Success Story Interview - Ashley Tropea

An Interview with Ashley Tropea (Ashley_Tropea on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Jenna Satterthwaite of Storm Literary Agency.

05/21/2024

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

Ashley Tropea:
The book that found representation is a New Adult Fantasy Romance novel inspired by Ancient Egyptian myth and folklore. When enemies from the north break into the palace to kill the princess, her maid is forced to switch places with her and die in her place. But the northern king has other plans...

As an Egyptian with a deep love of fantasy novels, I’ve always wanted to read stories set in the rich imagination of the Ancient Egyptian world, and I’ve also been interested in the “side” characters in a story. While the princess is off vanquishing heroes, what are her maids that she left behind doing? I really wanted to explore that, while also enjoying a heavy helping of magic, gods, and romance.

QT: How long have you been writing?

Ashley Tropea:
I’ve been writing for about 11 years. I first sat down to write a creative story for a class when I was in the sixth grade and instantly fell in love. I started writing in earnest when I was 14 and have been cranking out stories ever since.

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

Ashley Tropea:
I’ve been working on this book for about a year and a half.

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

Ashley Tropea:
Definitely! I don’t think you can be an author and not think about giving up. The querying process can be daunting and disheartening. I constantly felt like I was so close but just couldn’t cross the finish line—like I might never cross it. But what helped me stay on course were my friends. They were kind enough to read my book and then insist that it was good, that I should keep going. On top of that, even the rejections that I got from agents held nuggets of encouragement. It seemed that everyone was pushing me not to give up, so I forced myself to keep chugging along.

QT: Is this your first book?

Ashley Tropea:
No. This is my first repped book but I wrote my first novel when I was 14. No, it was not good. At 16, I wrote a trilogy and posted it online, where it gained a sizeable following so about two years ago, I self-published all three of those books. In total, I’ve written 9 books, counting the one that just secured representation.

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Ashley Tropea:
Yes. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Screenwriting from Loyola Marymount University.

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

Ashley Tropea:
I’ve edited this book many, many, many, many, many times. I finished the original draft in November 2022 and have done three major rewrites since then, with much smaller tweaking about every three months or so.

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

Ashley Tropea:
I consider myself a “plantser,” so I did some bare bones outlining. I like to call it “tentpole outlining.” I had my beginning, middle, and end and filled everything else in as I wrote. And once I had a completed rough draft, I outlined the changes I wanted to make in a more proper way before tackling revisions.

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

Ashley Tropea:
I queried this book for about a year. The same goes for other books. I always give it about a year before I move onto the next project.

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

Ashley Tropea:
In total, I sent out about 100 query letters. That number seems insane but finding the right agent really is like looking for a needle in a haystack, and I’m so beyond blessed to have found mine. She’s awesome!

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

Ashley Tropea:
I looked for agents that represented novels I loved and that were interested in the same genres as my book. For example, fantasy, romance, mythological retellings, non-Western settings, and then got even more specific, investigating what sort of tropes agents liked.

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

Ashley Tropea:
A little bit! As you can imagine, it would be impossible to fully personalize 100 letters, but I did research each agent before I submitted to them and tried to include my reason for querying them. Each agent has very specific interests (found family, knife-at-the-throat romance, etc.) and if those aspects were in my book, I made sure to mention them.

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

Ashley Tropea:
I have two major pieces of advice. Firstly, give your work to other people. If you have a friend that’s really blunt and your scared of their feedback, definitely give it to them. Let people tell you what they think. Because when you enter the query trenches and everything is telling you that you’re not good enough or this is too difficult or it’s never going to happen, there is nothing more invaluable that having someone tell you the opposite—or tell you specifically what isn’t working so you can fix it. It’s the best way to stay sane.

Secondly, really utilize social media. Twitter/X is chock full of writers and agents, all of whom are excited to talk about what they’re working on, what they’re interested in, and meeting other people who feel the same. It also regularly hosts pitch events that have helped me get in contact with more than one agent. Instagram and TikTok are also great resources for finding other authors going through exactly what you’re going through, readers hungry for stories, and a great way to connect directly with agents and editors.

QT: Would you be willing to share your query with us?

Ashley Tropea:
Absolutely! I’ve included it below:

Query Letter:

Dear AGENT,

Ask anyone in the desert kingdom of Ashorah how they think they’re going to die and you will get a single answer: dehydration. Drought has plagued the kingdom for half a century with only one viable water source, controlled by the royal family.

Perhaps that is why Samira has never viewed herself as a slave. Outside of the palace, she would have to fight for her survival—against other Ashorans and the depraved shapeshifting Kaldfolk to the North. But here, in the security of the palace, she doesn’t have to worry about any of that.

And all Princess Amunet Khada asks for in return is total obedience.

Samira’s whole life has been one of near fanatical devotion to her princess. Because Amunet is not a normal teenage girl—she is the Gods-Chosen, the one who will save Ashorah from the drought and the shapeshifters.

In one month, when Amunet comes of age at eighteen and through The Igniting, all the struggling and suffering of the kingdom will be a thing of the past.

But when the Kaldfolk break into the palace to kill the princess, Samira is forced to switch places with Amunet to give her a chance to escape. Dying for the Gods-Chosen is the highest honor a slave like Samira could hope to achieve.

Except the Kaldfolk don’t want to kill the princess; they want to steal her power for themselves by binding her magic to their king.

Suddenly, the skittish and timid Samira is forced to take on the role of a lifetime. She must survive among the Kaldfolk long enough for Amunet to go through The Igniting and seize her power—all while hiding the fact that she has no magic for them to steal.

But for a slave who has been drilled into obedience, deceiving the Kaldfolk’s king, Ivar, is no easy task, no matter how different he might seem from the stories of monsters she’d been told.

Especially under the watchful eyes of Ivar’s shapeshifting second-in-command, Keir, who is waiting for her to slip up so he can slit her throat himself.

One month. Samira just has to last one month. Simple.

As long as the binding—and Keir—don’t kill her first.

Complete at 114,000 words, THE GODS CHOSEN is the first novel in a NA Fantasy Romance series inspired by Ancient Arabian mythology and folklore. As an avid lover of all things fantasy from an Egyptian family, I’ve always wanted to read stories set in the rich imagination of the Ancient Arabian world.

I would be happy to send you the full manuscript and any other materials you might require at your request. Thank you for reading!

Best,
Ashley Tropea