Success Story Interview - Jenna DeVillier

An Interview with Jenna DeVillier (jennadevillier on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Jamie Vankirk of Rainbow Nerds.

11/21/2023

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

Jenna DeVillier:
My book is called TOUCH OF STONE. I knew, when I had the original idea for it in 2021, that I wanted to write a competition book. I didn’t know what that would entail for a while, then I started thinking about integrating that idea with Greek mythology, which I’ve always loved. The idea grew from there!

QT: How long have you been writing?

Jenna DeVillier:
I’ve been making up stories and writing them down since I was probably 10 or 11 years old, but I first sat down to try and write a novel when I was 19, during NaNoWriMo 2011. I finished the first book I ever QUERIED in 2015. So it’s been 8 years that I’ve been writing seriously and querying!

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

Jenna DeVillier:
I started drafting TOUCH OF STONE the end of 2021, so right about at 2 years.

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

Jenna DeVillier:
Oh, definitely! The last book I queried did very well in the query trenches, but not quite well enough to get me representation. I started to wonder if I was ever going to be good enough, especially since YA Fantasy is so tough to break into right now. And with my next project being Greek mythology based, while editors and agents were saying that was overdone? I definitely had a little bit of a crisis over that. I think what kept me going was that I genuinely love writing, and this project in particular has my whole heart. Even if it didn’t work out, I would have been proud of this book and the work I put into it.

QT: Is this your first book?

Jenna DeVillier:
Nope! TOUCH OF STONE is the fifth book I finished (meaning completely wrote, revised, and queried). But if I include the books I either never revised, or only wrote half or a quarter of, the number is something like twelve.

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Jenna DeVillier:
I have a BA and MA in English, but no creative writing degrees or anything like that. I just read a LOT of craft books and wrote some bad books. That was my training!

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

Jenna DeVillier:
I have a full time job, so it’s hard to keep a set writing routine. I write when I can, whether that’s on my lunch break, for an hour or so when I get home from work, or on the weekends!

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

Jenna DeVillier:
The draft of TOUCH OF STONE that landed me my agent was draft #5. That must be my lucky number, since that’s the manuscript number that worked out, too!

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

Jenna DeVillier:
I actually didn’t have beta readers for this book. I won a query + opening pages critique from a freelance editor that really helped me rework the beginning of my manuscript, but other than that, no one but agents have read the entire manuscript yet.

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

Jenna DeVillier:
I definitely have to outline before I write, otherwise I’ll get lost so quickly. I don’t need to have a full synopsis or extremely detailed outline before writing, but as long as I know the main scenes and most of the path to get there, that works for me. I keep a spreadsheet of my scenes with the word count for each, so I can estimate how long the book is going to be. Spreadsheets are great, because I can move scenes around or fill in blanks as I go, depending on what the story needs.

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

Jenna DeVillier:
Total, over 5 books: 8 years
TOUCH OF STONE: 3.5 months

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

Jenna DeVillier:
I sent 38 queries, although my agent was the second query I ever sent for this book!

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

Jenna DeVillier:
All the agents I queried were either looking specifically for myth retellings, sapphic fantasy, or both!

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

Jenna DeVillier:
Not always! If something in their MSWL bio specifically related to my story, or they had requested a manuscript from me in the past, I included that, but I didn’t personalize every query.

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

Jenna DeVillier:
Do your research! I know it’s been said so much it feels like a cliché, but it’s true: not having an agent is better than signing with an agent who isn’t right for you and your work. Study every part of the querying process and the agents you’re submitting to like you’re back in school: what kind of deals does the agent have with editors? Does their editorial vision vibe with you? I know it can be overwhelming, but this person is going to be your business partner and advocate for (hopefully) many years to come. It’s worth taking the time.

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

Jenna DeVillier:
Of course! Here’s the version of my query letter I wrote after finishing an R&R with my agent Jamie:

Query Letter:

Dear Jamie,

Seventeen-year-old Odessa has never quite gotten used to the sound of human flesh hardening into stone.

The only people that have made it to the remote island of Sarpedon, where Odessa lives with her mother Medusa are the occasional sailors blown off course. And they don’t last long. Odessa has inherited a lesser version of her mother’s curse: she can turn any living thing into stone by touching it. And only one thing can free her from her curse—Athena’s death. Despite Medusa’s warnings, Odessa leaves her mother and her island behind to join a deadly competition to become Athena’s new handmaiden. If she wins, she can get close enough to kill the goddess.

On Olympus, Odessa meets two competitors she didn’t expect: Sophina, another girl cursed by Athena, and Bas—daughter of Athena. Unwilling to let her own victory come at the cost of another cursed girl’s life, Odessa grows protective of Sophina and the two seek to end their curses together. But Athena is a step ahead. She knows who Odessa is, and while Athena can’t interfere in the trials directly, she will do everything in her power to ensure her own daughter Bas wins.

Despite wanting to hate Bas, Odessa soon finds that there’s more to the brash, sarcastic girl than she thought. Bas doesn’t even flinch when she learns the truth about Odessa’s mother and as the competition progresses, their rivalry grows into attraction. Now, Odessa must navigate a series of increasingly difficult trials, try to protect Sophina, and untangle her growing feelings for Bas.

But only one competitor can make it out alive.

TOUCH OF STONE is a YA fantasy sapphic retelling of the story of Medusa, complete at 97,000 words. It will appeal to fans of the Greek mythology portrayed in Alexandra Bracken’s LORE. It also has the competition format of Amanda Foody & C.L. Herman’s ALL OF US VILLAINS, and the protagonist’s deadly touch in Emily Thiede’s THIS VICIOUS GRACE.