Hello Substackers š Iām Kate Emilie, writer of YA speculative romance and a newly agented author. A few months ago, I queried my novel, Seven Dishes to Fall in Love, and after only a couple weeks, I signed with my agent. While my timeline from querying (this project at leastā¦) to getting representation was quick, my journey leading up to it took a lot of twists and turns (read: My 8-Year Journey to Getting a Literary Agent).
So it was an utterly surreal and wonderful moment when QueryTracker asked if Iād like to complete one of their success story interviews. Umā¦ absolutely, yes! Having inhaled dozens of those success stories myself for hope and inspiration mere days before signing with my agent, I was overjoyed to be invited to share my experience too.
So without further ado, below is my QueryTracker interview (with some photos added to it), including the query letter that landed me my agent. You can also read original interview here.
An Interview with Kate Emilie (protagonist_kate on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Hellie Ogden of William Morris Endeavor.
09/15/2025
QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which youāve found representation? What inspired you to write it?
Kate Emilie:
SEVEN DISHES TO FALL IN LOVE is a high-concept YA speculative novel about love in its many forms. The concept came to me in a sort of cinematic-style day-dream, but the heart of the story itself developed over time. I wanted to write about regret, sisters, first love, and what itās like when the lightest-of-the-light and darkest-of-the-dark are happening all at once.
QT: How long have you been writing?
Kate Emilie:
Iāve been writing for as long as I can remember. I recently cleared out some old keep-sake boxes and found stories I wrote from as young as elementary school. Iāve always loved storytelling, even if I didnāt realise I could be an author until much later.
QT: How long have you been working on this book?
Kate Emilie:
The concept came to be before anything elseāI knew the speculative element before the characters or the plot. I didnāt rush it though, I just sat on the concept for about a year or so, thinking about it while I was going through a busy stage of life. Then, when things settled in my life, I set myself one year to give it my all. I wrote the first draft in 7 months, took 2 months off, edited for 2 months, then sent out my first batch of āfullsā to agents. My first offer came through 24 hours later. Two weeks later, I had over 20 requests for fulls and 14 offers of representation.
QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?
Kate Emilie:
There were times I felt like my dream may never come true, but I never felt like giving upānot really. I took breaks. I allowed other life events to take centre stage, but I always had the itch to come back to writing. Iām so glad I didnāt give up.
QT: Is this your first book?
Kate Emilie:
Aside from the many childhood treasures, my first attempt at a full length novel was during my MA in 2017. That novel taught me so much about writing and even though it got listed for a competition and had some agent interest, it wasnāt the book that made it. I didnāt see through the submission process because, while I intended to finish my edits, I never did. Right after graduation, I got married, got pregnant, moved countries, and survived a pandemic! By the time I was āready to writeā again, I wasnāt excited by that manuscript anymore. And as hard as that was to accept, it was the right call. I rejoined critique groups and got back into the routine of writing. I tried on a few ideas, wrote two manuscripts to the midpoint before abandoning them, thenā¦ I had the idea for this one.
Sitting on the other side of things now, I truly believe it wasnāt my time before. I also believe no writing is ever wasted. All of it taught me something, and some of it even found its way into this novel.
QT: Do you have any formal writing training?
Kate Emilie:
Yes, I have an MA in Writing for Young People from Bath Spa University. It was one of the best years of my life and I wish I could live it all over again! Some of my best friends to this day are friends from the MA. I also continue to workshop with a group of alumni.
I have recently completed the Curtis Brown Creative āWriting Your Novelā three-month course in London and I attended the Mslexia Novel School a few years ago, which is a fabulous week-long intensive course. Iām still in group chats with both cohorts! Iāve also attended writing festivals and day events, and I participate in online communities like Jericho Writers and WriteMentor. The writing community is a powerful forceāwe really can do a lot to lift each other up and keep each other sane.
QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?
Kate Emilie:
Iām Type-A; organised is my middle name. However, I also have kids and other priorities, so I need to be flexible and kind to myself when itās simply not possible to do it all. I try to follow a routineādeadlines and structure are really helpful for me, but they can also apply pressure. Finding the balance is an ongoing endeavor.
QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?
Kate Emilie:
I planned this book pretty meticulously. Again, I knew the concept but I didnāt know the story, so when I wrote my synopsis (which I did before writing the actual book) it was an exploration of not just what the story was about, but also who it belonged to. I wrote four different synopses. Once the story was in good shape, I went on to write a 13-page chapter outline which flowed out in one sitting. Then and only then, did I start to write. I wrote one complete draft and did one full round of edits before going on submission.
QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?
Kate Emilie:
Through the CBC course and my alumni workshops I had feedback on shorter excerpts which helped at the early stages. I also had a very good friend from my MA give feedback on every chapter as it was written. I cannot thank this friend enough. We have a shared Google Drive folder where we both upload chapters as readyāhaving that immediate feedback, and the accountability buddy to push each other forward, helped immensely. Then, I had one beta reader, a fellow finalist at the London Festival of Writing, who read the whole thing in two days (my hero) and told me to hit sendā¦so I did!
QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?
Kate Emilie:
Outlined! Through writing this novel, Iāve converted from being a āpantserā to a āplotterā. I will say, there was still plenty that surprised me on the page when it came to writing, but having that detailed structure in place was essential as it kept me on track.
QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?
Kate Emilie:
Learn about the industry you want to be a part of. Join writing communities. Be open to feedback. Read a lot, and keep writing. Use beta readers who arenāt just friends or familyālean on the expertise of your writing community. Research success stories. Go to the acknowledgements section of the books you love or the books you imagine your book sitting on the shelf next to one day, and see who represents them. Donāt rush it, but trust when youāre ready to jump. Then, when youāre really ready, give it your all.
Query Letter:
(29/11/25 note: my query letter did see some variations from agent to agent, sometimes I switched up the comp titles (especially if the agent had a relevant title on their list), reordered content (e.g. if I wanted to open the letter with why I was querying them, like if we met at an event). But for the most part, this the below letter is what was used.)
Dear (agent),
I am excited to submit for your consideration my high-concept YA speculative novel, SEVEN DISHES TO FALL IN LOVE, complete at 70,000 words. Itās the fall-in-love-or-die challenge of āThe Love of My Afterlifeā by Kirsty Greenwood meets the emotional reckoning of āYouāve Reached Samā by Dustin Thao. It was also described by the judges of the 2025 Idea Idol competition as āThe Midnight Libraryā for YA.
In addition to winning Friday Night Live at the 2025 London Festival of Writing, my novel was also a readersā favourite and longlisted for the 2025 WriteMentor Awards. It was shortlisted for the 2025 Idea Idol Competition, it made the Top 100 in the 2025 Bath Novel Awards, and it reached the Final 50 in the 2025 New2TheScene Winter Novel Competition. I currently have (update number) full manuscript requests.
Seventeen-year-old Zoe Hart has never been in loveānow itās the one thing that might save her life. In a retro diner between life and death, Zoe is handed a menu with seven dishes, each one with the power to take her back in time. If she can undo her greatest regret before her final dish is served, she gets her life back. Fail, however, and the fog beyond the diner awaits. With a menu titled āZoeās Set Menu for Loveā she knows what she must do: go back and fall in love. But, the past Zoeās been desperate to forgetāand her trouble-making little sisterāseem determined to make sure this wonāt be a romantic endingā¦
(About two lines of personalisation around here about why Iām excited to query this agent in particular. It might be that their wishlist is a match, that I admire an author on their list, that I read an article they were featured in, etc.)
I am an American writer living in the UK. I hold an MA in Writing for Young People from Bath Spa University and continue to workshop with a group of alumni. I recently completed the Curtis Brown Creative Writing Your Novel course in London, and am a Faber Academy mentee.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Kate@protagonistkate
A quick final word:
To all of you writers out there dreaming up ideas, drafting your stories, diving into the query trenches, shelving projects, or anywhere in between ā keep hope. And most importantly, keep writing.
āØ Kate Emilie āØ
I love the mood board for your story. Thanks for publishing, I am always super interested in hearing about a writers journey to publishing!
Your cover photo got me to click the article immediately! Congratulations on getting agented.