching an agency when every agent is closed to queries!

#selfown #amquerying #querytrenches
a man with a bald head is laughing with his eyes closed and his mouth open .
Alt: Vizzini from the Princess Bride with a bald head is laughing with his eyes closed and his mouth open, then suddenly falls over dead.
media.tenor.com
November 15, 2025 at 2:43 AM
racheletell.bsky.social
Queried one of my top choice agents, eek!

I'm just excited to be in the pile honestly. Knowing she'll read my ideas is neat even if chances are low regardless. Plus I keep refining (ha, title pun) my query materials as I go.

#YAauthor #AmQuerying #QueryTrenches #AuthorJourney #writersofbluesky
November 14, 2025 at 5:59 PM
racheletell.bsky.social
Spent way too much time in Canva last night, but it was a good distraction from the query trenches. New cover art for The Refinement: Mercury, plus mock-ups and trope notes for my other 3 WIPs.

Which one's your favorite?
Which WIP should I focus on first?

#YABooks #amquerying
A dark academia-themed promo slide for The Refinement: Mercury by Rachel E. Tell. The left side features a mock book cover with a soft-focus photo of a girl's face surrounded by flowers and golden sparkles, framed in shadow. Above her, the title reads "The Refinement: Mercury." Below is the tagline: Till the well runs dry. The background is black with honey-gold accents. On the right, handwritten white text lists: “90k word upper YA dark fantasy cult horror” “neurodivergent rep” “stands alone, trilogy-ready” “slow burn grumpy mentor/student to friends to lovers” “an egregious amount of Jungian theory.” At the top, a label reads: Status: Querying. A glitchy, surreal horror-themed slide for Distortions by Rachel E. Tell. The book cover features a warped double image of a woman's face in neon green, blue, and purple, with data-like distortion effects. The bold title "DISTORTIONS" appears at the bottom in all-caps with a cyan and magenta 3D effect. Background is dark maroon with smoke textures. On the right, white handwritten text lists: “YA paranormal psychological horror” “stand-alone novel” “multiple POV” “‘stranger comes to town’ trope” “inspired by Silent Hill and The Haunting of Hill House.” At the top, a label reads: Status: Drafting. A romantasy-themed slide for The Ariad by Rachel E. Tell. The mock book cover shows a silhouetted figure in front of desert rock formations under a star-filled purple sky, framed by ornate white scrollwork. The title reads “The Ariad” in white fantasy font. The background of the slide is muted pink with a galaxy motif. On the right, handwritten white text lists: “new adult post-apocalyptic romantasy” “stand-alone novel” “blacksmith fmc / fish out of water” “ragtag band of heroes” “mmc gets stabbed for fun, might not be human at all.” At the top, a label reads: Status: Drafting. A gritty, thriller-style slide for Broken Link by Rachel E. Tell. The book cover is black with three torn-paper photo fragments showing intense eyes against a broken mirror backdrop. A white illustration of a broken chain winds diagonally across the center. The title “Broken Link” is in bold red font. The background resembles dark riveted metal. On the right, handwritten white text lists: “YA genre-bendy superhero thriller” “mind-linked dual POV romance” “teen agents solving a cold case murder” “physically strong fmc who knows if you’re lying” “kidnapper/murderer getting brought to justice.” At the top, a label reads: Status: Full Re-write.
November 14, 2025 at 2:10 PM
racheletell.bsky.social
Hey friends, found out about this fake Captcha recently. If you happen to stumble on a website where you see this, do NOT follow the steps. Get out of there and run a malware scan instead.

#scamalert #fakecaptcha
A FAKE reCAPTCHA with the header "Complete these Verification Steps". DO NOT follow the website's steps. They are listed as "To better prove you are not a robot, please: 1. Press & hold the Windows Key + R, 2. In the verification window, press Ctrl+V, 3. Press Enter on your keyboard to finish. You will observe and agree: I am not a robot - reCAPTCHA Verification ID" And a Verify button. Do not actually perform any of those steps.
November 14, 2025 at 1:04 PM
racheletell.bsky.social
By the way, I crochet sometimes. I've been doing it since I was 6 and my Grandma taught me how to chain, so I sat there and chained half a skein. Here's a dump of my favorite makes! Ones that I got decent pictures of anyway.

#crochet #CrochetAddict #CrochetCommunity #writerslife
A crochet blanket with a gradient from purple to blue to green to yellow and back and a chevron bobble and gap texture. A zoomed-in image of a shawl in a feather pattern in a gradient of colors from dark purple to red to orange. A blanket with diamond textures that alternate between bobbles and gaps, in warm colors (burgundy, red, copper, and neutrals like taupe, mocha, beige, and cream). A woman with short hair and glasses wearing a sweater in warm colors (burgundy, red, copper, and neutrals like taupe, mocha, beige, and cream).
November 12, 2025 at 1:15 PM
racheletell.bsky.social
I got my first form rejection!

I know it's taboo to respond so I won't, but I wish I could reach out to thank her. It probably sounds silly, but this is a huge milestone for me (and it means that initial wait for the first one is over).

#querytrenches #amquerying #1down99togo
November 11, 2025 at 11:00 PM
racheletell.bsky.social
Something just clicked. Trying to get a book published is a lot like being a parent, isn't it? You start with one problem that seems insurmountable, you get past it by just staying in the game. Your reward is getting to deal with a whole new problem that seems insurmountable! 🧵
November 11, 2025 at 2:54 AM
racheletell.bsky.social
I keep worrying about my novel now that my first queries are out in the void. Especially that my MC will be seen as cliché or boring, because it's YA. 🧵

#AmQuerying #QueryTrenches #AuthorJourney
November 10, 2025 at 4:17 AM
racheletell.bsky.social
Me: I'm doing so well today, I submitted more queries without even crying!

