Success Story Interview - Jena Brown

An Interview with Jena Brown (jenabrownwrites on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Amy Bishop-Wycisk of Trellis Literary Management.

10/21/2026

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

Jena Brown:
What Dies in Vegas is a horromance about a vampire working graveyard in a convenience store after being sentenced to work 100 years of customer service as she deals with a toxic hook-up (who is blackmailing her and is sort of her warden), an ex-girlfriend (who kinda betrayed her but wants her back), a golden retriever human (who is in way over his head), and a hacker (who has *gasp* boundaries) as she tries to figure out how to get her human sister out of vampire hands while also trying to unravel a plot to take over the world (what else?!) in the dark underbelly of Las Vegas. I spent years working as a management consultant for a convenience store chain and had years of bizarre and hilarious stories. One day, I thought what if the person running the cash register was a vampire who was being forced to work there. The story took off from there.

QT: How long have you been writing?

Jena Brown:
I’ve written in some form all my life, but I really started pursuing writing with the goal of getting published about ten years ago.

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

Jena Brown:
On and off for six years.

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

Jena Brown:
No. I knew going in that publishing is a long marathon and that it might take a while to get an agent. I didn’t know if it would be this book, but every time I tried to shelve it, a request would come in that kept it alive. On my last round, I got a revise and resubmit that led to another round of revisions that led to this offer. Interestingly, that agent didn’t get back to me. You really never know when that offer will come.

QT: Is this your first book?

Jena Brown:
This is my third book, but I’ve drafted five books total.

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Jena Brown:
I relied on writing groups, finding supportive and brilliant critique partners, and reading as many craft books as I could get my hands on.

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

Jena Brown:
Because I’m a freelance writer, I write every day, it just might not always be fiction. But I think that I’m always thinking about my stories and have various notes in my notebook app where I add things almost every day.

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

Jena Brown:
Roughly eight times.

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

Jena Brown:
Yes. I asked people to read with every revision. They always found ways to make the story better.

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

Jena Brown:
I have since become a firm outliner, but I pantsed the initial draft and had to reverse outline many versions to get it right. Now, I won’t start a novel without an outline.

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

Jena Brown:
On and off for about 3 years.

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

Jena Brown:
Over 200 across various rounds.

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

Jena Brown:
I queried ridiculously wide. If they repped fantasy, romance, or horror, I queried them. I’ve never been a big believer in dream agents because it’s hard to know who you’re going to be able to work with, and that’s the most important part to me. Do they understand what I want to do with the book and can I work with them.

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

Jena Brown:
No, the only time I tailored a query was if it was a referral or I had a specific connection to that agent. Otherwise I just sent to the query.

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

Jena Brown:
Find a way to make friends with rejection. You’re going to hear no a lot in this business, not just from agents, but from editors and readers. My approach was to gamify rejection. I used every no as a learning opportunity, even form rejections. I think every no says something, even if it’s only that the pitch didn’t work for that person. I would also say, if an agent rejects a full manuscript, don’t be afraid to query them again if you make changes based on their feedback. I had several agents take a second look. Again, you never know where an offer will come from.

Query Letter:

Dear Agent:

Three hundred years ago, Lola Monroe climbed out of a plague pit tired of everyone’s shit. Her give-no-fucks attitude served her well among the powerful vampire elites—until she killed the wrong bloodsucker. Betrayed by her power-hungry girlfriend, Catriona Lovett, Lola was exiled from vampire life and sentenced to work 100 years of customer service.

Halfway through her sentence, Lola’s working graveyard in a Las Vegas 7-Eleven when May, a human Lola considers a sister, is kidnapped. With no other options, Lola turns to her toxic ex for help. But Cat has trouble of her own and offers Lola a deal: help her find a rogue vampire with a secret that could get Cat killed and she’ll help find May. There’s just one catch. Kasey, a love from Lola’s distant past is hunting the same man. Even worse, Kasey insists that things between her and Lola aren’t done.

Running out of time, Lola is torn between two women. Both claim to love her. Both claim the other is lying. If she wants to save May, she has to do the one thing she swore she’d never do again: trust someone. She should have called in dead.

For nearly fifteen years, I worked as a management consultant for a global convenience store chain. All of the scenes inside the stores are true. The vampires are not.