Success Story Interview - Kay Ewa

An Interview with Kay Ewa (KayWrites19 on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Haley Casey of Creative Media Agency.

10/08/2025

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

Kay Ewa:
It’s a new adult college romance about a girl trying to find her unknown father using a love letter he wrote her mom 20 years ago. I got the idea in 2020, from watching Buzzfeed Unsolved’s video, “Serge”: I Solved the Disappearance of My Dad’s Best Friend.

QT: How long have you been writing?

Kay Ewa:
Since I could write. I stopped for a few years when I immigrated to the US in 8th grade, and rediscovered the love in 10th grade.

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

Kay Ewa:
I initially drafted this book in NaNo of 2020, then I put it away in 2021. I rediscovered it in 2024 and essentially scrapped and rewrote it from 2024 - 2025, changing about 95% of the initial book. So I suppose 2 years, but really 1 year, since this finished book is almost completely different than what I wrote in 2020.

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

Kay Ewa:
I wouldn’t say there was a time I felt like completely
giving up, but still I was very stressed out. I recommend finding hobbies outside of writing (and maybe even reading) to help you step away from the book world and remember there’s a whole universe outside of it. Really puts things into perspective. I hung out with friends a lot, traveled, did crafts, etc. I was planning on eventually working on a different book because it’s always safe to start doing so, but I wanted space first from writing.

QT: Is this your first book?

Kay Ewa:
No. It’s my third, I believe. Second I queried.

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Kay Ewa:
I went to college for creative writing but to be honest, it didn’t really teach me anything I didn’t already know from reading profusely, across genres.

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

Kay Ewa:
No, but I should! I have Scrivener on my phone so I’m often scribbling away any chance I get, and then after work as well.

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

Kay Ewa:
The initial 2020 book, I believe I edited it three times. Then I rewrote it and changed most of it over the course of a year, and I counted that as a clean draft 1. After that, I edited it once.

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

Kay Ewa:
Yes.

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

Kay Ewa:
A bit of both. I did definitely outline but I didn’t always stick to it. Still, it was a great skeleton to always return to.

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

Kay Ewa:
I was querying this book for a month. The last book I queried took many months, I don’t fully remember.

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

Kay Ewa:
22.

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

Kay Ewa:
I looked for established, legitimate agencies, and then sought agents within them whose wishlists seemed to match my book.

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

Kay Ewa:
Yes, for most of them. I looked at things mentioned in their MSWL and if there was anything that fit my book, I added in personalizations.

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

Kay Ewa:
Watch Alexa Donna’s querying video and query in batches. That way, if you’re receiving the same type of feedback from one batch, you can alter your query or pages or manuscript and then query the other batch with the improved materials.

Also, give yourself grace. This process is so difficult and vulnerable, and so much of it is luck and timing. One person’s journey can be very different from another’s, but it doesn’t make either’s less special. As the Muppets said, life’s like a movie, write your own ending. Keep believing, keep pretending. And keep writing! Your time will come.