Success Story Interview - Diana Puentes-Valverde

An Interview with Diana Puentes-Valverde (diablita on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Gabriella Melendez of Great Dog Literary.

10/05/2026

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

Diana Puentes-Valverde:
Hi! My book is a spicy rom-com cozy fantasy. I was inspired to write the story while chatting with my sister at her beauty salon after being involved with a court hearing. A crazy, "what if" scenario turned into a "what if I made it a book" reality!

QT: How long have you been writing?

Diana Puentes-Valverde:
My first book, still treasured by my mom, I wrote in the third grade thanks to a teacher with the creativity to help me bind it in cardboard and make it feel real. In college I started the first of many novels, and eventually found a small indie press for a YA novel I wrote. Considering I now have three adult children, I've been writing for a very long time.

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

Diana Puentes-Valverde:
I've been working on this book for around eight months.

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

Diana Puentes-Valverde:
Although I never felt like giving up on writing, I did spend many years while my kids were school-aged where I wrote for myself, sporadically, and without publication in mind. Even then, I felt like the time would come for me to return to writing for publishing, and that time came as my youngest finished high school. As to what helped me stay on course, I don't think I know a way to not write, so probably writing for its own sake and for the sake of doing what I love most, regardless of whether or not I was actively pursuing publishing, has been my method.

QT: Is this your first book?

Diana Puentes-Valverde:
No. I'd guess it was my...eight or ninth book.

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Diana Puentes-Valverde:
Sort of. In college I took a class, it might have been called Novel Writing, since it fulfilled my 300 level English requirement and because I was eager to learn more about writing novels. Over the years I've attended more author conferences and writing workshops than I can remember, enrolling in craft classes and listening to those who had gone before me. These things helped, undeniably, but if I'm honest I think my greatest teacher has been reading.

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

Diana Puentes-Valverde:
Loosely. Since returning to writing with publication as my goal, I treat writing like a job. I don't wait for the mood to strike or for there to be no distractions. I sit down to work on my book every day. I start each day by opening my manuscript and leaving it on one screen, so even if life demands that I take care of something else, I have my book on my mind. Other than that, I set a goal for each day (not a word count goal, more like, "I want to finish such-and-such scene"---I don't know why but that works better for me).

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

Diana Puentes-Valverde:
I'm a constant revisionist, so this is a tough one to put into a set number, but I'd say at least three passes of revisions happened before it found a home with my incredible agent.

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

Diana Puentes-Valverde:
Yes, a very small circle of trust.

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

Diana Puentes-Valverde:
I'm a hybrid! I started without an outline, reached the third chapter or so and then did a chapter-by-chapter guide of sorts, figuring out the important beats of each chapter, then got back to writing. This is very typical for me.

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

Diana Puentes-Valverde:
I sent my first query for this book on June 22nd and I got the request for a call on August 20th.

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

Diana Puentes-Valverde:
I sent out 19 query letters for this book. These were in batches of 3-5 agents at a time, spaced a week or so apart. I received one partial request and five full requests.

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

Diana Puentes-Valverde:
I guess I was a bit picky and didn't cast a wide net. I researched using MSWL and compiled a list of agents who specifically called out diversity and owned voices, romance, and fantasy. From there I used Publisher's Marketplace to understand their professional track record, then I relied on QueryTracker to check if the agents on this increasingly shrinking list had any recent "success stories", as well as if they seemed to be actively acquiring in my genre, and finally (with a grain of salt) poked around QueryTracker forums and Reddit and other online haunts to see if there were any red flags that warranted deeper investigation. Ultimately, I really wanted an agent who showed promise of being my ally for the long term, so finding someone who deeply and passionately loves the romance genre mattered a lot to me. Romance is the one throughline to everything I write.

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

Diana Puentes-Valverde:
Only mildly. I didn't spend a ton of time with tailoring, but I did pull out a single thing from each agent's MSWL that connected my book to their wishlist. Since I had done all that research already, I figured it wouldn't hurt.

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

Diana Puentes-Valverde:
Such a toughie. For every piece of advice I see working for some, it seems there's contradicting advice that works for others. I guess I'd say that while you're querying, write another book. The moment you hit send on a query, forget that you ever queried it---and that goes for full requests and anything else out of your control. The book you're querying now might not be the one to land you your agent, and that's okay because you're in it for the long haul, so since you love to write, write!

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

Diana Puentes-Valverde:
Yes, and thank you so much for the chance to share my journey so far!

Query Letter:

Dear [Agent],

As your MSWL mentions [personalized tidbit], I’m pleased to submit my 89,000 word adult rom-com fantasy, GUILTY AS CHARMED. This story blends the cozy joys found in Sarah Beth Durst’s The Spellshop with the comedic, brooding-meets-bubbly dynamic of A.K. Caggiano’s Throne in the Dark, all set within the celebration of culture and self-worth found in Adriana Herrera’s A Caribbean Heiress in Paris.

Elena Serenata is a crystal girly who dreams of leaving her job as a seamstress’ assistant and starting her own charm shop, but first she has to unravel the biggest mistake of her life: a betrothal to a noble who turned out to be an entitled jerk. After ten failed court cases she finally has a semi-solid plan, and never mind that it’s possibly illegal. Hitching a ride on a fruit wagon, she leaves her coastal cottage and heads to the big city to hire a fake lover. As luck would have it, Ramiro Montero is tall, dark, and brooding—just the sort of pretend true love any girl would dream of. Unfortunately, he’s not there for her ad at all. At least, not at first.

A nobleman’s by-blow, Ramiro has devoted his career to fighting oppression through court of law, where verdicts are settled by joust when arguments fail to convince a judge. After losing an especially heartbreaking case, he is taken aback by an entirely unserious ranch girl who seems to have mistaken him for someone willing to lie under oath and pose as her true love. But something tugs at his heart as the spirited Elena faces her betrothed’s high-powered legal team alone. Questioning his own sanity, he charges into the courtroom to stand at her side. Now, the only way to avoid a perjury sentence of ten years in the dungeon—not to mention utter disgrace and the loss of his license—is to move into Elena’s rural home and convince witnesses into believing they are madly in love by their next court date.

Ramiro’s bougie, city boy ways are all the evidence Elena needs to keep her heart sealed tight, as she’s learned the hard way that once the novelty wears off, aristocrats don’t really fall for girls who ride in on fruit carts. And Ramiro isn’t about to abandon his law practice and his orderly life for a woman who is literally chaos incarnate, no matter how passionate their practice kisses become, or how much he starts envisioning their fake life unfolding into a real future—case closed.

Told in dual POV while lightly weaving socioeconomic challenges with heartfelt humor, GUILTY AS CHARMED stands alone in an issues-riddled world with series potential.

Cuban on my dad’s side, I’m Costa Rican born, raised in Miami, and now live in Los Angeles. Living between cultures led me to explore my heritage through visits to Cuba, Costa Rica, and Spain, and I wrote GUILTY AS CHARMED from that lens.

Thank you very much for your consideration. I hope to hear from you soon.

[Closing]