Success Story Interview - Jessica Liese

An Interview with Jessica Liese (jessliese on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Kate McKean of Howard Morhaim Literary Agency.

05/21/2026

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

Jessica Liese:
I've written a romance set in a boxing gym, based on my own experience going from a complete non-athlete to boxing in the New York Golden Gloves. (I didn't fall in love myself, but I could imagine how a love story might unfold there!)

QT: How long have you been writing?

Jessica Liese:
I've reviewed books and television on a freelance basis for about twenty years, and wrote fiction for fun off and on, but started to seriously pursue novel writing about four years ago.

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

Jessica Liese:
I started work on it in October 2024 and finished the first draft about seven months later. I spent the rest of 2025 alternating between revising based on feedback, querying something else, and working on new things.

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

Jessica Liese:
No, the harder thing for me at this point would be to stop writing. After I finished my first novel, I immediately started a second and I haven't really taken a break since.

QT: Is this your first book?

Jessica Liese:
This is my fourth book, and the second one I attempted to query. (There are six altogether so far.)

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Jessica Liese:
I took one creative writing class in undergrad, and an extension course a few years later, but other than that I learned practically -- through reading, critiquing, and absorbing as many books and podcasts about craft and publishing as I could get my hands on.

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

Jessica Liese:
LOL no. I write whenever/wherever I can, whether that's sitting down at my ergonomically-optimized desk to draft a full scene or waking up at 4 am to peck out fragments on my phone's Google Docs app. ADHD for the win.

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

Jessica Liese:
I queried based on my fourth draft, and made light edits again on my agent's suggestion.

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

Jessica Liese:
Yes, roughly two dozen. A combination of friends from social media and critique partners from Scribophile. I knew it was ready when I stopped getting detailed feedback and started getting "I just want to know what happens next."

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

Jessica Liese:
It goes like this:
1. Come up with an idea.
2. Write a chapter or two to get the hang of the characters.
3. Write up a rough outline.
4. While drafting, stray from the outline.
5. Reverse outline once the first draft is done, to make sure everything logically connects.
6. Revise the outline as I rewrite. Repeat steps 4-6.

On subsequent projects I've drafted the 1000-word synopsis at the same time as I've created the first outline, which also helps me stay on track and keep the pacing even.

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

Jessica Liese:
This is the second book I've queried. I sent out queries for the first one from February to September 2025, and then started fresh with this one in January 2026.

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

Jessica Liese:
I sent 41 queries for this book, and 64 for the first one.

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

Jessica Liese:
I used a combination of Manuscript Wishlist, the Agent Alert substack, and social media.

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

Jessica Liese:
If an agent repped one of the titles on the longer version of my comp list, I made sure to comp to that book in the letter. I also quoted from their MSWL page where their wishlist matched what my book was, and I noted it if we had anything specific in common, such as the same alma mater or a shared favorite movie.

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

Jessica Liese:
The rules apply to you! Your word count should be within the guidelines for your genre. You should know exactly where your book fits on a shelf, and who would want to buy it. Your query should follow the standard format and you should send exactly what each agent asks for, and only query agents who rep the kind of thing you've written. You should read widely, in your genre and out, and know with certainty that your book is at least approaching a similar level of cohesion and polish. I hired a developmental editor for my first two books and it was well worth the expense. She taught me what I was doing wrong and how to improve.
Also, you might be one of those unicorns who gets an agent with the very first novel you write, mere days after querying for the first time, but it's more likely that the first novel you write won't be query-able, and that even once you do write one that you feel good about querying, the first one you query won't land you an agent. You need time, patience, and a thick skin. You need to be committed to improving, and able to identify and act on good feedback. You also have to take it one step at a time and focus on the very next obstacle in your path rather than spinning out about things that you don't KNOW will happen. And, of course, the best way to cope with stress and disappointment when it comes to your book ...is to get immersed in writing your next book.