Dashboard Literary Agents Success Story Interviews Jaclyn Rodriguez

Success Story Interview - Jaclyn Rodriguez

An Interview with Jaclyn Rodriguez (JaclynR on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Patrice Caldwell of New Leaf Literary & Media.

04/15/2024

QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?: Jaclyn Rodriguez:
My book, IMMORTAL DESIRES, is an Adult–Crossover romantasy about a young mortal woman out for revenge against the immortals responsible for her family’s abductions. She enters herself into a Selection ceremony reminiscent of the Reaping in the Hunger Games, except she wants to be chosen to find her family as she hopes to be reunited with them. When she meets Draven, the snarky immortal prince, she realizes he might be the key to finding her family, even if his coveted looks and annoying charm put her at risk of falling for him along the way.

My biggest inspiration for writing this book was a desperate desire to see more BIPOC and LGBTQ+ representation in the romantasy subgenre. As both a biracial Puerto Rican and bisexual author, I wasn’t sure when that representation would ever come. I’ve always firmly abided by the saying, “Write what you want to read,” and so I wrote a book with a main character that really embodied those of us who haven’t seen a lot of representation yet. I’m very excited for the world to meet Rune and see themselves in this character the way that I do.
QT: How long have you been writing?: Jaclyn Rodriguez:
I always had a very expansive imagination as a kid, and it would come out in these elaborate, fantastical stories and make-believe. I first started writing them down in early high school for fun, mostly focused on adventure-based science fantasy, and that hobby turned more serious near the end of high school and the start of college. So, in some ways, you can say I’ve always been writing, but I really started putting words to paper about twenty years ago. It’s a craft I’m constantly building upon and improving. I adore stories, and there’s always something new to learn or an undiscovered perspective to become engrossed in.
QT: How long have you been working on this book?: Jaclyn Rodriguez:
I started writing this book in July 2022. I finished it in early October 2024, edited it, sent it to my critique partner and beta readers, and started querying soon after. Now, I’m on submission, and I’ve entered a new phase of work on this book. I am so excited for whatever comes next!
QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?: Jaclyn Rodriguez:
I think most writers experience at least one point in time where they’ve felt like imposter syndrome will win. I definitely have struggled with it on and off and there have been points where I’ve thought there would never be a time in which I was going to write the right book at the right time. Particularly looking around and not seeing a lot of representation in the genres I wanted to write and the sheer odds of getting picked up as a BIPOC and LGBTQ+ author, I started worrying that maybe there wasn’t ever going to be space for me at the table.

However, I am very lucky to have a supportive spouse who is my first and biggest fan, Ryan, who always reminded me that my books would be beloved by readers one day. I’m also lucky to have found a writing critique partner, Emily, a brilliant writer who understood my stories and how to help me become a better author. Lastly but equally importantly, I had an uncle, Sonny Campbell, who passed shortly before I started writing this book and who’d always believed in and supported my writing dreams and influenced a lot of the writing around Rune's father. I’m so very grateful for them and all the supportive people I’ve had in my life, including my father, who left a beautiful legacy of pursuing your dreams behind, and my mother, siblings, aunts, cousins, friends, and in-laws, all encouraging me to continue pursuing this path.
QT: Is this your first book?: Jaclyn Rodriguez:
This is my tenth book! I have two series and a standalone project that I queried on and off prior to this one, and one book I wrote after this one that I planned to query next before I landed my agent! I’ve also begun the sequel for this book, which will be my twelfth book!
QT: Do you have any formal writing training?: Jaclyn Rodriguez:
I took several creative writing classes in college, some of which were exceptionally helpful in improving my craft, but ultimately did not major in it. Since then, I worried about the fact my Bachelor’s wasn’t in creative writing or from an Ivy League school, and I didn’t have the connections it might take to find an agent, but it didn’t end up affecting my ability to gain representation. I think it’s important to know that although those things are all very helpful, that it’s still possible to find representation without them and without coming from a lot of money or opportunities.
QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?: Jaclyn Rodriguez:
Yes, and I feel it’s been invaluable. As a full-time mom to an autistic kiddo with high support needs, it’s taught me that those moments where there’s time to write have to be optimized in the best way possible. I stay on task pretty well, but I’ll always have a few important goals written down whenever I have a window to write. I also “background task” my writing, so if I’m cooking or cleaning or doing anything that doesn’t require my fullest attention, I’m often lost in a far-off world or thinking through a scene with witty banter so that when I do get to my computer, I’m ready to write it all out.
QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?: Jaclyn Rodriguez:
After the initial writing, I edited it two more times to clean up overused words or align the story better (reading your book out loud is the best way to catch errors on your own, I’ve found), and then sent it to my critique partner and beta readers for more feedback. I’ve made some minor edits since, mostly with word usage or the occasional awkward sentence, particularly those opening pages, so maybe overall, about three times for the full draft and countless little updates from beta reader feedback.
QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?: Jaclyn Rodriguez:
Yes, I did, and I cannot emphasize the importance of beta readers enough. Especially working with my critique partner has helped me to see plot holes, inconsistencies, overused words, and all sorts of other things I never would’ve caught myself. As writers, we often get too close to our work and sometimes it’s harder for us to catch our own errors. Some read my whole book, and their reactions and line editing helped me know where to edit, and others just read my opening pages and query, helping me tighten up the introduction to the book, which was beneficial when trying to find representation.
QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?: Jaclyn Rodriguez:
From the hip, though, I will say I’m more of a “plantser” or “discovery writer” than a pure pantser or plotter. With this being my tenth book I felt pretty confident in my ability to discover the full story and create cohesive worldbuilding as I went. I typically go into any story already having stewed on it for a few weeks, fully immersing myself in the world. I’ll know the jumping-off point (inciting incident) and the end of the book (climax) and how the series will culminate along with the major characters and the biggest rules of the world before I ever write a word. But I don’t use an outline, only working towards the ending and figuring out how best to torture my characters with obstacles that will draw out the most tension and emotion, though occasionally, I will jump ahead or write out some extensive notes.
QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?: Jaclyn Rodriguez:
The very first query I sent for this book was at the start of November of 2023 after deciding last minute to participate in the Twitter/X pitch event contest #Pitdark. I got an agent “like,” which resulted in a full request. However, I didn’t feel wholly finished editing the book yet as I’d just completed it the month before, and my CP and alpha readers had not finished their initial read-through. I sent a few more queries at the end of November and the beginning of December, but I recognized many agents were closing for the holidays, so I kept editing and held off sending the majority until the start of January 2024. I got an offer at the end of March 2024, several more requests, and signed with my top agent choice at the start of April 2024.

