Instagram: @annabethwilsonwrites
Agent: Lauren Gardner
Agency: Bell Lomax Moreton
Check out our #Agent121 page to book an appointment.
Annabeth Wilson is from Northern Ireland, where the myth and wild natural beauty feed her imagination. She writes romantic fantasy that pairs high-stakes passion with wonder and magic – often featuring women who don’t wait to be rescued.
IAIP: How did you come across the I Am Writing competitions?
AW: On Instagram! I follow a (good!) few literary agents and it just so happened that Lauren Gardner (my agent now!) shared a post highlighting that she was judging the romance category…and the rest is history!
IAIP: Had you previously been querying this novel, or had you entered any other competitions with it?
AW: Yes! I’d been querying this novel for a few months before I entered the competition.
IAIP: Was your book finished when you entered? If so, how long had it taken you to write?
AW: Yes – I finished the first draft in around 3 months, but editing took a lot longer and I took a few months out before diving back in to get it into query shape. During that time, I entered SmoochPit, an incredible mentorship programme for unagented romance writers, which paired me with two wonderful agented authors (Mallory Marlowe & Maria Millage!) who helped enormously with the editing and entire query process. I also had a baby, which made writing/editing a whole new beast on next to no sleep!
IAIP: Was this the first book you had attempted to write?
AW: Yes, my first one.
IAIP: What was the inspiration behind this novel?
AW: It’s loosely inspired by Anastasia, but reimagined through a romantasy lens. More than anything, though, it’s a love letter to the genre that’s had me in a chokehold for years — full of yearning, danger and magic – with the myth and adventure I love about D&D woven through it.
IAIP: How did you discover you had won the I Am Writing Romance competition?
AW: I was at home and happened to check my emails on my phone first thing in the morning. I’d actually been planning to go back to bed because I was exhausted after being up with the baby, but the shock, surprise and sheer elation woke me up far faster than any coffee could have.
IAIP: What happened after you won?
AW: I ran downstairs to my husband (and baby!) and told him I think I won but that I was a bit sleep deprived so needed him to confirm I wasn’t hallucinating the whole thing!
IAIP: How did you end up finding your agent?
AW: Lauren was the judge for the Romance category of the competition, so we had an initial call as part of the prize. She was lovely, and we really hit it off, chatting about favourite books, future story ideas and what she loved about my writing. She then asked for the full, and then three weeks later asked for another call. I was in Bordeaux at the time, and after she offered, I celebrated with my husband and his family. It was wonderful!
IAIP: If you had previously been querying this novel, roughly how many rejections did you receive before becoming agented?
AW: Oh goodness, many! I think around 50 by that time, and then some more step asides during my nudge period.
IAIP: What advice would you give to aspiring writers looking to get published?
AW: My biggest advice would be to keep going! Publishing takes persistence, and rejection is such a normal part of it that you have to learn how not to get too overwhelmed by it. Read widely, keep learning, and really take comfort in the community you build around you. Find other writers, critique partners and mentorships (like SmoochPit!) who can help you grow and make the whole process feel far less lonely. Above all, write the stories you can’t stop thinking about – the ones that come straight from your heart.
IAIP: Do you have any tips on making the most of entering a writing competition?
AW: Feel the fear and do it anyway! You genuinely never know what might happen – I certainly didn’t expect to be shortlisted, never mind win. Entering a competition is really about taking a chance on yourself, so don’t give up before you’ve even had the opportunity to try.
Instagram: @annabethwilsonwrites
Agent: Lauren Gardner
Agency: Bell Lomax Moreton
Check out our #Agent121 page to book an appointment.