Dashboard Literary Agents Success Story Interviews Wren Lennox

Success Story Interview - Wren Lennox

An Interview with Wren Lennox (wrenthewriter on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Jenna Satterthwaite of Storm Literary Agency.

05/22/2025

QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?: Wren Lennox:
Mariota is a gothic literary fantasy about a revenant woman who, after being drowned for a forbidden love in thirteenth century Scotland, is remade by goddesses of death into a soul ferrier—part ghost, part god, part monster. Spanning seven centuries and half the world, the novel is framed as a confession to the last mortal who loves her, as she recounts her long life of grief, devotion, and ruin. It’s a story about queer love, sacred monstrosity, and what it means to outlive not only those we love, but even the possibility of forgiveness.
QT: How long have you been writing?: Wren Lennox:
I’ve been writing seriously for about ten years now, though I’ve been telling stories in some form or another since I was a kid. I didn’t start writing original novels until a six years ago. Before that it was mostly long form fanfiction (and I mean long...like 300k words long). But fanfiction gave me the confidence to try something more personal, and to start shaping my own worlds from scratch.
QT: How long have you been working on this book?: Wren Lennox:
This book honestly startled me with how quickly it came. My usual pace is around six months to a year to finish something, but Mariota felt like being struck by lightning. I drafted the entire thing in about three months, then spent another two on revisions. It felt as though it had been waiting just under the surface for a long time and finally found its moment to emerge.
QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?: Wren Lennox:
Oh, many times. Querying is brutal. There’s so much silence and so many almosts, and it can really wear you down. I had moments where I thought maybe I’d misunderstood my own work or maybe I wasn’t as close as I thought.
What helped me keep going was a mix of pure stubbornness and spite, to be honest. I really wanted to prove the people who didn’t believe in me wrong, or who made me feel like this dream wasn’t worth chasing. But also, I love writing too much to stop. Even on the hardest days, it’s the thing I come back to. I think that’s what matters most, not whether or not someone else wants the work right now, but whether you’re still in love with it enough to fight for it.
QT: Is this your first book?: Wren Lennox:
Nope! It’s my third finished novel. The earlier ones were messy and flawed, but they taught me so much. I don’t think I could have written Mariota without writing those books first—they helped me find my voice.
QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?: Wren Lennox:
Not really. I’ve tried, but I’m a bit of a chaos writer. I tend to write best late at night when it feels like the story and I are the only two things left awake. My general routine is: wake late, shower, grab an energy drink, scroll Pinterest or listen to music until the vibe settles, and then start a writing sprint. I give myself permission to stop when it’s not working. I’d rather write nothing than write something forced. Sometimes I take breaks to play some Balatro or nap and then come back to the page fresher. Writing for me is more about rhythm than discipline.
QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?: Wren Lennox:
A little of both. I always start with a rough sense of the emotional arc, a few key scenes I call “tent pegs” which are moments I know I want to hit. I usually have the beginning pretty firmly in mind, and a feeling for the ending, though the exact details almost always shift by the time I get there.
I tend to write character first, so once I understand who they are and what they want, the story starts to unspool around them. It’s a lot of mulling and letting the mood guide me. I do keep notes but most of the work happens in the writing itself.
QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?: Wren Lennox:
This book was the exception. I sent my first query on a Tuesday and had an offer by Monday. It still doesn’t feel real. My first novel is still out on full request after nearly two years! So I’ve definitely seen both extremes.
QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?: Wren Lennox:
Yes, always. Even if it’s just a paragraph, I’d make sure to personalise it by mentioning specific titles the agent was seeking, things from their MSWL, tweets, interviews, or even vibes I picked up from their client list. Agents read a lot of queries, so a small personal touch really helps yours stand out.
QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?: Wren Lennox:
Don’t give up. I know, I know, it sounds cliché. But the truth is, the only way to fail at this is to stop trying. If writing matters to you, if it feeds some feral part of you, then you have to fight for it.
You’ll get rejections. You’ll be ignored. You’ll doubt yourself, probably daily. But the key is to keep going anyway. Keep writing, keep querying, keep learning.
Be stubborn. Be strange. Be proud of the thing you’ve made.
It only takes one person to say yes. And that yes can change everything.

Success Story Interview - Wren Lennox

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