Dashboard Literary Agents Success Story Interviews Brittney Joan

Success Story Interview - Brittney Joan

An Interview with Brittney Joan (bfr2010 on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Hannah Todd of Janklow and Nesbit Ltd.

09/04/2026

QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?: Brittney Joan:
DEATH TO THE LOVERS AND THE FOOL is an adult speculative rom-com that follows Jade Lockwood, the Midwest's most in-demand psychic, who must confront her selfish behavior through tarot-based tasks to realign with her purpose or lose her gift and the love of her life. I've always been a spooky, witchy girl—I truly believed that the power of three would set me free growing up—and the idea for a tarot reader who has to have her spirit guides intervene came to me while I was getting ready to query my first novel. Once I had an idea for an opening line/scene, it was game over, and completely poured out of me.
QT: How long have you been writing?: Brittney Joan:
My entire life, really. I grew up writing in journals, on roleplay forums, a mess of fanfiction, and I originally planned to go to college for creative writing. But I started seriously pursuing writing again in 2024.
QT: How long have you been working on this book?: Brittney Joan:
I started drafting in November 2025, then it was put on pause for a few months due to personal matters and I drafted the rest in the winter/spring. In total, it took me about 3 months of active drafting and 2.5 months of editing.
QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?: Brittney Joan:
Oh, absolutely. In truth, just a week before the email for a call came through, I had a breakdown over querying. It's entirely normal in this very up and down process. You're facing the unknown and rejection every single day for the hope of a chance at fulfilling a dream. It's a lot to handle. What helped me stay on course is my support system—family, friends, and my writing group—they did more to keep me sane than they'll ever know.
QT: Is this your first book?: Brittney Joan:
This was my second!
QT: Do you have any formal writing training?: Brittney Joan:
Aside from a couple of college classes before I changed my major, I don't. I think a writer's best tools are reading widely and exchanging feedback with other writers.
QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?: Brittney Joan:
No strict schedule! I do a lot of sprints with my writing group, and I tend to work best when the sun goes down. I give myself a word count goal for the week rather than every day, because writing daily usually isn't feasible for me.
QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?: Brittney Joan:
This book went through three rounds of edits, plus a proofreading pass before querying.
QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?: Brittney Joan:
Yes, I had a small handful of very trusted critique partners, followed by two rounds of beta readers.
QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?: Brittney Joan:
I'm a strong plantser with an emphasis on pantsing. I don't formally outline (the thought of outlining gives me hives), but I make Pinterest boards, playlists, pitch decks—I try to get to know my characters a bit first, their backstory, what makes them tick, their general stakes in the book. Then I see scenes in what I call a "That's-So-Raven-Style" premonition and dive right in.
QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?: Brittney Joan:
This one was very fast. I sent one query in the middle of June after a pitch event that resulted in a referral and a full request and formally started querying at the end of June/first week of July. It took about 6 weeks for my offer to come in. I queried my first book for about 9 months. That project received 12 requests, but no offers.
QT: About how many query letters did you send out for this book?: Brittney Joan:
I sent about 100 queries.
QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?: Brittney Joan:
If I found something to pull specifically from their MSWL/their social media, then I did. But I didn't stress about it.
QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?: Brittney Joan:
First, know that success is loud. The projects with a ton of requests straight out of the gate tend to get picked up by the algorithm. It's way more common to query a second, third, even fourth book before securing an agent. If you go in expecting to be a unicorn story, I think you're doing yourself a disservice. Being prepared for the long haul is my recommended tactic. Also, when researching agents, go beyond the basics of the agency website. Check their MSWL, see what their social media presence is like, look up who they rep and who they're selling books to. You're entering a business partnership with this person, and you want to be able to trust them with your career.
QT: Would you be willing to share your query with us?: Brittney Joan:
Sure! This was the base query I used:

Success Story Interview - Brittney Joan

Query Letter: