Dashboard Literary Agents Success Story Interviews Ayngelea Stevens

Success Story Interview - Ayngelea Stevens

An Interview with Ayngelea Stevens (wanderinginfantasyland on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Megan Frayser of Creative Media Agency.

09/30/2023

QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?: Ayngelea Stevens:
It is a swashbuckling adult fantasy adventure full of pirates, fae, and elemental magic. I began writing this book years ago, back then it was an entirely different plot, but stopped writing when life got in the way. Not too long ago I picked up a book, The Black Witch by Laurie Forest, and found my love for stories once again. Not long after that I started writing and the rest is history...or to be written.
QT: How long have you been writing?: Ayngelea Stevens:
I have always loved writing and storytelling since I was in elementary school, but I never seriously began writing until a couple of years ago.
QT: How long have you been working on this book?: Ayngelea Stevens:
That's a long story. I technically started writing this book in 2018, I plotted it all out in one day and wrote three chapters. I tabled it the next day because life was crazy and never went back to it. Fast forward to 2020, I read a book that made me fall in love with story-telling and revisited my old work from 2018. I actually ended up sending those first three chapters to the author who made love story-telling again and asked for her honest review. I wanted to know if there was something worth investing in. She encouraged me to finish the story because "the bones were good." That encouraged me, but once again life got in the way and I tabled the book until 2022. I officially began working on my book in April of 2022 and had the first draft written by July of that same year. A few rounds of revisions and more drafts I was finally ready to start querying at the end of January of 2023. I queried in February and March, took a break in April and started again in May. I ended up signing with Megan at the end of May.
QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?: Ayngelea Stevens:
While writing and querying I didn't often feel like giving up. Yes, it's hard, but I am a big dreamer -- and stubborn -- so giving up wasn't on my mind. Discouragement was though. I found a community of people who really helped me walk through that and encouraged me over and over again, and continue to do so now.
QT: Is this your first book?: Ayngelea Stevens:
This is my first book and I love it dearly.
QT: Do you have any formal writing training?: Ayngelea Stevens:
I have no formal writing training. Just passion and diligence. I do however read a lot of "craft books" to better equip myself for projects.
QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?: Ayngelea Stevens:
Kind of, but it's not an exact science. When I am writing a new book I am pretty big on writing something every day. Whether it's fifty words or five thousand -- I try and write something every day. My preferred time to write is at night. My brain works better. With revisions, it's been a bit different. I do most of my writing now during the day when I'm not tired. I feel like revisions have required more capacity and focus. I also take day-long breaks in between writing during revisions.
QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?: Ayngelea Stevens:
I revised my book three(ish) times before querying and two more times after I started querying!
QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?: Ayngelea Stevens:
I did! I had five beta readers that I had connected with on Bookstagram.
QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?: Ayngelea Stevens:
I outlined my book. I had a loose outline that went paragraph by paragraph. For the outline, I would write about three sentences to explain what my goal for that chapter was. I also tend to structure my outline in three acts.
QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?: Ayngelea Stevens:
I have been querying this book for four months. I haven't queried any other books.
QT: About how many query letters did you send out for this book?: Ayngelea Stevens:
Honestly, about a million. At least it feels that way. In reality, I sent well over one hundred query letters.
QT: On what criteria did you select the agents you queried?: Ayngelea Stevens:
The biggest thing I looked at was the genre the agents were looking to represent. Obviously, if they weren't looking for fantasy, which is the genre I was querying, then I didn't add them to my list. I also looked very closely at agency websites. How the agency presented itself was important to me.
QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?: Ayngelea Stevens:
In the beginning, I tailored my query to the tastes and preferences of the agent I was querying. However, halfway through I stopped doing that. When I stopped doing that I actually had more agent responses and interest.
QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?: Ayngelea Stevens:
Don't be too picky, but don't settle. I know -- it's a conundrum. I read somewhere that only one in 6,000 people get literary agents. I really wanted to be one of those ones. So I cast a wide net, and it paid off. However, always be alert for red flags and if in your gut you feel the agent isn't the one. Don't query or don't accept the offer. The right one is out there.
QT: Would you be willing to share your query with us?: Ayngelea Stevens:
Absolutely!!

Success Story Interview - Ayngelea Stevens

Query Letter: