Success Story with Daniel Kenitz

Early Stumbles 

I started out with a misconception that if you only knew how to turn a phrase or two, someone in the publishing industry would “see something in you,” snatch you up, and that would be it—easy-peasy. But that assumption ignores a lot about the realities of publishing, like the fact that agents work on spec and need some degree of confidence that your project is going to be worth their investment of time and energy. Same for publishers. 

Over time, I became less oblivious to all the genres out there and figured out where my writing fit beyond, “um… I think this novel is… contemporary.” I really tried to dial into what makes a book’s premise pop and how to develop a character the reader wants to ride with for three hundred pages. 

The Breakthrough 

Eventually, I got tired of writing books without a clear vision in mind. They say some writers are “gardeners” who plant story seeds and cultivate them spontaneously, and others are “architects” who work from a tight outline. I’m now much more of the latter. I didn’t find it fun getting to word number 85,000 into a manuscript and suddenly realizing: “Wait—does this whole premise have a fatal flaw?” 

So I switched it around. I started working on a two-paragraph summary before I outlined. Then I’d flesh out the outline with that summary as my north star, which drastically reduced how many manuscript problems I had by the end. I got my first offer of representation once I started doing things this way and I think the books are much better for it. 

Looking Back 

There are tons of lessons in my wake. A random example: your first act doesn’t have to shoot the story out of a cannon just to capture a reader’s attention, because it can be too much. I once tried to fit exposition, an inciting incident, and an early-act twist into a single Chapter One. The results were almost cartoonish. 

I also learned what a team effort it is to publish a book. When you’re in the doldrums of querying, receiving nothing but rejections, it feels like no one’s ever going to be on your side. But if you stick at it long enough, you will find people who want to be on your team. So I think that’s changed the advice I might give to aspiring authors: are you writing something you would want to get behind? Can you see a reason why other people might want to get behind it? Before writing the words “Chapter One,” it helps to be certain you  have an imperative for telling this story in the first place. 

The Synthesis 

My debut thriller, THE PERFECT HOME, is Gone Girl meets reality TV. A fun phrase my editor used is “a cozy thriller.” I was at the Heartland Fall Forum conference where I was doing a lot of elevator pitches to sum up what the book is about. And I could tell when people heard that phrase, all the puzzle pieces fell into place. 

The book came out of a period of reading a lot of top-notch domestic thrillers, and even though I wasn’t consciously doing it, I ended up trying to write the kind of book I would want to read. To me, it’s exciting because it’s got plenty of suspenseful turns while sneaking in a lot of commentary about the world in 2025. 

Dawn Decker is an American everywoman and the salt to her husband Wyatt’s sweet, media-friendly charm on their Tennessee-based home renovation reality TV show, The Perfect Home. While Dawn bristles at the trappings of their D-list celebrity status, Wyatt hungers for greater fame. The couple also faces infertility issues stemming from Wyatt’s low sperm count. He secretly orders experimental fertility drugs, and they conceive, but his personality takes a dark turn—he becomes moody, withdrawn, and even cruel.

When Dawn discovers his horrifying plot to manufacture a tragedy in order to skyrocket their celebrity status, she takes their infant twins and goes on the run. Wyatt appears on national television to turn the public against her, painting Dawn as an unstable kidnapper suffering from postpartum psychosis. His charm is so compelling that even Dawn’s closest friends doubt her. She will have to dig deep into the past—both hers and Wyatt’s—to find allies, protect her children, and beat this beloved all-American celebrity at his own game.

 Grab your copy of Perfect Home here.

Daniel Kenitz is a freelance writer and the author of the thriller The Perfect Home, published by Scribner on January 7, 2025. He has also published several short stories, including the Pushcart Prize-nominated A Hand to the Plow (2022, Red Rock Review), Tickleneck (2022, Spotlong Review), The Cycle (2021, Evening Street Review), Seen (2020, Every Day Fiction), The Parent License (2020, The Virginia Normal), and Sunset 9037 (2013, Strangelet Magazine).