Dashboard Literary Agents Success Story Interviews Mikala Noe

Success Story Interview - Mikala Noe

An Interview with Mikala Noe (mnoe85 on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Cameron McClure of Donald Maass Literary Agency.

07/10/2026

QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?: Mikala Noe:
It's an adult fantasy romcom where an insurance agent, who was dumped by her Chosen One ex two years earlier, is recruited to finish the prophecy quest he failed. The idea came to me after midnight one night; it was one of those thoughts where I wondered what happened to the people the Chosen One leaves behind. And combined it with the heartache of a breakup that was a little too hard to get over, especially when he's suddenly famous.
QT: How long have you been writing?: Mikala Noe:
Since elementary school but seriously for the last 5 years.
QT: How long have you been working on this book?: Mikala Noe:
The idea came to me last September. I spent a month outlining it, then five months writing it, and two months editing. I was laid off during this time, which, silver lining, meant I could devote more time to writing than I normally would have.
QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?: Mikala Noe:
I am a secretly-optimistic pessimist. Which means I assume nothing good will happen but hold out hope that this time will be different, lol. I never believed it would work out, I just couldn't stop believing that it might. And in some weird, twisted way that's exactly what kept me going.
QT: Is this your first book?: Mikala Noe:
I fully wrote one book before this one, and outlined several others.
QT: Do you have any formal writing training?: Mikala Noe:
No, but I am a lawyer and believe legal writing helped.
QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?: Mikala Noe:
I wrote anytime I had free time. I was a bit more organized for editing. I did the Happily Ever Authors' Ink and Iron Challenge in March to help me focus on editing (the challenge requires writing 500 words a day or editing a chapter a day).
QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?: Mikala Noe:
A lot. There were at least 5 full edits, but I'd also edit everytime I read through.
QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?: Mikala Noe:
I did! Finding friends who will read a work in progress is asking a lot, and I am forever grateful to my friends who offered to read (both at the Alpha-level and the Beta-level).
QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?: Mikala Noe:
I am a spreadsheet queen. My first book was from the hip. I was determined this book would be different. It was fully outlined (with character arcs and storybeats) before I ever started drafting.
QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?: Mikala Noe:
This book was queried for about two months. My prior book was queried over 18 months.
QT: About how many query letters did you send out for this book?: Mikala Noe:
I sent 43 query letters. I did a small batch to test my query package. Once I started to receive full requests, I queried more widely.
QT: On what criteria did you select the agents you queried?: Mikala Noe:
Most were based on MSWL or social media requests. I looked for agents that called out my comps specifically. I also queried agents who requested from me on my prior book or whom I had regularly interacted with on social media.
QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?: Mikala Noe:
Sometimes but not always. If I had previously queried the agent for a different project and received good feedback from them, I mentioned it in the query. Or if I had interacted with the agent during a pitch event, I'd mention that.
QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?: Mikala Noe:
I'm still learning but one thing that helped me was to reframe "rejections" as "passes." Agents are not rejecting you or your story, they're just passing for now. There are so many different reasons an agent may pass on your work that has absolutely nothing to do with you or your skill.

Success Story Interview - Mikala Noe

Query Letter: