Successful Queries: Courtney Paganelli, Daniel Ehrenhaft, and “You Watched in Silence,” by H. Lee Justine
Find Courtney Paganelli’s successful query to editor Daniel Ehrenhaft for H. Lee Justine’s debut novel, You Watched in Silence.
Welcome back to the Successful Queries series. In this installment, find a query letter from agent Courtney Paganelli to editor Daniel Ehrenhaft for H. Lee Justine's debut novel, You Watched in Silence.
H. Lee Justine is a career ghostwriter who has been featured in NPR for her work with famous clients. Maybe you’ve even read one of her books already. But after years of writing other people’s stories, she’s excited to see her own name on bookshelves. Her affinity for creepy stories started at age nine and never stopped. When she’s not writing, you can find her making content on TikTok.
Here's Paganelli's query on Justine's behalf (to Ehrenhaft):
Daniel,
I’m so excited to send you a queer psychological thriller with elements of horror set on the eerie, secluded islands of the pacific northwest. YOU WATCHED IN SILENCE has the bite of Jessica Knoll with the twists of Verity and the atmospheric tension of The Haunting of Bly Manor. I devoured it at an evening hair appointment – much to my stylist’s annoyance because I refused to pick my head up out of my laptop. I can’t wait to hear what you think!
Bella Greene is a high-profile influencer turned family vlogger. She has a devoted fandom that loves tuning into her YouTube channel for life updates on Bella and her twins, Max and Olive. Caitlyn and her friend spent years following the channel, attending all of her meet-and-greets and were even invited to join an exclusive fan group chat with Bella herself.
Getting hired by Bella’s family felt like the answer to all of Caitlyn’s problem. Her girlfriend was Bella’s biggest fan, and for Caitlyn this job feels like a way to keep their connection alive. But Bella has problems of her own – one of her loyal fans took their life after enduring months of vile bullying and hatred at the hands of Bella’s fans in her group chat. Bella was canceled for not doing more to stop her fandom’s actions, and started receiving threatening messages, forcing her and her family to move off the coast of the pacific northwest while they try to put their lives back together (and strategize a comeback).
After Caitlyn moves into their guesthouse, she quickly bonds with the twins and enjoys the behind-the-scenes insights into Bella’s assistant and off-screen husband. Most surprising though is the feelings she starts to develop for the family’s captivating chef, Hannah Zhou, who makes her contemplate what a romantic future could look like – giving her hope for the first time since the loss of her friend.
But nannying for the Greenes quickly turns into a nightmare as Caitlyn’s own past slowly catches up to her. Teetering episodes of psychosis can’t be ignored when a mysterious girl starts to haunt her every move – and Caitlyn can’t discern whether she’s a ghost from her past – or a terrifying hallucination. While she grapples with her fracturing reality, the ominous messages that forced Bella to flee to Washington in the first place re-emerge, as pentagrams, animal sacrifices, and warnings begin appearing across the property – threatening not just Bella but everyone on the estate.
But who is to blame? And what do they want? Is it a disgruntled employee? A scorned lover? Or someone out for unjust revenge --- because Bella didn’t actually do anything wrong, right?
In a world where filters and facades rule, reality may be more shocking than anyone ever anticipated because nothing is really as it appears.
YOU WATCHED IN SILENCE forces the reader to confront the horrors of family vlogging and the dangers of obsessive parasocial relationships all with a twist no one will see coming.
Haylee Justine (writing as H. Lee Justine) is a career ghostwriter and an active BookTok member. She’s a member of the Association of Ghostwriters, Gotham Ghostwriters and has been featured in NPR for her work. On TikTok she has a following of over 100,000 with over 7.7 million accumulated likes. She averages 10-15 million views per month and is gaining followers at a rate of 20,000 a month. YOU WATCHED IN SILENCE is her debut novel. Like a character in the book, Haylee has been diagnosed with POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) and hopes to provide more representation for this syndrome.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!
Courtney Paganelli
Literary Agent
LEVINE│GREENBERG│ROSTAN LITERARY AGENCY
Check out H. Lee Justine's You Watched in Silence here:
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Here's what Ehrenhaft liked about the query:
Courtney Paganelli’s query caught my attention for several reasons, foremost being that I love her taste (and the tastes of many of her fellow LGR agents), so I tend to open LGR pitch emails right away. And since I’m partial to atmospheric horror and suspense—where a specific setting plays a crucial role and becomes a character in its own right—I was on my way to being hooked with the very first line with its mention of “eerie, secluded islands of the pacific northwest.”
The piece that clinched it for me, however, was the family vlogging. I doubt that I’m alone among editors in feeling a rush if I find myself thinking: Have I really not seen this before? Family vlogging is so obviously ripe for horror in so many ways that I couldn’t quite believe that it hadn’t been done. So, I dropped everything to do some quick research, and as far as I could tell (still to this day, with the caveat that I might have missed something), Courtney’s author was the first to explore this territory in her debut. I tore through the rest of the pitch, which was on the longer side because of the somewhat complex setup—by necessity. I mention the length only because Courtney deserves kudos for handling the plot so deftly. If a story summary feels confusing in any way, I’ll pass automatically; there aren’t enough hours in the day to puzzle or linger over its presentation.
Finally, I must give credit to the author bio for cementing the manuscript’s place at the top of my TBR pile. At the pitch stage, I have very little patience for CV that aren’t directly relevant to the submission. (I mean, it’s great if an author has three cats, but what does that have to do with the novel?) The bio that Courtney provided was brief, compelling, and impressive data-wise; in terms of the author’s personal life, it was limited only to the details that informed the content. In short, it included everything that I’d ultimately need to acquire the book, anyway, and nothing more. H. Lee Justine is a rare talent, and her manuscript did not disappoint! I am so grateful that Courtney sent this project my way.
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Courtney Paganelli joined Levine | Greenberg | Rostan Literary Agency in May of 2019 as an assistant to Jim Levine and Stephanie Rostan, was promoted within a year to be an Associate Agent, and in January of 2023 was promoted to Agent. Courtney enjoys reading voice-driven commercial fiction, dark psychological fiction, and heartwarming romantic comedies. She particularly gravitates towards relatable adult or young adult novels that make her swoon over budding relationships, tackle tough topics or complex family dynamics, feature dashes of paranormal activity or magical realism, and anything atmospheric, creepy, and utterly thrilling. In the nonfiction space, Courtney is drawn to true crime, millennial-driven self-help, practical business, pop culture, lifestyle, and anything that has to do with reality television. Some of her clients include novelists Mallory Arnold, H Lee Justine, Nicolas DiDomizio, and Agatha-Award winner, Erica Ruth Neubauer—and on the nonfiction side, bestselling authors Jason Tartick, Kelly Cervantes, and Amy Shoenthal, as well as subconscious breakthrough coach & content creator Haley Hoffman Smith, star of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Jackie Goldschneider, and deaf advocate, speaker, & contestant on The Bachelor, Abigail Heringer.
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Daniel Ehrenhaft joined Blackstone as a Senior Acquisitions Editor in 2021, where he has acquired award-winning titles by authors such as Sara Shepard, Henry Neff, Anthony Ryan, Lauren Myracle, Adriana Mather, and Kanan Gill, as well as audio by Emily McIntire, Robert Heinlein, and Orson Scott Card, among others. Prior to Blackstone, his publishing career highlights include spearheading creation of the iconic GOSSIP GIRL and PEACHES series while at Alloy Entertainment and later founding the Soho Teen imprint at Soho Press. As an author, he has been an international bestseller, winner of the 2003 Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Novel, and a 2012 National Book Award Judge.
