spacecase In that case you probably were counted as one of Joshua's queries, not hers. Generally when people are assistants, they are acquiring for that agent not themselves so it seems unlikely she would have brought it with her.

Got an R&R from Valentina after querying Joshua Bilmes (when she was his assistant), and her notes were thoughtful and helpful. Took about a year and did a significant rewrite (turned two timelines into one with some key flashbacks), and sent back to her with big hopes! She warned me when I sent (end of October) it could be some time, so I queried others and kept my hopes up, then checked in around April. Checked in again in June and again last week when I continued to not hear back.

When she reopened to queries she switched to QueryManager so maybe I slipped through the cracks somehow, but I'm guessing at this point there's nothing to do but take her silence as a no. Disappointing! She seems great to work with.

99k YA fantasy
Q: 6/1/2025
R: 8/1/2025

Form rejection:
"Thank you very much for sending your query for [ ]. Unfortunately, this didn't quite appeal enough to my own tastes for me to offer representation of your project. While I would like to respond to everyone with constructive criticism, it would take an overwhelming amount of time and energy. I do want to emphasize that the publishing business is highly subjective, and that there have been many instances where a project I didn't connect with has gone on to find critical and commercial success. I appreciate the opportunity to get to know more about you and your work, and wish you the best success in your journey to publication."

Q: 7/16/25

90K word
Mythology Retelling/Romantasy

Queried: 5/12/25
Form rejection: 6/12/25
~80K YA fantasy w/ LGBTQIA+ rep