Success Story Interview - Heather Jensen

An Interview with Heather Jensen (hajensen on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Stephanie Cabot of Susanna Lea Associates - New York.

04/21/2023

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

Heather Jensen:
This manuscript is about a corporate assassin who makes ends meet with freelance jobs. She meets a woman who seems to be too good to be true, and spirals into obsessive suspicion as she prepares for the biggest hit of her career, unsure of whom she can or should count on. I was inspired to write it because I didn't like the way Killing Eve ended.

QT: How long have you been writing?

Heather Jensen:
I've been writing novels for about two years, but most of my professional career has been heavily skewed towards writing and editing.

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

Heather Jensen:
I wrote it between April and September of 2022.

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

Heather Jensen:
I don't feel like giving up because I treat the process like a video game. I keep learning and keep trying to do better the next time. I'm just trying to beat this level's boss and get to the next level.

QT: Is this your first book?

Heather Jensen:
This is my third book.

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Heather Jensen:
I don't have any formal writing training.

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

Heather Jensen:
My goal when I'm writing a book is to write 500 words a day, and I usually do it in between working on my day job.

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

Heather Jensen:
I edited it twice. Now I'm on another round of edits based on my editorial letter. When I'm done with this I'll do one more draft for clarity, and send it back to my agent.

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

Heather Jensen:
My wife is my beta reader.

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

Heather Jensen:
Yes, I outlined the book. I think there are plenty of valid ways to get to the same point but for me personally I need to be as methodical as possible because I have limited time.

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

Heather Jensen:
I queried the book from December 2022 to March 2023.

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

Heather Jensen:
I sent 53 queries.

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

Heather Jensen:
I looked up the agents of my favorite author, and researched them on Query Tracker, Publisher's Marketplace, and Twitter. That narrowed it down to a group of agents I wanted to work with, but I queried a lot of other agents in batches of 5-10 first to get feedback on the efficacy of my query letter. My initial criteria for that list was 1) if they accepted queries in my genre and 2) how quickly they respond to queries. Later I cross-referenced with Publisher's Marketplace to get a sense of their business. When I felt everything on my end was in a pretty good place, I queried my wishlist agents.

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

Heather Jensen:
I did not tailor each query to the specific agent.

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

Heather Jensen:
My advice is to send your query in batches to get a sense of the reaction, starting with agents who reply to a high percentage of queries quickly. Use the premium version of Query Tracker and utilize the data explorer and query timelines. Along with looking up the agent on Publisher's Marketplace, you get context for your own query, and it makes the process less personal. Also look for your favorite authors in Who Reps Whom on Query Tracker or in the "Thanks" parts of your favorite books. That's how I found my agent.

Also, don't take anything personally. A rejection of your query, summary, pages, and/or manuscript isn't the universe telling you that you suck. It's a moment in time when you and another person don't align, that's all. Sometimes they give you something you can learn from it, and that's such an awesome gift from one stranger to another.

Query Letter:

Hi AGENT,

I’m sending you this query because I’m inspired by the work you’ve helped get published and because you expressed interest in the genre of this manuscript.

INVISIBLE is a 76,500-word thriller. It would appeal to readers who love contemporary suspense novels like Vera Kurian’s Never Saw Me Coming, Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn, or Hide by Kiersten White; and fast-paced action with a wry, antisocial antihero like Martha Well’s The Murderbot Diaries or the BBC series Killing Eve.

Joan Carter is a corporate assassin for the Company, and she may or may not be one of the good guys. She has semi-retired to the Jersey Shore, where she maintains her cover as a disgruntled office manager of a local real estate agency, and takes homicidal side gigs while waiting for her next assignment. The Company presents her with a huge opportunity at the same time a charming superfox starts pursuing her, but neither the job nor the pursuit is what it seems. Joan spirals into obsessive suspicion as she prepares for the biggest hit of her career, unsure of whom she can or should count on. Part crime novel, part sendup of the gig economy, part love story, INVISIBLE is an action-packed contemporary thriller about a perfectionist with trust issues whose paranoia is only eclipsed by her blind spots.

I live in a beach community on the Jersey Shore with my wife and son. I’ve written articles for the Bricklayers Union, blog posts for Evan Wolfson when I worked for the LGBTQ organization Freedom to Marry, marketing copy for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, and a now-defunct mobile app called “Is This Beer Vegan?” (which basically was a database that answered yes or no to one question hundreds of times, but I taught myself C++ to make it), among other things.

Thank you for your time.