Breaking In: March/April 2026

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The Free Verse Society

(Young adult romance, March, Peachtree Teen)

“A tender hate-to-love YA romance about two teens who connect through their high school poetry club, where the power of the written word tears down the walls they’ve built around their hearts.”

Writes from: Atlanta, GA.

Pre-Society: Before Free Verse, I was drafting a historical novel and was perpetually stuck in the research trap. I lacked the confidence that I could actually complete a manuscript. (This was my second attempt at a historical and, notably, I didn't use an outline either time.) I pivoted to a contemporary romance, thinking it would be easier to finish. It was supposed to be a practice book and I didn’t think it was good enough to publish, but I didn’t realize then that I was judging my art before it was done.

Time frame: I wrote the first draft during a month-long writing challenge. It was proof that I could actually complete a manuscript, but it wasn’t any good. (It wasn’t supposed to be good yet!) I set it aside for five years, and during that time, I thought about writing more than actually writing. It was a call from my father questioning my life choices--common for Ghanaian parents--that reminded me that writing was the dream I had set out on, and that fear and guilt were leading me on detours. I returned to that broken manuscript and was finally brave enough to fix it, shaping it into something I loved.

Enter the agent: Before querying, I submitted my book to a freelance editor who had extensive experience in traditional publishing. She was excited about Free Verse, believed in it, and encouraged me to "aim high" in querying. She even offered to give me referrals, although those connections didn't ultimately work out. The first agent I queried—my top choice—was the first to give me an offer three weeks later. I worked with her for two years before I decided to find a new agent. My agency connected me with Lindsay Auld, who is in so many ways different from my first agent, but exactly what I needed.

Biggest surprise: There are so many opportunities for disappointment on the publishing journey, so you can't let everything be a mental crisis. Control what you can, which includes a quality manuscript, and then let the minor mishaps be minor. 

What I did right: Having an industry professional read the manuscript before querying gave me confidence in its quality. I was strategic in reaching out to top agents whose interests aligned with mine for current and future books. I also wrote my query letter in the tone of my novel, which I think intrigued agents enough to request the partial or full manuscript.

What I would have done differently: The only thing I would change is my reaction to seemingly negative events. Everything had to happen the way it did for my story to be what it was.

Did you have a platform in place?: I had an Instagram account at the time of querying, but I wasn't an avid user and I had fewer than 400 followers. Now I use Instagram more, although it also uses me! I’m trying to find balance there. I've found that when I put my heart into a high-quality post, the algorithm may not share it, but people will. That's more rewarding than likes.

Advice for writers: Don’t compare your first draft to another author’s completed novel; the sparkle comes in the rewrites. Comparison in general is the best way to turn your dream career into a nightmare.

Next up: I’m working on another YA contemporary, but my historical projects are always crowding the door, trying to get in.

Website: DelaliAdjoa.com

JOAN

(Poetry, March, The University of Chicago Press)

“JOAN uses the story of Joan of Arc as a framework to explore queer identity, gender, memory, and transformation in a series of narrative lyric poems and archival fragments.”

Writes from: Woodland, Calif., in the Central Valley. Picture rice fields, almond trees, tomatoes, wine grapes, olives, sunflowers, alfalfa.

Pre-JOAN: I was writing a lot of chapbooks and zines, which I would design, print, and give to friends. My first poem in a magazine or journal came only six months before JOAN was accepted for publication. Although I had been writing for many years, my work circulated among a very small group of people. The book emerged out of that private, handmade practice rather than a traditional publishing trajectory.

Time frame: I wrote the first draft in about a month, mailed it to friends, and then it stayed on my bookshelf for five years. During that time I moved across the country, completed an MFA program, and contracted a profoundly debilitating chronic illness. At a point when my world had become very small, I convinced myself that if I could only accomplish one more thing, it would be to revise this book and find a way to get it published. I took it off the shelf then and spent the next year rewriting.

Enter the agent: I don’t have an agent. I was published through the Phoenix Emerging Poets Book Prize.

Biggest surprise: I was surprised by how many moving parts were involved. JOAN contains many archival fragments, including quotations from trial transcripts and other historical documents, and working through permissions and sourcing was a significant part of the process. I even had to brush up on my French to do some translation! I was also surprised, in a good way, by how much freedom the press gave me editorially. Everything in the final book appears the way I intended it to.

