Dashboard Literary Agents Success Story Interviews Lizzie Carver

Success Story Interview - Lizzie Carver

An Interview with Lizzie Carver (LEngelmeier on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Gracie Freeman Lifschutz of Dystel Goderich & Bourret LLC.

02/02/2026

QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?: Lizzie Carver:
My novel is a literary thriller about a girl who copes with the suicide of her cousin by going on tire slashing sprees. One night, when things go sideways, she breaks into a neighbor’s house to hide, which is where she comes into contact with the clothing her cousin died in. Confused, she embarks on an investigation into the theft of the clothing, but she bites off more than she can chew when she stumbles into the double lives of her neighbors, family, and the cousin she thought she knew better than anyone. The novel was inspired by a stranger who slashed my tires (and the tires of everyone in my neighborhood) several times over several months during the pandemic. During the same stretch of time, someone in my family died. Those two events were married in my head: vandalism as a way to assert control in chaotic times, and the loss of a loved one.
QT: How long have you been writing?: Lizzie Carver:
I didn’t discover a love of books or writing until high school—about 16 years ago. I got snowed in without electricity, picked up a book on a whim, and couldn’t put it down. Then I essentially serialized a novel for my friends, writing and printing a chapter a week in the school computer lab and letting them pass it around.
QT: How long have you been working on this book?: Lizzie Carver:
This book was written on and off over the course of two and a half years.
QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?: Lizzie Carver:
There’s rarely a day I don’t question my abilities as a writer, but I hit my lowest point in my MFA program. It’s painful to withstand constant criticism, especially because that criticism had nothing to do with my writing and everything to do with male peers who were envious I’d enjoyed more career successes than them. They were upset I'd been accepted into an MFA program on my first try when there were countless men out there, like them, who had endured rejection after rejection. In their words, a man like that deserved my spot in the program more than me. Even knowing that, years of being belittled takes a toll. I hate to say it, but spite is what got me through. I had something to prove, and I was going to prove it. That kept me going for the longest time, but I did give up on this novel for several months, about ten thousand words from the finish line, simply because I was working full-time and had no energy for anything else. What helped then was joining a writing community. Having people lift me up. Doing 15-minute writing sprints with group members. Participating in brainstorming sessions. Reading work from other group members. I’m immensely grateful for their friendship. I couldn’t have done it without them.
QT: Is this your first book?: Lizzie Carver:
This is my second novel. I shelved my first one.
QT: Do you have any formal writing training?: Lizzie Carver:
I hold a BA in English with a creative writing specialization, as well as an MFA in Creative Fiction, totaling 7 years of formal training.
QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?: Lizzie Carver:
Not even a little bit. I write whenever the mood strikes me—at 2am fresh off a dream, in the line at the post office, in the parking lot before going into work, you name it. My productively increased when I began jotting sentences and dialogue down on my phone. I can’t always get to a computer before the words wander away, and sitting at a computer sometimes feels too much like being under a spotlight and paralyzes me. It’s about finding what works for you. For me, those tiny stolen moments recording a few sentences at a time add up to hundreds of thousands of words a year.
QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?: Lizzie Carver:
Hard to say. I edit as I go because deleting large portions of text or scrapping entire scenes demoralizes me. After I finished this book in its entirety, I did one final editing pass start to finish to tidy it up, but my agent and I are currently working together to polish my manuscript for submission.
QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?: Lizzie Carver:
The only thing I shared with anyone was the occasional snippet of a paragraph. This project drew on personal experiences with poverty and domestic abuse, and I knew feedback would make me second guess what I was doing. My agent was the first person other than myself to read my novel.
QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?: Lizzie Carver:
At the start of any project, I create loose outlines of the plot and the emotional arc of the main character so that I can visualize the beats I need to be hitting. The outlines are a mishmash of bullet points, random dialogue, and first drafts of scenes I can clearly visualize—all of it with enough wiggle room that allows the story to develop as I write.
QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?: Lizzie Carver:
I was busy this past year, so I only managed to send 15 queries for this book over a 10-month period. Prior to this, I queried my first novel for about 2 years on and off before I shelved it to revise at a later date.
QT: On what criteria did you select the agents you queried?: Lizzie Carver:
Vibes, first and foremost. Their personality. Books and shows they mentioned loving. If I liked the agent, I’d see if I fit their manuscript wishlist. Then I would check whether or not the agent or agency had any prior success selling a book in my genre—that one specifically would change my mind about sending a query. You want someone who adores your book, but you also want someone who can sell it.
QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?: Lizzie Carver:
I personalized the opening line of my query to reflect unique things the agent mentioned they were looking for, if applicable (e.g. Because of your interest in unconventional family dynamics, small town settings, and queer voices…).
QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?: Lizzie Carver:
Don’t let a rejection destroy you. It’s worth the wait to find a person as in love with your book as you are, however long it takes. Also—take a chance on new agents! My manuscript was passed along from the agent I queried to someone just beginning to build their client list. It’s been wonderful, actually, to have so much attention from my agent and to celebrate her successes along with my own.
QT: Would you be willing to share your query with us?: Lizzie Carver:
I am, admittedly, horrible at querying, but this is the letter that got me my agent:

Success Story Interview - Lizzie Carver

Query Letter: