Success Story Interview - Annelise Richardson

An Interview with Annelise Richardson (anneliserich on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Abigail Fenton of The Ampersand Agency.

02/02/2026

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

Annelise Richardson:
My novel She-Wolf is a feminist retelling of Rome’s founding myth, pulling from historical and mythological traditions and stories to explore the perspective of Rhea Silvia, mother of Romulus and Remus, otherwise known to Romans as the “she-wolf.” It also explores the Abduction of the Sabine Women myth, who were forced to become Rome’s first wives. Told in dual-POV, this novel was inspired by my time living in Rome.

QT: How long have you been writing?

Annelise Richardson:
I have been writing officially since I started studying Creative Writing at the University of Iowa, but I wrote stories throughout my childhood. I was always a big reader, too!

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

Annelise Richardson:
I spent 1.5 years total researching, drafting, and editing the manuscript.

QT: Is this your first book?

Annelise Richardson:
This is my first novel.

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

Annelise Richardson:
I did two rounds of edits, so the final manuscript saw three working drafts. QT critique and my beta readers were great assets.

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

Annelise Richardson:
I sent out around 60 query letters, received around 9 requests, and 3 offers of rep. The process from start to finish took about 4 months.

Query Letter:

Dear [Agent],


At 93,000 words, SHE-WOLF reimagines the founding myth of Rome and the abduction of the Sabine women through the women who battled for justice and truth in a world that sought to erase them.

In the Aeneid, Rhea Silvia is replaced by a she-wolf, who suckles the boys in her stead—but this is not the Aeneid, and there is no wolf. There is only the wayward Vestal Virgin Rhea, who is thrust into exile after Mars, God of War, rapes her, forcefully breaking her sacred oath of virginity. Her son, Romulus grows up into an erratic tyrant who likens himself to a God. After killing his twin and deserting his mother, he storms the Sabine kingdom, killing the men and taking the women as wives for his city. Sabine princess Hersilia must use cunning and trickery to illuminate the dark reality of Rome’s foundation and liberate her women.

SHE-WOLF will appeal to fans of Madeline Miller’s Circe, Emilia Hart’s Weyward, and Leigh Bardugo’s The Familiar. I received my degree in Creative Writing from the University of Iowa. I lived, studied, and worked in Rome for two years and finished the manuscript there. Additionally, I authored an essay collection about modern Rome through a research grant. SHE-WOLF is based on extensive research into real Roman history and features numerous real locations. Previously, my fiction has been published in Ink, Catharsis, Earthwords, and New Moon, and my nonfiction can be found in Romeing Magazine. SHE-WOLF is my first novel.