Success Story Interview - Taylor Hartley

An Interview with Taylor Hartley (thartley1106 on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Danielle Burby of Mad Woman Literary Agency.

10/10/2023

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

Taylor Hartley:
The feminist rage of Ava Reid meets the voice of Claire Legrand in The Ladies of Leora, which follows Duchess Prudence Merriweather who, after sprouting wings and razor-sharp talons, murders her husband and must rely on the smuggling talents of her ex-lover to reach Stormlash, where a coven of monstrous women seek to use their trauma and their power to defeat a brethren of zealot priests bent on subjugating the women in their country.

When Roe was overturned, I felt myself filled with this primal rage, and it had nowhere to go. So I decided to pour it into a story that took all of the women men had maligned over the centuries and turn those "monstrous" traits into strengths they could use against a society that sought to subjugate them.

QT: How long have you been writing?

Taylor Hartley:
Since I was nine years old! I studied Creative Writing in college, and now, I'm an English teacher who writes by night. This has been my dream since before I can remember.

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

Taylor Hartley:
I started this one about a year and a half ago. I finished the first draft in six months, and then spent a good year revising and rebuilding...and here we are!

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

Taylor Hartley:
Oh yeah. Every other day. But I have a really supportive partner and a really supportive group of friends who kept telling me, "We would tell you to stop if this wasn't right...but this is right."

QT: Is this your first book?

Taylor Hartley:
No! This is actually book 9 or 10...and I'm hoping that Danielle can help me get some of my other books out into the world.

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Taylor Hartley:
Yes, I graduated with honors in Creative Writing from UNC-Chapel Hill.

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

Taylor Hartley:
Yes, I write every day from around 5pm to 9pm on weekdays, and then for about four to five hours on the weekends. It's a wild schedule, but I love it.

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

Taylor Hartley:
I've lost count at this point!

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

Taylor Hartley:
I did! And it was the first time that they all came back with feedback along the lines of "Send this. Send it to agents now."

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

Taylor Hartley:
I outline, but it's more like a faint sketch. I know the main events that need to happen in each act, but individual chapters unfold on their own.

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

Taylor Hartley:
For this book, about six months. I did have an agent before this, but we really didn't get along, and they sort of crushed my creative spirit. For the first time, I feel like this is the right fit.

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

Taylor Hartley:
Ha. Haha. Ha. Probably around 50? But throughout my querying career, between 4 books, I've sent at least 250.

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

Taylor Hartley:
I wanted them to be women. I wanted them to be editorial. And if I got a call, I need to feel an immediate bond.

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

Taylor Hartley:
I did! Danielle owns a literary agency called Mad Woman Literary Agency, and when I reached out, I said, "So listen, my book is about angry women...I think we might be a perfect fit."

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

Taylor Hartley:
1) Don't be too proud to take feedback when you get it.
2) Don't look at rejection as a critique. It's not.
3) Always work on the next thing.

QT: Would you be willing to share your query with us?

Taylor Hartley:
Yes!

Query Letter:

I'm excited to share with you Ladies of Leora, a grounded, feminist adult fantasy novel that combines the voice and adventure of Claire Legrand's Furyborn with the aesthetic and whimsy of Jess Kidd's Things in Jars. I know you primarily represent YA Fantasy, but given the name Mad Woman Literary Agency and the fact that my story is helmed by a disastrous bisexual and made up of a found family of queer women, I had to hope that maybe, just maybe, it might be a great fit for your list. There is a romance at the center of it as well, I promise!

After a childhood surviving the dangerous streets of Talonsbury, twenty-nine-year-old Prudence Merriweather finally has the life she's always wanted. As a Hell Witch, she can transform into a winged creature called the "Vultress," an ability she unlocked as a child in the wake of her sister's death. While Hell Witches are vilified in most corners of society, Prudence snares the attention of the fetishistic Duke of Talonsbury and marries him. But when a masked intruder sneaks into the Duke's mansion and attacks the couple, she transforms into the Vultress and, in a primal rage, accidentally kills her husband, becoming Leora's most wanted murderess.

Unbeknownst to Prudence, the murder is part of an elaborate plan by the Zeraphel, zealot priests devoted to reigniting the country's waning fear of Hell Witches to gain ultimate influence—and Prudence is the scapegoat they need. Desperate to escape the city walls, Prudence turns to beloved city smuggler—and former lover—Puck Reed. But with Puck comes his ten-year-old daughter Beatrice, whose own untapped Hell Witch power is killing her.

Hunted by the Zeraphel, Prudence must rely on Puck and her old criminal instincts to reach the Wild Fang Mountains, where a legendary coven of assassin Hell Witches holds the key to protecting her and healing Beatrice. But should the Zeraphel discover the coven's location, Prudence may hand them exactly what they need to exterminate her kind and subjugate all of Leora's women for good. An exploration of feminine rage in the wake of trauma, The Ladies of Leora delves into themes of redemption, grief, and self-discovery. It includes trans, non-binary, and sapphic representation.

Thank you for this opportunity! I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Taylor Hartley