But my very first query for my first novel was sent back in 2009 via snail mail with a SASE attached (self-addressed stamped envelope). So, my total querying journey took over 15 years and ten books to finally get an offer of representation. I learned a lot along the way, including the fact that I was sending out way too few queries, mostly focused on writing sequels, and wasn’t focusing on the right pitches while querying. A lot of my journey was luck, timing, and unyielding determination, but it wasn’t an overnight success story!
QT: About how many query letters did you send out for this book?: Jaclyn Rodriguez:
According to Query Tracker, I sent out about 60 queries for this book.
QT: On what criteria did you select the agents you queried?: Jaclyn Rodriguez:
I really paid attention to agents’ MSWLs whenever available. I didn’t query agents who weren’t interested in fantasy and romance. Those who outright said they were looking for “romantasy” had a high priority on my list, along with those who specifically stated that they were searching for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ authors and our stories. It was very important for me to work with someone who understood my story in all its multifaceted dimensions and so another determining factor was if agents were already representing diverse authors.
QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?: Jaclyn Rodriguez:
I always tried to tailor each query to the specific agent (sometimes getting very specific, like with my winning query letter), but not all agents have readily available MSWLs or enough to really understand what might capture their interest or connect you. My agent briefly mentioned in her MSWL a shared special interest of ours, comic books, with the names of her cats. So it gave me a special way to really compare my characters to other pre-existing ones that I knew she might appreciate. It felt like a gamble at the time but she later said on “the call” that it was a really fun detail that helped my query to stand out!
QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?: Jaclyn Rodriguez:
I’m not an overnight success, and I spent fifteen years on and off querying various projects and honing my craft to get to where I am today. Being both BIPOC and LGBTQ+ has added additional challenges, and the numbers are really not in our favor when we are a part of one of these groups or both. But as one of my heroes, Han Solo, once said, “Never tell me the odds.” If you believe in your dream enough, even if you are the only person who believes in it, then stick with it. Maybe it’ll take a few months, or maybe it’ll take much, much longer, but if you continue to improve your craft and, most importantly, shoot your shot, you can make it even in an industry that doesn’t feel ready-made for us. I continuously asked myself, when querying this project, why not me? Why not now?

My most practical advice is that once you write your book (for me, this time, I wrote my query before the book, so I knew exactly how I would market it), read your book out loud, find beta readers who read your genre, and forge connections in the writing community. Twitter/X has been a great way to do that, along with e-meeting agents, asking questions, and learning. Always be open to learning new ways of doing things because the querying process and expectations change every few years. Approach your querying journey as a when, not an if, and lastly, try your absolute best not to take those rejections personally. We all get them, and it doesn’t define your worth.
QT: Would you be willing to share your query with us?: Jaclyn Rodriguez:
Of course! Looking at QT’s success stories really helped me understand what agents might want in a query letter. There are a lot of opposing bits of advice floating around out there, and so if looking at my query can help anyone land their own dream agent, I’m happy to help!

Success Story Interview - Jaclyn Rodriguez

Query Letter: