Dashboard Literary Agents Success Story Interviews JH Lucas

Success Story Interview - JH Lucas

An Interview with JH Lucas (JHLucas on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Tommy Dean of Talcott Notch Literary Services.

08/10/2026

QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?: JH Lucas:
INTOXICATION is a novel about terribly rich people doing terrible things. It was shot out of a cannon called NaNoWriMo—the National Novel Writing Month challenge. I completed the 50,000 word, 30-day challenge a week ahead of time because caffeine. I had recently re-read The Great Gatsby so those themes were forefront in my mind: identity, privilege, obsession, corruption, betrayal, debauchery, moral decay, murder… and lots of drinking.
QT: How long have you been writing?: JH Lucas:
Decades, but I only began submitting my writing this February. I first fell in love with writing in fourth grade, when our teacher challenged us to write a 10-page fiction story. Looking back, it seems like a crazy high expectation for fourth graders, but we did it. Teachers are angels in human form.
QT: How long have you been working on this book?: JH Lucas:
Over 7 years, off-and-on. I wrote the first draft in 2018 but it was shelved for a bit, then I rewrote it, got development notes, rewrote it again… rinse and repeat… "writing" should really be called "rewriting" because that's where most of the time goes. (If you want to follow this book’s journey, go to jhlucas.com)
QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?: JH Lucas:
Whenever I feel like giving up, I just work on another project, or take some time off. Society encourages us to always be productive but downtime is extremely important, especially for creativity. You need time to recharge and refill your inspiration bucket, you know? I like writing short stories and poetry, and I have a band, and I make art as well. So I’m usually in a creative state, I just bounce around a lot.
QT: Is this your first book?: JH Lucas:
Traditionally published, yes. But I tried self-publishing a couple of things. It's a lot of work, being your own promoter and publisher, so I'm excited to have an agent’s assistance for this one.
QT: Do you have any formal writing training?: JH Lucas:
No, I've taken a few screenwriting courses online but that's about it. Which reminds me: I forgot to get an MFA! In college I followed the art route, then I took a gap year, which is still going strong. So I started pursuing writing professionally this year of my gap year.
QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?: JH Lucas:
No routine, no schedule. I like to follow Hemingway's advice when asked what it takes to become a writer: "Write!"
QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?: JH Lucas:
I don't think numbers go that high. The draft that landed the agent was #12b. But math is not my strong suit, so probably eleventy?
QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?: JH Lucas:
I had a couple beta readers, then a professional editor for development notes, then two others gave me notes on later drafts. Development notes are really helpful. You're writing a world that’s in your head and, with everything else in there, you never really know what's connecting on the page. Feedback can be useful—but it's just someone else's opinion, so only take what your gut connects with. Ultimately, you want a better book, and qualified readers can be a part of helping the book get better.
QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?: JH Lucas:
Hip. I'm what's known as a "pantser" as in "seat of your pants" (even when I'm not wearing pants). Every time I’ve tried outlining I just lose interest. I like to be surprised by where the story goes, and for me, the prose is a part of that journey.
QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?: JH Lucas:
I started querying this edit on March 20 and was offered representation on July 14, so just under 4 months. But I tried querying an earlier edit in 2020 and it died a quick, boring death. I queried a different novel a few years before that, but I didn't have QueryTracker, so it was really time-consuming, doing all the research, emails, tracking, etc. QueryTracker gave me more time for what I love to do: writing. Also, it helped me land an agent. Without losing my mind. I think.
QT: About how many query letters did you send out for this book?: JH Lucas:
45 for this version. One interesting development was that the agent who offered me representation had moved to a different agency. So even though I wasn’t a fit for where I originally queried, he followed up when he thought my novel worked well at his new place.
QT: On what criteria did you select the agents you queried?: JH Lucas:
Here's exactly what I did in QueryTracker: first, I filtered for agents who represented my book's genres (Crime, Mystery, Thriller) and who were open (Hide closed agents). Then I selected each agent and looked at how many subs they were getting (Reports tab)—I wanted agents who were highly active. Then I checked the stats on how many requests for full's they had, and compared that to their total submissions, and I ran a percentage. I focused on agents who requested 3% or more. (Feel free to make that Fulls/Subs % a feature on QueryTracker!)
QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?: JH Lucas:
Not always, because it took a lot of time to hunt down their sales and see which books were relevant to mine. But I started with my comps—I definitely found those agents and wrote them about how my book was similar. Other agents represented books I had read, or authors I respected, or had a MSWL with something my book touched on, so I'd mention that in the query, either the QueryTracker form or in the email, if they went that route.
QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?: JH Lucas:
Write a lot, read even more, and don’t take rejection personally! The publishing industry is a business, and an agent can only represent something they think there's currently a market for. It's a numbers game so query a lot—it can take a lot of NO's to get that YES! And remember: you only need one YES.
QT: Would you be willing to share your query with us?: JH Lucas:
Sure, here’s the letter that landed my agent:

Success Story Interview - JH Lucas

Query Letter: