Dashboard Literary Agents Success Story Interviews Sara Duran

Success Story Interview - Sara Duran

An Interview with Sara Duran (saraduran on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Matthew Valdez of Megibow Literary Agency.

03/18/2026

QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?: Sara Duran:
My novel is a queer sci-fi horromance pitched as Annihilation meets Brokeback Mountain. Set on a frozen lunar prison outpost in the near-distant future, it follows two exiled men who develop a tender and terrifying bond as they work together to survive an ancient entity awakening beneath the ice.

Beyond my love for cosmic horror and queer romance, this story was actually inspired by a health scare I experienced a few years ago. In that time of uncertainty, the steady support of my loved ones became both my anchor and something I was terrified of losing. That realization—that love can feel like both a liability and a lifeline—became the book’s thematic center. At its heart, this novel is about choosing connection even when the universe feels vast, indifferent, and frightening.
QT: How long have you been writing?: Sara Duran:
I wrote my first "book” at age six and kept writing stories (and occasionally some very angsty poetry) throughout middle school, high school, and college. Writing has always been the way I process the world, so pursuing it more seriously in the past few years has been very rewarding.
QT: How long have you been working on this book?: Sara Duran:
I first got the spark of an idea for the story in March of 2023. Somewhat hilariously, it was originally envisioned as a sci-fi romantic comedy inspired by an article about future Mars missions being all-female to avoid astronauts having sex during the long spaceflight. In that earliest draft, the story kept pulling me toward something more ambitious than I felt ready to tackle, so I eventually shelved it and began working on something else.

I didn’t return to this story until 2025, and by then, the tone had shifted completely. What emerged was the more atmospheric and introspective horromance that ultimately became the project that landed me representation. I finished the first draft in November of 2025, sent my first queries in February of 2026, and signed with my agent in March of 2026—almost three years to the date of that first inkling.
QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?: Sara Duran:
I returned to this project as a “distraction” while querying another book, so there were probably more days I wanted to give up than days I didn’t. Querying is often a long, emotionally fraught process, so it’s easy to let doubt creep in.

What ultimately kept me going was realizing that the joy I felt while drafting this project existed independently of the outcome. Falling in love with the characters and the story reminded me of why I write in the first place. Focusing on my love for the work rather than the dread of waiting enabled me to stay the course.
QT: Is this your first book?: Sara Duran:
This is the third book I’ve written with traditional publishing in mind and the second I’ve queried in earnest. Each project was a learning experience, and by the time I finished this one, it truly felt like my “unicorn” manuscript, where high-level concept, craft, and industry timing might finally align.
QT: Do you have any formal writing training?: Sara Duran:
I don’t have formal writing training beyond a few general education courses in college. My degree is in biology with a minor in psychology, and I work in the environmental industry, where much of my work involves writing technical documents for other scientists and breaking down complex scientific concepts for a general audience.

I believe this background has given me a unique perspective I may not have developed through a traditional creative writing path. My analytical mindset influences every part of my writing process, from how I build a story’s structure to social media strategy.
QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?: Sara Duran:
While drafting this book, my critique partner and I agreed to swap at least one chapter per week in our respective works-in-progress. We stuck to this schedule pretty diligently, and that consistency made a huge difference in maintaining momentum. Over roughly seven months, this project evolved from the jumbled opening chapters of a half-baked romcom into a query-ready horror romance.
QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?: Sara Duran:
The book honestly felt relatively solid after its first draft, largely because I did a significant amount of planning beforehand (shout-out to Lisa Cron’s Story Genius). That said, I still put it through a modified version of Gina Denny’s Six Stages of Self-Editing before querying. Together, these edits took around three of the seven months I spent on this project.
QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?: Sara Duran:
I credit much of this manuscript’s success to my amazing critique partner, who read the first draft as I wrote it, gave thoughtful feedback on the final version before I began querying, and encouraged me every step of the way that this book would be “the one.”

My childhood best friend also offered invaluable “reader vibe check” feedback on the near-final version of the manuscript. Beyond that, I leaned on chapter swaps with my writing group and critiques from QTCritique to help get my materials submission-ready. I’m incredibly lucky to have so many people in my corner who believe in my stories as much as I do.
QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?: Sara Duran:
I absolutely outlined (and later reverse-outlined) this book. Because it’s a genre blend, I knew I needed a strong skeleton to ensure both the romance beats and the horror tension landed at the right moments. Having that roadmap gave me the confidence to have a little exploratory fun within each scene because I always knew where the story was ultimately headed. Even with a map, I still made some unexpected detours along the way, and those additions actually ended up being some of my favorite parts of the book.
QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?: Sara Duran:
Fifteen days passed between sending my first query for this book and receiving an offer of representation.

That being said, I want to acknowledge that so many seemingly “overnight” querying success stories are built on months and months (or even years and years, as in my case) of effort. I first decided that I wanted to pursue traditional publishing in 2024. Before finding my agent with this manuscript, I had been querying a different project for about nine months. My almost year in the query trenches taught me many lessons and made the experience of querying this book feel especially surreal.
QT: About how many query letters did you send out for this book?: Sara Duran:
I sent 47 queries, received 10 manuscript requests, and was offered representation by two agencies.
QT: On what criteria did you select the agents you queried?: Sara Duran:
I was admittedly much more selective with choosing agents for this project than I’ve been in the past. With my last book, my querying strategy was to cast a wide net, reaching out to any reputable agent who was open to queries in my genre. This time, I focused on finding agents whose manuscript wishlists aligned with specific elements of my project, with keywords like “sci-fi horromance” and “literary science fiction” being major focuses as I built my list.

Once I had that list of agents, I began by querying those who had expressed interest through pitch events (including the agent I ended up signing with), along with a small batch of cold queries to "test" my submission package. After I received some full requests within the first week of querying, I felt confident in expanding to a larger batch from my curated list. I’m glad I approached querying more thoughtfully this time, and even more glad that it ultimately led to me signing with the agent who was #1 on my list!
QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?: Sara Duran:
I only personalized queries when the agent had requested I query them during a pitch event. Otherwise, I kept the letter basically the same, even for agents whose wishlists seemed perfectly aligned with my book. My philosophy was that the connection between the manuscript and an agent’s wishlist should be clear from the pitch itself without requiring extensive customization of the letter.
QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?: Sara Duran:
I would love to share the sentiment that has carried me through every form rejection, every “close but not quite” pass on a full, and every late night spent hunched over my keyboard long after the workday ended. It comes from Kate DiCamillo, who once signed an aspiring author’s copy of my favorite childhood book with this advice:

“For [Name], who wants to be an author. Do not give up. The race goes to the relentless.”

I firmly believe that in this race, the only ones who lose are those who quit before the finish line. It is okay (and normal) to feel discouraged, but don’t ever, ever give up. If you really want this, you have to be relentless, whether it takes weeks, months, or years.

Success Story Interview - Sara Duran

Query Letter: