Dashboard Literary Agents Success Story Interviews Aubrey Yazzie

Success Story Interview - Aubrey Yazzie

An Interview with Aubrey Yazzie (AubreyYazzie on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Ali Herring of Spencerhill Associates.

05/28/2024

QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?: Aubrey Yazzie:
So, my situation was a little unique. The book that got me my first agent offer was actually my very first manuscript, which I had shelved by the time the offer came. It’s called “Blondie vs The Nuclear Family” and it's about a teenage girl who is framed for murder and sent to a reformation camp that mimics the 1950s. I love that book and I’m so proud of it, but when I reached out to the other agents who had the manuscript for the book I was currently querying, I received another offer and I went with the agent who wanted to represent “If These Halls Could Talk”.

“If These Halls Could Talk” is a YA horror novel about a group of teenagers who sneak into an elaborate, abandoned hotel. They all have secrets about the deaths of their classmates last summer, which leads to the hotel tormenting them with mind tricks and terrifying situations. They soon discover they are reliving the murders that occurred at the hotel years earlier and, with the help of a previous resident’s journal entries, they must figure out why the hotel has a vendetta against secrets, while simultaneously facing their own.

The idea for this novel came to me while I was driving. The first line, “Juliet Talbot has a secret and I know what it is”, popped into my head. At first I just thought it was very hooky, and then I realized how secrets, especially the ones you hang onto the tightest, eat away at your life. So I thought, why not put a bunch of teens with a ton of secrets in a pressurized situation and see what happens? My hometown had a huge, haunted hotel close by, so I based the setting off that, and the rest is history!
QT: How long have you been writing?: Aubrey Yazzie:
I’ve always loved books and telling stories. I think it’s the closest we come to having magic in this world. When I was a little girl I wanted to be an author and my teacher even sent me to a young writer’s conference. But I forgot about that dream as time went on and I got sidetracked by other things. I didn’t start seriously writing with the intent of being published until three years ago when the idea for my first book planted itself in my brain and just kept growing until I had to do something about it. That’s when I realized I absolutely loved the writing process itself and needed to do it for the rest of my life.
QT: How long have you been working on this book?: Aubrey Yazzie:
The idea of “If These Halls Could Talk” came to me about two years ago, but I didn’t start plotting it until last year, and then it took me another few months to sit down and write it. From start to finish, the actual drafting process took about three months.
QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?: Aubrey Yazzie:
Yes and no. I went through phases after long strings of rejection where I knew I needed to take a break and focus on other areas of my life, but I never set aside the idea of writing completely. These breaks would last a while, sometimes eight months, but eventually that itch to write would get so powerful, I couldn’t stay away any longer. I made the choice pretty early on that I would always write and I’d always aim to be traditionally published, no matter how long it took. I had this image in my mind of myself in 30 years, still writing stories and querying, and I realized I would be okay with that if that’s how it worked out.
QT: Do you have any formal writing training?: Aubrey Yazzie:
I took a class on advanced writing as part of my social science degree, and anyone who has a social science degree knows there is a lot of writing involved, so I’ve written more papers than I can count. Although it may seem different than writing a novel, this actually improved my craft drastically because I learned how to convey complex messages in simple, straightforward ways. Besides that, I obsessively scour the internet and my podcast app daily for resources on plotting, world-building, story structure, etc. Just when I think I know all there is to know, I always find something new that totally blows my mind.
QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?: Aubrey Yazzie:
When I’m drafting, I try to write a thousand words a day. I’m a mom of two little boys and a business owner, so I try to give myself grace if it doesn’t work out. When I’m not drafting, I’m usually beta reading or dreaming up new stories, which I count as writing because it’s such an important part of the process.
QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?: Aubrey Yazzie:
Probably not as much as I should have, if I’m honest. I’m a big time plotter, so I had every chapter mapped out before I began, which helped me keep the revisions low. However, while I drafted I discovered things I needed to change and plot points I needed to add, so I kept a list of things to come back to when I was done. Because of this, my first draft was full of inconsistencies, and my second draft was when I went through and corrected everything. Then I did a quick skim and line edits, and sent the third draft to my wonderful writing group. They tore through it in about a week (because they’re amazing), and it took me about two weeks to implement their suggestions. The fourth draft is what I queried with. That being said, I did receive an R&R and had a massive rewrite planned that I never started because I received an offer from another agent.
QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?: Aubrey Yazzie:
I had a critique group of about ten other writers who tackled it all at once in one Google Doc. It was a blast and so incredibly helpful. This method works for me, but I don’t recommend it to everyone because it can be overwhelming to get so much feedback all at once. I didn’t have dedicated readers from my target YA audience, though, and I’m really curious what they would have said if I did.
QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?: Aubrey Yazzie:
Outline! I’m too much of a control freak and a perfectionist to write from the hip, even though I really admire writers who can do this. For me, I need to have a very clear map of what scenes to write in each chapter, and how each scene serves the greater purpose of the book.
QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?: Aubrey Yazzie:
I queried this book off and on for about six months, in three separate batches. I queried my first book for about 6 months as well, with a long break in between!
QT: About how many query letters did you send out for this book?: Aubrey Yazzie:
I sent 38 queries for this book, and 37 queries for my last book! That wasn’t intentional. It just happened that way haha. I guess I have a subconscious limit to how much anxiety I can handle at a time.
QT: On what criteria did you select the agents you queried?: Aubrey Yazzie:
First and foremost, I never queried agents that didn’t represent YA horror. After that, I looked for agents from reputable agencies, and utilized the Manuscript Wishlist website to view their specific interests and preferences. If one of their favorite TV shows was really comparable to my premise, I put them at the top of my list. If they mentioned loving horror AND enclosed settings with secrets, they became my number one. However, I would never rule out agents who represent your genre but don’t seem like “the perfect fit” on paper. You never know who is going to be surprisingly intrigued by your story.
QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?: Aubrey Yazzie:
Yes I did! I tried to include a quick, concise sentence at the beginning of each query explaining why I thought my manuscript could be a good fit for them. Usually it went something like “Upon reviewing your manuscript wishlist, I noticed you are seeking books with haunted houses and characters who make poor choices. I’d be honored to have you consider my manuscript, which contains both of these elements.” If the agent represented an author who inspired me, I made sure to mention that as well.
QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?: Aubrey Yazzie:
Get a lot of feedback on your query package from other writers, query widely, and try your hardest not to get discouraged. Querying became so much more manageable when I came to view rejection as an inevitable part of the process, instead of something personal. I know one author who made her rejections into a quilt because she was so proud of them. When you receive rejections, you are putting yourself on the same level as some of the best of the best. If it helps, you can do what I did, and as soon as a rejection comes in, read it, record it on QT, then immediately delete it. You don’t need to punish yourself by reading it over and over. Also, know that the game can change so quickly. One second you’ll feel like it's time to shelve your manuscript, and the next you’ll get an email that says “I really enjoyed reading your full manuscript and I’d love to see your other projects."
QT: Would you be willing to share your query with us?: Aubrey Yazzie:
Of course!

Success Story Interview - Aubrey Yazzie

Query Letter: