Success Story Interview - Michaela McDuffie

An Interview with Michaela McDuffie (michaelamcduffie on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Tanera Simons of Greenstone Literary.

07/21/2025

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

Michaela McDuffie:
“Project DKS” is an adult contemporary romance about a grieving woman who commits to giving life another year in the lakeside town she once loved after a local man—and her new neighbor—saves her from drowning.

The inspiration for this book came from the mailbox in the dunes at Sunset Beach, NC where people leave journal entries in the notebooks inside. Every year we go to the beach, my husband and I go read the journal entries in the mailbox. Last year, when I was reading through them, I wondered what would happen if someone left a final goodbye there—and then what would happen if someone else found it in time to stop them? From there, I started imagining who those “someones” would be, and the story unraveled for me. Also, the FMC’s grief journey is very inspired by my grandmother’s journey through young widowhood.

QT: How long have you been writing?

Michaela McDuffie:
Poetry was my first love. I grew up, especially through the teenage years, exploring and expressing my feelings through poetry. That has especially influenced my writing style and voice when it comes to fiction, too. I always wanted to be a writer growing up and almost went to college for it but decided last minute to do counseling instead. So life took me on a seven year detour! Now, coming back to this dream of my heart, I’ve never felt more fulfilled.

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

Michaela McDuffie:
I started extensively outlining this book in early July, 2024. I wrote act one over the last two weeks of that month. Then, I kind of freaked out and decided to put it away. I was overwhelmed by the prospect of actually writing a book. But the story kept tugging on my heart, and I just couldn’t stay away. From mid-September to mid-October, I finished the whole first draft, completely consumed by it. Then, I edited (actually my favorite part of the writing process) for another month. After that, I had some beta readers and an editorial review and finished polishing by January of 2025. So all in all, about 6 months!

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

Michaela McDuffie:
Yes! Yes! Yes! I’m not going to lie. Like I said above, the first time was right after I wrote act one. I felt so overwhelmed and had terrible imposter syndrome. One thing that really got me back into writing again was reading Mayluna and A Day Like This by Kelley McNeil. Both of those stories impacted me so deeply and inspired me to want to give readers that kind of magical experience too.

The second (and third and fourth and etc.) time was in the querying process. People aren’t lying when they say it is a brutal journey. The waiting is the hardest part. You start overthinking everything. What helped me push through was just the faith that it is possible (and several motivational speeches from my mom and husband). So there was always hope in the dark!

QT: Is this your first book?

Michaela McDuffie:
Yes, it is!

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Michaela McDuffie:
Only if you count my obsessive involvement in my AP Literature class in high school! Also, I would be remiss if I didn’t give my mom, a retired English teacher, kudos for teaching me so much about line-level writing growing up. Lastly, Wired for Story by Lisa Cron was very influential in my learning of storytelling. But no—I do not have formal training.

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

Michaela McDuffie:
With this book, I just wrote obsessively literally every spare moment. Honestly, I need to find a more balanced routine in the future because I know this will burn me out!

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

Michaela McDuffie:
God only knows! I’ve never really understood how people are able to label what draft number they are on. I feel like I just constantly tinker. However, I did do one major revision after my editorial review.

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

Michaela McDuffie:
Honestly, just friends and family—but my family especially does not shy away from critique so I received lots of valuable feedback from them as readers. I also was very lucky to get to work with one of my favorite authors, Kelley McNeil herself (!), on an editorial review. This was HUGE for my story and writing journey!! (Thank you again, Kelley!)

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

Michaela McDuffie:
I am an extensive outliner. I’m talking 40-50 page outlines. I have bad “blank page syndrome,” so I need a map of exactly where I’m planning to go. Now, that being said, I always end up veering off course a little bit, but I find having a good outline allows me to lean into my creative flow when I’m drafting. I always get a strong gut feeling when I know something needs to be added or changed.

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

Michaela McDuffie:
I’ve been querying this book for 6 months. This is the first book I’ve queried!

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

Michaela McDuffie:
75

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

Michaela McDuffie:
At first, I was trying to find agents whose wishlists aligned perfectly with my manuscript. That didn’t last long. Once I eased up a bit, I just queried widely—anyone who repped my genre and had good sales records (bonus points if something on their wishlist fit my story). I was also hoping to find an agent who had worked extensively in my genre (for ex. I didn’t want to be the only romance author on their list).

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

Michaela McDuffie:
For the first 30 or so, yes I did. But after that, only if something specifically lined up with their wishlist and my manuscript. I got full requests both ways!

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

Michaela McDuffie:
Here is some advice/tips I learned along the way of the querying journey:
1. Let go of rejections—they are inevitable. Read them once, take any feedback you want to take from them if applicable, and then move forward. Don’t dwell! I’d often delete rejection emails after reading them so I wouldn’t keep obsessively analyzing them.
2. Send however many queries you want. A lot of people try to give specific numbers, but it’s never a one-size-fits-all type of thing. In the end, querying is somewhat of a numbers game, so if you have more agents on your list that you’d like to work with, keep querying!
3. Be bold and send respectful nudges when applicable! I nudged agents if I had received two or more full requests since querying them. A handful of requests I got came from nudges like this.
4. Be willing to query agents that have a low query response rate and/or low full request rate. Nearly half of my full requests came from agents who had low response rates for one or both!
5. Regulate the amount of time and energy you spend checking your email and QueryTracker data. It’s so tempting to obsessively look at data, but in the end, that doesn’t always tell the whole story. From personal experience, this can really start messing with your head. Set time limits for yourself.
6. Find something to keep your mind occupied. I personally found it extremely difficult to focus on writing something else or even reading while querying. I often beat myself up about it—but I just couldn’t do it. I was so anxious. Instead, I found other hobbies, like yoga and cooking, to try to focus on.
7. Have a support system—whatever that looks like for you! Querying is an extremely emotional process. You are sending your heart out into the world, hoping someone loves it as much as you. It’s really hard. I wouldn’t have made it through without my husband and parents’ unwavering support and guidance through the hills and valleys. Also, shoutout to my therapist!
8. Keep a journal or vlog of your journey. It’s really fun to look back on and see how far you’ve come. It also helped me keep perspective.
9. Take this advice to heart: this industry is full of long stretches of silence and little bursts of magic. I can’t remember where I read this but it’s so very true! Celebrate all the magical moments and during the stretches of silence, trust that more are likely on their way.
10. Always have hope. It only takes one yes. It’s always darkest before dawn!