Success Story Interview - A. K. Hathaway

An Interview with A. K. Hathaway (akhathaway on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Brent Taylor of Triada US Literary Agency.

06/26/2024

QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?

A. K. Hathaway:
The book I found representation for was the second novel I queried, an Adult Fantasy about a spy for an empire who discovers its falsified history and realizes she must kill the emperor before his warmongering causes the astral realm to collapse. I was inspired by the concept of a character who has the ability to know everything and yet is powerless, and that struggles to decipher what is true, or if in fact, there is any such thing as ‘truth’.

QT: How long have you been writing?

A. K. Hathaway:
I wrote my first “novel” when I was 13 (it was approximately 32 pages long), and I knew I wanted to be an author ever since. I completed my first actual novel at 16. My first queried novel was my 6th written.

QT: How long have you been working on this book?

A. K. Hathaway:
Oh, at least four years. It’s gone through at least three complete rewrites, countless revisions, much despairing and much hope.

QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?

A. K. Hathaway:
Querying is such a demoralizing experience generally. I was certain my first novel would be my big break — I received 20 full requests, and so many close calls, and yet nothing panned out. My writing friends are really what helped me carry on and realize that my skills would continue to grow and develop. In hindsight, I am glad my debut will not be the book I wrote when I was 19!

QT: Is this your first book?

A. K. Hathaway:
Not even close. I believe it’s my…8th? 11th if you count rewrites.

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

A. K. Hathaway:
I do! I went to Royal Holloway, University of London to get my degree in English and Creative Writing. I was incredibly privileged to do so and grateful for the opportunity to spend three years reading and developing my writing.

QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?

A. K. Hathaway:
As many times as necessary. I’ve grown quite good at killing my darlings because I’ve realized that the best darlings are the ones I have yet to write! I’m always enthusiastic that I can make my story stronger. It took a while to get there though.

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

A. K. Hathaway:
Many! At least two for each draft, and I went through the Queeryfest mentoring program, where the author duo M. K. Hardy gave me invaluable feedback.

QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?

A. K. Hathaway:
Both! I tend to make loose outlines of plot beats and major moments, and then pants my way through the events that string them together.

QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?

A. K. Hathaway:
I’ve been querying for about three or four years, with three books. My first was a historical women’s fiction novel, this book is an adult fantasy, and my third book was a crossover science-fantasy (which I will be sending to my agent after we finish revisions!)

QT: About how many query letters did you send out for this book?

A. K. Hathaway:
At least a hundred. I didn’t keep track too closely in order to protect my peace and mental health. I was pretty relentless and tended to just fling out as many queries as I could.

QT: On what criteria did you select the agents you queried?

A. K. Hathaway:
I looked to see if they represented my genre, I checked their MSWLs, and I made sure their values aligned with my own, i.e. if they’d be enthusiastic to represent a queer, anti-imperialist work.

QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?

A. K. Hathaway:
I did. I know personalization is a controversial element in a query, but I thought that if the chance was there for personalization to catch the agent’s eye, I was willing to spend the extra ten minutes researching. I totally get why many authors don’t have that time though.

QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?

A. K. Hathaway:
Pace yourself. Most of us are in this for the long haul. If you don’t get a full request in the first month, or three, don’t give up. Take a breath, recenter yourself, and send another query. The right agent for you is out there, and try not to get wrapped up in stalking your fellow writers' progress (I fell down that hole many times).

Query Letter:

Dear Brent,

As your MSWL mentions LGBT romance and fantasy with the high-stakes of GODKILLER, I am pleased to present CRESCENT MOON RISING, a 93,000 word adult queer fantasy with crossover appeal and series potential. Combining the sapphic romance in Tasha Suri’s THE JASMINE THRONE with the darkly lush worldbuilding of SEVEN FACELESS SAINTS by M. K. Lobb, this story will appeal to fans of deep POV and unique magic systems.

The astral realm surges beside the world like a shadow. The barrier between is fracturing.

As Mita’s sole purpose is to spy for the ever-expanding Solestrian Empire, she resents the secrets beyond her grasp — and she will have the truth. During a mission in enemy territory, she discovers a raging energy storm, which sends her crashing into the forbidden ruins of a heretical temple. There she finds that the empire’s conquest has caused a cataclysmic rift in the barrier between the astral realm and her own. If the emperor pursues another war, this rift will allow the dimensions to collide and birth the unbridled destruction of the world.

Now burning with what she knows, Mita agrees to work with the empire’s enemies to overthrow the emperor and prevent his war from causing a cataclysm. To dethrone the tyrant, Mita must go undercover as handmaiden to Princess Catryn and manipulate her into staging a coup.

Exploiting the clever and charming Catryn isn’t as easy as Mita expects. Every party, argument, and quiet moment with the princess leaves Mita falling deeper in love. As the coup approaches, Mita must decide if she can let go of her feelings to prevent destruction — or if her love for Catryn will end them all.

I am a lesbian author from Massachusetts with a BA in English and Creative Writing from Royal Holloway, University of London. I have a passion for bringing queer and body diverse characters into fantasy and historical fiction, and was a #Queeryfest 2022 mentee. My short stories have previously appeared in All Worlds Wayfarer and Bards & Sages Quarterly. For more information please visit akhathaway.com.

Thank you for your consideration,
A.K. Hathaway (she/hers)