Success Story Interview - Tori Leigh Kelley

An Interview with Tori Leigh Kelley (Torileighkelley on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Jonathan Rosen of The Seymour Agency.

06/20/2023

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

Tori Leigh Kelley:
When Bella Vitale’s mom is killed in action, her dad decides to return to his Italian roots near Venice, Italy, uprooting her to work in his family’s pasticceria. Bella loves baking, but her late mother wanted her to get a college degree. To make matters worse, her father is falling in love with Michela, the woman who has been running the pasticceria. And Massimo, Michela’s son, develops grandi sentimenti for Bella, which she’s sort of into because of his supreme hotness and buttery bignè. But then again, she’s afraid they all might end up on some cringy Italian reality show. Be sure to catch the next episode where the parents and their kids go on a double date! Dio Mio!
Like Bella, I apprenticed at a pasticceria near Venice during my father’s military career

QT: How long have you been writing?

Tori Leigh Kelley:
My whole life. I wrote a play in the sixth grade that got students out of class to come and see it. I started a school newspaper because we didn’t have one. As a kid, I also wrote poetry to help me through my tough childhood. Writing has been a close and stable friend for as long as I can remember.

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

Tori Leigh Kelley:
Since 2014

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

Tori Leigh Kelley:
I never felt like giving up, but I definitely took breaks. I released an album with original songs because I needed to have control over something creative. The album is Beautiful Pain by Tori and was a nice way to tell my life stories that fulfilled me while publishing took the time it needs to take. I think it’s important to have other things to enjoy besides just writing. Time with family is another lifeline that feeds me.

QT: Is this your first book?

Tori Leigh Kelley:
No. I’ve written two manuscripts before this one. It’s the first that I hope will be published.

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Tori Leigh Kelley:
I recently graduated with an MFA from the Vermont College of Fine Arts Writing for Children and Young Adult program.

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

Tori Leigh Kelley:
More of a workflow. I get a few hours of writing in each day, usually when my kiddos are sleeping or in school. I write in short bursts as well, while kids are at sports or doctor appointments. Each writing session adds more pages and this is the nitty gritty reality of writing, especially with kids. The whole idea of going into a cave and knocking out a novel just isn’t realistic or a possibility for me.

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

Tori Leigh Kelley:
At least seven times. I lost track after a while.

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

Tori Leigh Kelley:
Absolutely.

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

Tori Leigh Kelley:
I use Joyce Sweeney’s Plot Clock, set up all my plot points and then I allow the characters to twist and turn as needed. I guess you could call me a plantser.

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

Tori Leigh Kelley:
I began querying in August of 2023 for this book. Nine months later, I was offered representation.

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

Tori Leigh Kelley:
93 queries. I received 11 full requests. 43 rejections and many “no response” closed rejections.

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

Tori Leigh Kelley:
I searched for agents representing YA Contemporary

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

Tori Leigh Kelley:
Yes, at first. I identified 115 agents, researched what books they championed on Publisher’s Marketplace. Read those books and if I felt a connection, I queried them. I also stalked social media to see if I felt a connection with them. In the end, this is a partnership so having similar likes can help.

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

Tori Leigh Kelley:
Don’t give up. I began writing seriously in 2012 and it’s now eleven years later. I got my MFA in my forties. Keep doing what makes you happy. I don’t write to get published. I write because I can’t not write. Getting an agent, getting published, it’s a welcome side benefit, but it’s not everything and I don’t think it’s healthy for it to be. I’d say, write because it feeds you. Heals you. Nurtures you.

Query Letter:

Dear Jonathan,

When Bella Vitale’s mom is killed in action, her dad decides to return to his Italian roots near Venice, Italy, uprooting her to work in his family’s pasticceria. Bella loves baking, but her late mother wanted her to get a college degree. To make matters worse, her father is falling in love with Michela, the woman who has been running the pasticceria. And Massimo, Michela’s son, develops grandi sentimenti for Bella, which she’s sort of into because of his supreme hotness and buttery bignè. But then again, she’s afraid they all might end up on some cringy Italian reality show. Be sure to catch the next episode where the parents and their kids go on a double date! Dio Mio!
CIAO, BELLA! is a 66,000 word YA Contemporary with romantic tendencies that blends elements of THE CUBAN GIRL’S GUIDE TO TEA AND TOMORROW by Laura Taylor Namey and Nina LaCour’s WE ARE OKAY in the voice of Emma Saylor from Sarah Dessen’s THE REST OF THE STORY about finding our place in the world, multi-generational love and loss, and friends and family—the ones we inherit and those we choose for ourselves.



Like Bella, I apprenticed at a pasticceria near Venice during my father’s military career. I have a PHD in counseling and am the president and founder of Central Florida Mental Health, practicing telemedicine and writing resilient stories across genres for resilient readers. I recently earned my MFA from the Vermont College of Fine Arts Writing for Children & Young Adults program, and am a long-time member of SCBWI and the recipient of a Rising Kite Award in the Young Adult category.

Thank you so much.