Writers of romance, be it modern or historical, would have literary agent Pam Strickler on the top of their list of agents to be queried.
She started out as an editor before opening her own agency in New Paltz, New York, which has never been the heart of the publishing world but she was comfortable there. The world of electronic communications was just blossoming when she opened her agency, which allowed her to work without having to live in New York City.
As an agent, she represented romance authors like Kimberly van Meter and historical fiction writers such as Kate Quinn. Not prestigious literary lights, but women capable of telling entertaining stories that were popular with their audience. For those who wanted to join the ranks of those authors, Ms. Strickler was concientious about responding to their queries. She did not subscribe to the no response means no school, a nice touch that aspiring writers appreciate.
Ms. Strickler recently passed away after a four month bout with cancer.
Before her death, she closed her agency, although the only indication that most would have received was an autoresponse to their query that stated the agency was closed to queries. Her clients will move on, to find a new agent, although their future interactions with a replacement will always be colored by recollections of Ms. Strickler's way of doing things.
Her clients were lucky, to have an agent who knew how to edit. Their manuscripts were that much better when presented to publishers, which made them more sellable. To replace that talent will not be easy.
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