We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rebecca Hodge a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Rebecca, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Have you signed with an agent or manager? Why or why not?

Finding an agent can be a long and difficult task Every potential agent has to be researched. What types of books does she represent? What is her reputation? What are her submission requirements? A pitch letter has to be finalized, a synopsis honed to perfection, and introductory chapters need to be perfect. I researched a lengthy list of potential agents and sent out queries in batches of eight. Silence after six weeks meant ‘no’ and prompted additional submissions. (Most agents only respond if interested.) I was six months into the querying process when I also submitted my manuscript to a contest for authors seeking representation, sponsored by the Women’s Fiction Writing Association (WFWA). Initial chapters were judged by published authors, then five finalists were judged by a panel of acquiring agents. My manuscript was a finalist! It didn’t win the contest, but one of the judges expressed interest in seeing the full story and then offered representation. Persistence–and multiple approaches–paid off!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a veterinarian by training and spent most of my career working in early-phase drug development for humans in the areas of diabetes and obesity. My education has been very science-focused and I somehow managed to get through both my undergraduate and graduate programs without taking a single writing class. When I developed an interest in writing fiction, the bad news was that I didn’t have a clue how to go about it. The good news was that I knew it. :-)

I tackled my ignorance through a combination of workshops, reading, conferences, and writing groups. When my short stories began to be accepted by a range of journals, I knew I was on the right path. My early attempts at a novel were great learning experiences, and I discovered that I liked working in the longer, more complex form of the novel. My two published books, WILDLAND and OVER THE FALLS, are character-driven stories with plenty of suspense, and I’m proud of the favorable reception both books have received.

Writing is both a challenge and a playtime for me. I delight in hearing from readers about the impact my stories have had.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

In today’s publishing environment, resilience is essential regardless of where you are in the publishing journey. I made no attempt to find an agent for the first two novel manuscripts I wrote, and they live in a drawer where they belong. With my third manuscript, I made a serious effort to find an agent. A dozen agents requested the full manuscript, and their feedback was consistent—great writing, interesting characters, but they felt the story was difficult to categorize and therefore difficult to sell. Ultimately, I set aside that book and the years I’d spent working on it, and I was delighted to find an agent and a publisher for my next book, WILDLAND. It launched just in time for the COVID shutdown and unfortunately became entangled in multiple cancelled events and other pandemic turmoil. In the midst of it all, you just have to keep going!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The rewarding aspects of being a novelist are two-fold. On a daily basis, writing provides a creative outlet for me that engages my imagination and provides consistent challenges. It’s a delight to step out of my too-real world and into a fictional world that I create and control. To my surprise, the other rewarding aspect has been my engagement with writing and reading communities. I’m an introvert at heart, and I suspect one of the things that drew me toward writing is the solitary nature of the work. But I’ve discovered kindred spirits in the writing community and have forged deep friendships and lasting professional relationships through my involvement in a range of writing organizations. Writing is an aspect of my life that I plan to pursue as long as I’m able.   

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rebeccahodgefiction.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rhodge.fiction/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebeccahodgefiction
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-hodge-dvm/

Image Credits
All photos credited to Rebecca Hodge