What I did right: I don’t feel that I've broken in yet.  I have many more books planned and in process. If I’ve done something right, it’s been to build a writing practice that slowly became inseparable from my life. I try to consider everything poetry, and to consider all poets my mentors.

What I would have done differently: I would have shared my drafts more while rewriting. I am a very private person, and this is a habit I am trying to break. I would have had more conversations while writing. Not sharing enough meant it took longer to understand what the book needed to become.  There was a distinct point where I finally realized how much I was writing about myself, too, and not Joan of Arc, and that only happened through conversation.

Did you have a platform in place?: I joined Instagram during the rewriting process with that purpose in mind, trying to think ahead. Once JOAN was under contract, I created a personal website. At this point, I am building my platform with readers one conversation and interaction at a time.

Advice for writers: You can learn almost as much about your writing from bad advice as good advice, if it helps you form opinions about your work. It is also okay if your writing practice looks completely different from someone else’s. I don't think I am a natural writer, but it's what I choose to do.

Next up: I am in the middle of my second book of poems, a memoir that explores a period in my early twenties spent navigating itinerant labor, sex work, and the plurality and ambiguity of queer identity. The book is built through slow accretions, shaped by shame and agency, desire and dissociation, grief and beauty. Although it's colored throughout with the immensity of solitude I experienced at the time, the context for all the portraiture lies within the shifting balance of power and systems of capital that entraps each person involved. It is my most challenging work so far, and I could not be more excited to be writing it.

Website: JakeRosePoetry.com

Liar’s Dice

(Literary fiction, April, Random House)

“A young teenage girl in 1970s Brazil is torn away from her twin sister—and must learn what it means to fight for those she loves when all odds are stacked against her.”

Writes from: Cambridge, Maine.

Pre-Dice: I started with short stories and published a few in small literary magazines. One day, 50 pages poured out, and I realized it was a novel. It took me a long time to finish—my main character has a disabled twin sister who was institutionalized, and so did I, so the subject was painful and close to my heart. And I also had to learn how to write a novel.

Time frame: It took me over twenty years to finish. I wrote most of it on Thursday nights, with my long-time writing group. It was helpful to have a place away from home and the company and inspiration of others. When my kids went off to college, I found two wonderful programs, the Novel Generator and Novel Incubator at Grub Street, which helped me shape the pieces into a novel.

Enter the agent: When I finally finished, I sent my novel out to a handful of agents who were all very excited but then passed on the full manuscript. Given their high level of interest, I concluded that there was something about the pacing and the structure that wasn’t working. I decided to revise again. Winning the Irish Novel Fair made a huge difference. It gave me confidence in my revision and practice in pitching the book. I was lucky enough to have offers immediately, and signed on with two amazing agents, Veronica Goldstein and Gráinne Fox.

Biggest surprise: I had to learn to write on demand, rather than waiting for the scene to arrive from my unconscious. I also had to learn to integrate the feedback while staying true to my vision. In terms of surprises, I didn’t realize that so many book events are now virtual—especially for debut authors. Readings in bookstores don’t seem to be as central as they used to be. I miss that.

What I did right: I’m glad I listened to the sense I had that there was something wrong, even though I hadn’t sent my novel out to that many agents. I took the next year to revise, focusing on structure and pacing. I knew it was almost there, but not quite. I think that revision year was crucial.

What I would have done differently: I would have revised more! And I would have written the acknowledgements ahead of time, so I could give them the time they deserve. I also would have liked to know more about the publishing process before it was underway. I had focused so much on the writing itself, that when the offers came, I wasn’t prepared. I didn’t want to put the cart before the horse, but it’s good to have an idea of what the cart looks like!

Did you have a platform in place?: I don’t use social media much, but I am trying to shift that and become more comfortable with it. I want to reach readers in every way possible.

Advice for writers: Trust in your unconscious process and in the writing itself. The writing gives you answers if you are able to quiet the self-criticism and listen.

Next up: I have a few ideas for novels swirling in my head and I am not sure which one will take root. One of them takes place in Spain, during the Spanish Civil war, following two children on different sides of the conflict, one educated in the progressive “children’s colonies” and the other a young girl who attends a Nationalist Catholic school.

Website: JulietFaithfull.com