Also me: Why does my head hurt-- oh I've been clenching my jaw for over an hour again, huh?

The good news is that my husband and son are now napping on the couch and it's adorable.

#amquerying #momlife
November 8, 2025 at 8:58 PM
racheletell.bsky.social
See if you can find my son's toes in this picture lol. Seriously, Starbuddy is such a pretty boy, I can't get over it. And Nick is helping me with QueryTracker. "Helping."

#caturday #SeniorCat #RescueCat #AdoptDontShop #CatsofBluesky
A 2 year old rescue cat, silver with some tabby striping, looking out of a window in the sun, with a small boy's feet barely visible behind him. A white senior cat with yellow-green eyes and some tabby markings sitting on a desk in front of a keyboard and mouse, partially blocking the computer monitor.
November 8, 2025 at 4:20 PM
racheletell.bsky.social
Query no. 1: Submitted. Heartrate: 122.

Being an author with anxiety is a trip, y'all. When I signed up for Publisher's Marketplace last night, THAT gave me anxiety. Like logging into the website. Literally nothing was happening.

#AmQuerying #QueryTrenches #AuthorJourney
November 7, 2025 at 11:30 PM
racheletell.bsky.social
It's official.
I've finished the last polish on my manuscript (give or take a random "Oh I should go change--").
I've got my website, query letter, 2 versions of a synopsis.
I signed up for PM and QT and started researching agencies that rep YA Fiction or YA Fantasy.
November 7, 2025 at 9:45 PM
racheletell.bsky.social
Help me procrastinate my final edit by telling me what your favorite writing/editing music is.

#EditingMood #WritingFlow #WritersOfBluesky #AmEditing
November 4, 2025 at 10:56 PM
racheletell.bsky.social
I saw advice about using MS Word's Read Aloud for manuscript polish, but I didn't realize it'd be good for more than just spotting typos.

My book sounds good. Like a real book I'd enjoy reading. Low Self-Esteem Brain doesn't know how to process this.

#AmEditing #WritingTips #AuthorThoughts
November 2, 2025 at 10:00 PM
racheletell.bsky.social
I wrote a 500-word synopsis.

This is normally where I'd say, "Oh no😱!" but honestly, it helped me remember just how much I believe in this book and in Willa herself.

Once I trim another 1k words, I'll be ready for the trenches.

#amwriting #amediting #WritingCommunity #yabooks
October 30, 2025 at 7:34 PM
racheletell.bsky.social
I was today years old when I found out that Substack is another social media platform.

I can't keep up, y'all, I still haven't come to grips with the fact that TikTok is NOT in fact the Army of Oz.
a woman is screaming in front of a mirror while looking at her reflection .
ALT: a woman is screaming in front of a mirror while looking at her reflection .
media.tenor.com
October 29, 2025 at 1:16 AM
racheletell.bsky.social
It's tough to trim down the "maybe" and "kind of" junk words when your main character is habitually uncertain about everything. 😒

#amwriting #amediting #WritingCommunity #yabooks
October 28, 2025 at 3:37 PM
racheletell.bsky.social
It's almost time for my final planned edit before I start querying: trim down the 2385 words I added when I made the OTHER edits. 😅😭
#amwriting #amediting #WritingCommunity #yabooks
October 25, 2025 at 11:49 PM
racheletell.bsky.social
Been a little quiet on here lately. I've been head down to work on All The Things™️:
🖋️ final edits
📚 wrapping up reading comp #2
🧠 query research
💕 and of course job, life, and family

If you're in deep-work season, keep going! Not that you're likely to see this if you are.😅
October 25, 2025 at 1:30 PM
racheletell.bsky.social
I've got query-writing on the brain so bad that I'm having stress dreams about it. In last night's episode, I got a stack of form rejections because I forgot to attach my pages. I haven’t even started submitting yet, y’all. 😭

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #YABooks
October 22, 2025 at 1:47 PM
racheletell.bsky.social
I just want a backspace key and a thesaurus while I'm speaking, is that really too much to ask?
October 4, 2025 at 1:13 AM
racheletell.bsky.social
My first beta reader finished the book (IN ONE WEEK WHAT 😱) and I am just quietly vibrating over here with my fidget ring trying not to spontaneously combust.
#AmWriting #WritingCommunity
kermit the frog is dancing in front of a red curtain on a stage .
Alt: kermit the frog is flailing in front of a red curtain on a stage .
media.tenor.com
September 11, 2025 at 12:29 AM
racheletell.bsky.social
I can’t write a sad scene without crying. If I can, it just isn’t sad enough.
#AuthorBluesky #AmWriting #WritingCommunity
September 10, 2025 at 5:51 PM
racheletell.bsky.social
First beta reader feedback is in, and it landed exactly the way I hoped:

"Googling the Latin phrase they use was a nice kick in the brain… like a little horror? and a little ick. And then the question of whether they even know what it means."

Muahahaha. Perfect.
#AmWriting #WritersOfBluesky
Gold font quote on a black background with graphics of hexagons and bees. The quote says, "Googling the Latin phrase they use was a nice kick in the brain… like a little horror? and a little ick. And then the question of whether they even know what it means."
September 8, 2025 at 8:42 PM
racheletell.bsky.social
After 5 days of flailing, I finally found something to occupy my brain during betas! Spent an hour making a “return to the gym” plan, and two hours researching comps.

Seriously, how the heck do people keep themselves sane while waiting on beta feedback?
#AmWriting #WritersOfBluesky
September 7, 2025 at 11:47 PM