Dashboard Literary Agents Success Story Interviews Caitlin Foley

Success Story Interview - Caitlin Foley

An Interview with Caitlin Foley (catdog_ie on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Lauren Bieker of FinePrint Literary Management.

02/27/2024

QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?: Caitlin Foley:
My book is a YA fantasy romance about a priestess and a villainous prince who have been reincarnated by warring gods to fight against each other, in dozens of lifetimes. So, obviously, they fall in love.

I took a lot of inspiration from the game Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. In the Zelda world, Link and Zelda have been reincarnated across thousands of years and they’re usually fighting an evil wizard. I thought about how nice it must be for Zelda and Link, who always have each other across lifetimes, and how lonely it must be for the wizard, to be constantly harassed by these two heroes of Hyrule. Then I wondered… what would happen if that wizard was really hot??

So, you know, the “what if” that became the seed of this story was a little silly – for me, they usually are. As I wrote it, the story really became about deconstructing the beliefs and prejudices you’re brought up with, inherited trauma, and how difficult it can be to find your own path.

But also – hot villains.
QT: How long have you been writing?: Caitlin Foley:
I started writing again as an adult in 2019, and have more or less written a manuscript a year since then.
QT: How long have you been working on this book?: Caitlin Foley:
I started writing this book in March 2022, and started querying it in September 2022. I worked on it pretty much nonstop until July 2023.
QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?: Caitlin Foley:
Querying can be demoralizing, especially when you’re so passionate about your project, which all writers are! I was definitely humbled a LOT, especially in the first six months. I eventually came around to the idea that maybe my book wasn’t totally ready to be queried when I started. I did some significant revisions and felt bolstered by the knowledge that the process was making me a better (and hardier) writer. Also, connecting with other writers through social media during this process was hugely helpful and valuable.
QT: Is this your first book?: Caitlin Foley:
It’s not the first book I’ve written, no! I wrote three historical fantasies and shelved them (for now) before querying this.
QT: Do you have any formal writing training?: Caitlin Foley:
I have an undergrad degree in creative writing, which was definitely helpful especially in being able to workshop/beta read other writers work, and be critical of my own. I don’t think it’s necessary in any way though. I learned a lot through joining writing groups online, reading craft books, and reading in my genre. I also like to watch my favorite movies/tv shows critically to see how they’re pulling it off!
QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?: Caitlin Foley:
No! I work full-time, so I just write whenever I can in the evenings, weekends, lunch breaks – whenever I can find the time, really. I bring a notebook with me everywhere so I can jot down lines and scenes as they come into my head.
QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?: Caitlin Foley:
Oh gosh – so many times. When I first started querying it, it was a 106k dual-POV new adult fantasy romance, and by the time I got an offer, it was an 88k single-POV YA fantasy romance. I did a major revision after my first full rejection, where I rewrote about 50% of it and removed the second POV. And then I did a fairly significant revision as part of the R&R which eventually turned into my agent offer! I also did a round of line-edits nearly every time I got a full request. This book felt like it was constantly evolving.
QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?: Caitlin Foley:
Yes! I have two critique partners who read it more than once, bless them. I also hired 2 or 3 beta readers through websites like Fiverr.
QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?: Caitlin Foley:
I outlined! And when I undertook major revisions I outlined those, too. I love outlining. Usually I get lightning-bolted with a few key ‘scenes’ that form the heart of the story I want to tell, and I try to shape everything around those moments.

I especially like getting really into the heart of the book early on – motivations, character wants vs character needs, emotional wounds and how those influence how characters react to the world (and, more interestingly, to each other). Then I try to shape the plot around them, and create the world that will allow the plot to happen (and allow those lightning-bolt scenes to play out to greatest effect!). Learning about scenes and scene reaction was really key for me in understanding how to build tension and outline effectively.
QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?: Caitlin Foley:
This was the first project I queried, from September 2022 - January 2024 on and off.
QT: About how many query letters did you send out for this book?: Caitlin Foley:
Around 90!
QT: On what criteria did you select the agents you queried?: Caitlin Foley:
At the beginning, I did a lot of research and was very selective, researching current client lists, recent deals, etc. As I went on, I started being more relaxed about it which I think was a good thing. I would query anyone who represented my genre and worked at a reputable agency.
QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?: Caitlin Foley:
Again, I did at the start, but I didn’t see any difference in request rates between personalised and unpersonalised letters. Sometimes it felt a little disingenuous so I just stopped personalising them unless I really had a reason to.
QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?: Caitlin Foley:
First – make sure the book you start writing is one you really love, that it’s got a great hook, and that you will still be interested in rereading it and editing in 2-3 years’ time (potentially). Second – stick with it as long as you can. It helps if you can work on a different project while you’re querying, I think, to give yourself some emotional distance. I did not do this because I was constantly revising, and burned myself out on the project (and writing in general) for a while. Third – it’s totally okay to take breaks if the rejection starts feeling like a lot. Fourth – don’t worry about ‘how’ to query. There’s a lot of advice out there about sending batches, not batching, personalising or not – and not much of it stays relevant for long. Do as much or as little as you want.
QT: Would you be willing to share your query with us?: Caitlin Foley:
Yes! This is the query that I sent to my now-agent.

Success Story Interview - Caitlin Foley

Query Letter: