Success Story Interview - Jessica Tudor

An Interview with Jessica Tudor (jessicatudor on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Suzie Townsend of New Leaf Literary & Media.

11/01/2010

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

Jessica Tudor:
MERCY is the story of a girl whose twin sister kills herself and who rewinds time to try and stop her. I had the idea for someone who could rewind time, and how half her memories belong only to her, and it went from there.

QT: How long have you been writing?

Jessica Tudor:
I transferred into a creative writing BA my junior year of college and decided I was serious about becoming a published novelist; that was in 2005.

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

Jessica Tudor:
Since late July 2010.

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

Jessica Tudor:
No! I wrote it so fast I didn't have time to doubt. Truly, though, the encouragement of my wonderful CP's and the belief that I have stories worth telling keep me going, Also, I'm useless at anything besides typing fast.

QT: Is this your first book?

Jessica Tudor:
I've written, revised, and submitted two manuscripts prior to this one, and drafted several others.

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Jessica Tudor:
I do have my BA in creative writing, but between us it's nothing you can't learn with hard work, diligence, and the Internet.

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

Jessica Tudor:
I draft new words 5 or 6 days a week, but I always take Sundays off for church and family. I like to do two or three sprints and stretch in between them. My goal is always at least 1k a day, though when I'm in a first draft I usually do about 2-3k.

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

Jessica Tudor:
Before submitting to agents, once.

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

Jessica Tudor:
Yes, and thank God! I wrote the first draft, my critique partner said, "you know every scene is the same thing, right?" and I threw out half of it and rewrote it.

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

Jessica Tudor:
I do a lot of planning up-front that saves me a lot of work later, but I don't do very structured formal outlines, just a bit of a roadmap.

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

Jessica Tudor:
I began querying this book on October 26 and I accepted my offer on November 2. Before that I queried a book from June through August, and before that, I queried a book in the summer of 2008.

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

Jessica Tudor:
22.

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

Jessica Tudor:
People I wanted to work with who I believe know what they're doing. I also wanted an editorial agent who didn't mind frequent communication.

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

Jessica Tudor:
Surprisingly no. I mentioned if I read their blog or had a favorite client for a handful, but I had to send them out so fast I didn't bother in most cases.

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

Jessica Tudor:
Be prepared. My first offer came within three days of sending my first query.