Success Story Interview - Jenee Dutary

An Interview with Jenee Dutary (jdutary on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Rachel Estep of D4EO Literary Agency.

03/02/2026

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

Jenee Dutary:
This story was inspired by a real life moment of my own. I told my friends about the time I was in college and ran outside in the middle of a winter night due to a fire alarm, with a bag full of gerbils, only for my peers to point out that I had no pants on. It inspired a couple characters, and I wrote the first chapter and fell in love with it. I was still working on another project so I couldn't devote my time to it then, but the plot haunted me as it continued to build in my head until I eventually sat down and wrote it.

QT: How long have you been writing?

Jenee Dutary:
Like most, since I was young, but as a serious author, since 2023.

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

Jenee Dutary:
The idea sprouted almost two years ago, but I didn't properly start it until less than a year ago.

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

Jenee Dutary:
This was my second time querying, and I was nervous to do it again. As one of my best friends will never let me forget, on day two of querying this manuscript, I wanted to withdraw all of my queries and just stop hahaha. This story ended up having such a short stint in the querying trenches, yet I still spiraled and second-guessed everything at least once a day. It's my friends that kept me going.

QT: Is this your first book?

Jenee Dutary:
No. My debut, FIRE AND DEATH, will be published this October with Alex Parker Publishing.

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Jenee Dutary:
Nope.

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

Jenee Dutary:
Nope. I just give myself unrealistic deadlines and hate myself until I'm done.

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

Jenee Dutary:
I do about 5-6 passes to start. Draft zero, edit, edit, send to betas, edit, maybe another beta, edit, final read-through.

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

Jenee Dutary:
Yes, I did two rounds of multiple betas for this one. I tend to curate my team for specific reasons and then blend the feedback together.

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

Jenee Dutary:
I began writing this as the words came, and then around the 12% mark anxiety set in and I outlined the rest.

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

Jenee Dutary:
I queried this book for 25 days before getting my first offer, and I asked for a 3-week vague period, so 46 days in total.

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

Jenee Dutary:
Officially 61, but almost 70 if I count the ones I withdrew.

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

Jenee Dutary:
I started by searching for who was open in my genre, then I reviewed their mswl's, other agents in their agency's, and recent response rates.

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

Jenee Dutary:
I only tailored my query if their mswl was a very specific match, and started with, 'Becaue of your interest in...'

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

Jenee Dutary:
Be willing to learn and grow your craft. Have a support system. Friends and family supporting you is the most valuable thing in this industry. Review Publisher's Marketplace before you query because you want to be completely sure of which agents you're most interested in working with.

Query Letter:

Hello Rachel,

I am excited to share A PLATE OF CHEESE AND CRACKERS, an 85,000-word standalone new adult contemporary romance with series potential, combining the banter and exciting college atmosphere of Elle Kennedy's THE GRAHAM EFFECT with the slow burn and opposites attract elements of Emily Henry's PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION.

Twenty-year-old Finn Aguilar must give a solo presentation to maintain the 4.0 GPA his father demands for a shot at running his company, which means he's about to have a panic attack in front of everyone. Anxious and antisocial after his humiliating breakup went viral three years ago, becoming famous in college for all the wrong reasons isn't on his to-do list.

Ever since twenty-year-old Maddie Hayes lost her younger brother to a horrible car accident a year ago, she's been fixated on one thing: revenge. It's easier to focus on sabotaging her brother's ex-fiance, who walked away while he was on his deathbed, than to face the grief living beneath her skin. Maddie takes YOLO by the balls and trades her practical major for a competitive music program she'd always dreamed of, and lives an ‘everything is okay' life while avoiding arrest on the weekends as she makes her ex-almost brother-in-law miserable.

Forced outside in the middle of a December night by a fire alarm, Maddie, pantsless and guarding a bag full of gerbils, runs into Finn. Literally. Unfortunately, her brand of insanity is exactly what he needs to Mr. Miyagi him into a socially capable human being and pass his final presentation without collapsing. Or so he thinks until she hands him a knife and tells him to slash a random car's tire. Finn is in well over his head. He should walk away, but there's something enticing about the way the moonlight makes the crazy in her eyes sparkle, even if it puts his carefully planned future at risk. Maddie's sworn to keep her heart guarded, but Finn's stupid sincerity is cracking her walls open, and she has to figure out what's more important: avenging her brother, or protecting the boy who makes her feel alive.

I live in North Carolina, where I am a neurodivergent stay-at-home mom with chronic vasovagal syncope. I have a full fantasy series book deal with Alex Parker Publishing, and my first book, Fire and Death, is debuting this October. I'm a co-host for #UnhingedPit on X and Bluesky, and when I'm not cheering for the NC Hurricanes (hockey, not the storms), I can be found at the library leading a monthly writing group or in a coffee shop completing freelance edits for other authors.



Thank you,



Jenee Dutary

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