Dashboard Literary Agents Success Story Interviews Rachael Nasworthy | R.M. Worthy

Success Story Interview - Rachael Nasworthy | R.M. Worthy

An Interview with Rachael Nasworthy | R.M. Worthy (RM_Worthy on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Lindsay Watson of Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency.

10/05/2026

QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?: Rachael Nasworthy | R.M. Worthy:
The Ringmaster's Darling is a dark romantasy about a human woman who enters a supernatural circus competition and catches the attention of Caspen Vale, the circus's ringmaster and a powerful demon lord. What starts as her chance to finally step into the spotlight turns into something much bigger when he chooses her to be his Darling and pulls her deeper into his world.
The idea actually started with my MMC, Caspen. I knew I wanted to write a monster romance, specifically between a demon and a human woman. His character came to me before the rest of the story did. The circus setting came a little later, and once I had the idea of making him the ringmaster, everything really started coming together. From there, my FMC, Bristol, the Darling Games, and the rest of their world grew around them. I'm a huge fan of dark romance and romantasy, so I really just wrote the kind of book I would want to read myself.
QT: How long have you been writing?: Rachael Nasworthy | R.M. Worthy:
I've been writing for about a year. I'm still fairly new to it, which makes finding representation this early in my writing journey feel even more surreal!
QT: How long have you been working on this book?: Rachael Nasworthy | R.M. Worthy:
I worked on The Ringmaster's Darling for eleven months. It took me nine months to write the first draft, followed by two months of editing and revisions before I started querying.
QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?: Rachael Nasworthy | R.M. Worthy:
While I was writing, I never really felt like giving up. I was in love with this story and was determined to finish it. I actually celebrated my first rejection because, to me, it felt like a milestone. Rejection is part of the querying process, and getting that first one meant I was officially in it. The doubt didn't start creeping in until I had received a few more. That's when I started wondering if maybe the book wasn't what I thought it was, or if I had overestimated how good it was. I remember talking to my parents after five rejections, and my dad reminded me of Stephen King and how many times he was rejected before someone finally took a chance on his work. He basically told me to look at where his career is now and that stuck with me. I made a mental note to watch for patterns in the rejections I received. If they came back consistently with the same critique, it might be a sign that I need to work on the manuscript. Otherwise, I tried to remind myself that so much of this industry comes down to personal taste. One person passing on my book didn't determine the quality of my work. It just meant it wasn't the right book for that person.
QT: Is this your first book?: Rachael Nasworthy | R.M. Worthy:
No. My first novel, Between Paper & Pulse, was self-published. I actually wrote Beneath Winter Pines and The Ringmaster's Darling around the same time, going back and forth between the two depending on which story I felt inspired to work on. I'm currently working on my next novel, Funeral Favors, a dark romcom.
QT: Do you have any formal writing training?: Rachael Nasworthy | R.M. Worthy:
No, I've learned by reading, writing, researching, and just figuring things out as I go.
QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?: Rachael Nasworthy | R.M. Worthy:
Not really. I write whenever I get the chance and as often as I can. I don't have a set schedule or word count goal that I follow. I just try to make time for it whenever I can. Now that I have representation though, I definitely plan to be more intentional about prioritizing my writing time.
QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?: Rachael Nasworthy | R.M. Worthy:
I went through five rounds of editing and revisions over two months. I didn't rewrite the book, but I made multiple passes making changes, tightening things up, and fixing anything that wasn't working. During my last round of edits, I ended up adding two new chapters.
QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?: Rachael Nasworthy | R.M. Worthy:
No. I was a little hesitant to hand the manuscript over to people I didn't know, especially because of some of the darker and spicy content, so I ultimately decided to trust my instincts during the editing process.
QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?: Rachael Nasworthy | R.M. Worthy:
I do a little bit of outlining, but for the most part, I write from the hip. I keep a notebook and do the same kind of brainstorming we were taught in elementary school, with the main idea in a circle and branches coming off of it. I used that quite a bit when developing my characters and did a little worldbuilding, but I mostly discover as I write.
QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?: Rachael Nasworthy | R.M. Worthy:
I queried The Ringmaster's Darling for seven weeks before receiving two offers of representation. This was my first time querying, so I haven't queried any other books.
QT: About how many query letters did you send out for this book?: Rachael Nasworthy | R.M. Worthy:
I sent out 26 query letters.
QT: On what criteria did you select the agents you queried?: Rachael Nasworthy | R.M. Worthy:
I mainly looked for agents who represented romance, fantasy, or romantasy, and seemed open to darker and spicier stories. Lindsay was almost comically perfect for my book based on what she was looking for, but I originally skipped her because some of the comments on QueryTracker made me hesitant. I ended up coming back to her later and decided to take the chance, which I'm obviously very glad I did!
QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?: Rachael Nasworthy | R.M. Worthy:
Not specifically to each agent, other than changing the greeting. However, almost every time I sent a new query, I looked over the letter again and thought about what I could improve. So there were probably small differences in the query letter from one agent to the next.
QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?: Rachael Nasworthy | R.M. Worthy:
From my personal experience, I would advise other writers to never skip an agent just because their QueryTracker history seems quiet. I almost skipped the agent I ultimately signed with because I wasn't seeing responses in the comments, and like others, assumed she might not be very active. I came back to her later, decided to take the chance because the worst that could happen is I never hear back. Just because you aren't seeing responses doesn't necessarily mean queries aren't being read. I'd also say to never stop improving your query letter. Every time you're about to send another query, read it again and ask yourself if there's anything you can make stronger. Mine changed throughout the process, and I think there's almost always something you can tighten or improve. One of the biggest improvements I made to mine was adding a small detail that showed there was more depth to the story beyond the main plot. It gave the agents a better idea of what they would find in the manuscript. After I made that change, I started seeing more positive responses and shortly after, I received two offers of representation.

Success Story Interview - Rachael Nasworthy | R.M. Worthy

Query Letter: