Success Story Interview - Rhylee K. Jones

An Interview with Rhylee K. Jones (RhyleeKJones on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Andie Smith of Creative Media Agency.

05/26/2026

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

Rhylee K. Jones:
The book I wrote is a YA Christmas romcom featuring friends-to-lovers, vloggers, and road trips. I was inspired to write it during the end of the holiday season. We had just moved into our new home and while unpacking and binge watching various holiday movies, including a road trip movie, I was struck with the question: “What would happen if you were stuck in a car on a road trip with your BFF/ crush because your brother abandoned you for a trip to Jamaica instead?”

QT: How long have you been writing?

Rhylee K. Jones:
I have been writing for over 20 years since about middle school, but really started my publishing journey in 2018. I’ve wrote about a book every two years since.

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

Rhylee K. Jones:
I’ve been working on this book on-and-off for 2 1/2 years.

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

Rhylee K. Jones:
There were several moments during the early drafts that I felt stuck, but some of the things that helped me was getting offline and going for walks, reading (a lot), asking editorial questions to myself, and working on it a little bit at time. Once I had a finished draft, I had a few beta readers test it out and those early feedbacks really help cheer me on to keep going.

QT: Is this your first book?

Rhylee K. Jones:
I’ve written several books (9 I think?) before this one. Including two that I queried before this one. And I have about three other drafts that I never finished.

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Rhylee K. Jones:
I hold multiple degrees in English Education, and in that concentration I’ve had several writing based classes, but most of my training came from experience, reading, and craft writing books.

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

Rhylee K. Jones:
Depending on the season of my life, I will have a dedicated time (typically evenings and weekends) to get some writing done. Other times I will get struck with inspiration and have to get it down on page right then and there. Sometimes I take weeks or months breaks and I find that time away from a finished draft will give me more energy to keep on writing.

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

Rhylee K. Jones:
I have gone through three full drafts so far.

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

Rhylee K. Jones:
As I mentioned before, I had some beta readers before my agent read it.

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

Rhylee K. Jones:
I am a bit of both or a plantser. I always have some kind of ending planned (sometimes the ending changes). Since this was a road-trip novel, I had to plan all the road trip stops before writing, but the motivations and characteraization came through writing by the seat of my pants throughout several drafts.

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

Rhylee K. Jones:
I queried in batches for about 6 months until my agent requested a revise and resubmit. As I mentioned before, I’ve queried two other books before this one, starting in 2019.

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

Rhylee K. Jones:
I sent approximately 30 queries.

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

Rhylee K. Jones:
I focused on agency and agent: did the agent represent the age group and genre of my current WIP and future genres I would like to write in and what kind of agent style were they? The last part wasn’t applicable all the time, but I enjoy editorial feedback, and my agent is editorial so I’m pleased with that.

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

Rhylee K. Jones:
1) Do your research. Check the agent’s website, the agency’s website, and use other tools like QueryTracker and Manuscript Wishlist to help build your list. Make sure to submit queries to the agent that reps what you are writing. Follow them on social media to see what they’ve been reading or interested in. Keep a pulse on who’s closed or open to queries. 2) Be kind to yourself. No one will have a perfect first (or twenty-first) draft. Keep at it. You can’t edit a blank page. 3) Be introspective But if you’re continuing to get form rejection after form rejection, look internally to see how you might improve your writing, but don’t give up. 4) And above all, keep reading. Read the greats. Read what you love. Study writing through reading. Reading makes writers.