Success Story Interview - Taelyn Sutherland

An Interview with Taelyn Sutherland (taelynsutherland on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Bethany Fulk Hendrix of Spencerhill Associates.

10/07/2026

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

Taelyn Sutherland:
My book THE BUTTERFLY COURTSHIP is a cozy historical fantasy set in an alternate Victorian era where there are magical butterflies. It's like Bridgerton, but with magical butterflies! It includes a fake courtship with a reckless Duke and #ownvoices scoliosis representation. As someone with scoliosis who adores historical romance, I wanted to read a book where the protagonist must hide her condition for fear of ruining her family's good name. When I couldn't find what I was looking for, I decided to write it! And add magic, of course!

QT: How long have you been writing?

Taelyn Sutherland:
My entire life! My mom still has many of the poems and stories I wrote all throughout elementary school. I can't remember a time when I wanted to be anything besides an author.

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

Taelyn Sutherland:
I started writing this book in March, but after 3 chapters, I paused until May. When I picked it back up, I wrote the entire first draft in 5 weeks!

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

Taelyn Sutherland:
Yes and no. As I said before, I truly cannot imagine being anything other than an author, so I knew I'd keep writing and querying until I found the perfect champion for my books. However, I did still wrestle with the fear that it might not happen. I remained optimistic by promising myself that I'd write the next one and, when it DID happen, I'd have a healthy backlog (or, at the very least, multiple books that each taught me something about being a better writer).

QT: Is this your first book?

Taelyn Sutherland:
Nope! I wrote my first book when I was 13-17 years old and self-published it. After that, I wrote half a thriller in college, a YA romantasy (then I re-wrote it... a lot), and then my first cozy historical fantasy, which made me fall in love with the genre and decide to write another.

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Taelyn Sutherland:
None for creative writing, but my degree involved editorial writing & I worked for my university's student newspaper for a bit.

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

Taelyn Sutherland:
Not really. I find I'm most productive when I'm able to write in the early morning, though.

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

Taelyn Sutherland:
It never required a re-write, thankfully. I did three rounds of edits, including the R&R with my agent.

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

Taelyn Sutherland:
Yes, 3!

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

Taelyn Sutherland:
I wrote the query first, outlined the story beats, and dove into drafting!

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

Taelyn Sutherland:
I queried this book for almost 3 months. I've queried 2 other books—the first for, I think, about 5 months with 0 full requests (understandably! I had so much to learn still!) and the second for about 7 months with 15 full requests. Then I started querying TBC alongside the second one, and my agent actually read and really enjoyed both books!

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

Taelyn Sutherland:
Around 75.

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

Taelyn Sutherland:
Only ones where I could draw a meaningful connection, such as a book they repped or mentioned on their MSWL and how it was similar to mine. My query to my agent was personalized, and I also received a referral from another agent I queried at a different agency.

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

Taelyn Sutherland:
Write the next book! Keep honing your craft and learning about yourself as a writer. Try out a new genre/age range/trope that makes you excited, and don't feel like THIS book HAS to be the one to land you an agent or else it will never happen. I know that's much easier said than done, but my chant in the trenches was, "If not this one, then the next one!" It helped the rejections feel less "final" and land softer.