7 Questions For: Literary Agent Hilary Harwell

Hilary joined the KT Literary team to support office operations and assist with queries and manuscripts, and now acts as Associate Agent with clients of her own.

She graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder, with a degree in Anthropology and went on to work in the back office of a major Swiss Investment Bank for eight years before deciding to trade numbers for letters.

When not reading or editing or writing stories of her own, Hilary likes to hike the Rockies with her family and dreams of one day owning her own horses.

You can follow her on twitter.

And now Hilary Harwell faces the 7 Questions:


Question Seven: What are your top three favorite books?

Choosing is so harrrd. The Graveyard Book, The Grisha Trilogy (that counts as one, right?), and hmmm, let's go with The Westing Game for something different.                            

                             
Question Six: What are your top three favorite movies and television shows?

I don't watch much TV, so we'll stick with movies here. Favorites are Braveheart, Tommy Boy, and The Usual Suspects.



Question Five: What are the qualities of your ideal client?

Open-minded, highly creative and motivated, passionate about their craft.


Question Four: What sort of project(s) would you most like to receive a query for?

I'm craving a good Southern Gothic YA right now. Must be the time of year (autumn!). A dark, original YA fantasy would be amazing, too.

But please note, I'm always looking for stories from underrepresented voices.


Question Three: What is your favorite thing about being an agent? What is your least favorite thing?

Favorite thing? The sound of gratitude and joy in an author's voice when I offer to represent their work.

Least favorite thing? Not being able to represent everyone. It's so hard to say no, especially to the ones that are really close.


Question Two: What one bit of wisdom would you impart to an aspiring writer? (feel free to include as many other bits of wisdom as you like)

Publishing is a long game. Being a writer and dealing with waiting and rejection and all the lulls is a lifestyle choice. Make sure you're ready for it, and always seek to improve upon your craft. There's always more to learn (in writing and in life in general!).


Question One: If you could have lunch with any writer, living or dead, who would it be? Why?

Neil Gaiman. His stories and writing are amazing.

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