In honor of being 6 days out from opening to queries for the first time, a few top-of-wishlist #mswl items...

1) Romantasy, extra points for crossover. I know, I know. Everyone wants it. And so do I. ;) Extra points for sea shanty vibes, loyal animals, disability rep, LGBTQ+ rep

8. For example, I would love to see something in the vein of WILDCAT (Netflix series showing how saving animals in the wild jungles of South America positively impacts mental health).

5. When it comes to Upper MG, I enjoy adventures with pirates, witches, ghosts, animals that can communicate, an underlying moral lesson learned by the main character, strong friendships, and stories of courage, overcoming obstacles, or shining in the face of adversity.

8. For example, I would love to see something in the vein of WILDCAT (Netflix series showing how saving animals in the wild jungles of South America positively impacts mental health).

5. When it comes to Upper MG, I enjoy adventures with pirates, witches, ghosts, animals that can communicate, an underlying moral lesson learned by the main character, strong friendships, and stories of courage, overcoming obstacles, or shining in the face of adversity.

Some more fun, specific #MSWL :
🗻Stories in fun / nature filled settings, especially if they're a secondary character
☕️ Characters who are chefs / baristas / bakers
🥵I'm a southern, so give me southern stories
🦄Multimedia storytelling? YES!!
🐶 Any story with dogs / animals

I’m not a good fit for stories that feature: Suicide or suicidal idealization, Harm to animals, Sexual assault, Police violence, Picture books that just focus on morals or ‘lessons’
I will not be accepting AI-generated submissions.

Other miscellaneous things I love (not related to books): animals, musical theatre, and National Treasure (2004)

PB – Stories with environmental tie-ins (I’m especially drawn to stories about protecting oceans and the animals that live there). I also am a fan of unlikely friendship stories, especially with two very different animals—I really enjoy the ones that are true stories especially!

Recently more interested in stories of people interacting with animals or the natural world and could really enjoy narrative nonfiction or novels that speak to our relationship to the planet #mswl

⭐️Stories about (non-anthropomorphic) animals, human-animal bonds, nature & high-stakes survival. Think today's My Side of the Mountain. Spooky camp stories also scratch this itch!
⭐️Horror stories— genuinely scary or high-concept light humor (from Small Spaces to Ghost Squad)

#amquerying authors: I'm dying to find the perfect Cosy Fantasy (Comp: T.J. Klune) and/or the nerdiest, puzzle-or footnote-filled upmarket Literary Fantasy (Comp: R.F. Kuang's BABEL). Send similar manuscripts my way! 😍 #MSWL (PS: Animals are a plus! 🐧)

For YA and MG: I have a preference for speculative fiction here, although I’m also open to select contemporary works. Misc interests: the fae, talking animals, marching band, quests, genre-blending, found family, mythological retellings, and dragons.

5/ Animals. I have worked with and studied animals from childhood to present, including my PhD. My favourites are bees, bears, and kākāpōs, and I am highly interested in birding in general. @KellyOhlert nailed this interest of mine in her forthcoming TO GET TO THE OTHER SIDE!

#MSWL Nature fighting back. Especially if it's in an extreme environment and you add in very angry animals/ insects.

My son has asked me to "make more books with talking animals" so, here's my official request to agents on his behalf. I'm interested in picture books with strong SEL hooks and would love to see more humor too. Must connect to our mission of helping kids thrive. #MSWL

🌟Middle grade stories about (non-speaking) animals, human-animal bonds, nature, & high-stakes survival
▫️Think: A Wolf Called Wander, today’s My Side of the Mountain #MSWL

And of course I forgot to add my anti-#MSWL Most of this hasn't changed but things I'm not a good fit for:
Pandemic stories
YA Fantasy
Science fiction set in space
Talking animals
Angels, demons, zombies, mermaids, or pirates
Military or Medical-based stories
#WritingCommunity

“Middle Grade: an animal story (not talking animals).” @agentvicente #MSWL mariavicente.com/representation

What we're NOT a fit for:

-Rhyming work

-Generally, we're not right for talking animals outside of PBs

-Heavily religious, preaching texts and parables

Thanks, everyone! We're excited to read your stories!