Ashlee MacCallum

Howland Literary

junior literary agent @howlandlit | brewing banned books, spinning stories, and raising feral protagonists | powered by coffee and chaos | rep: @amandalitagent

querytracker.net/query/queryashlee

manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/ashlee-maccallum

#mswl (55)

· Jun 25

✨For an ultra-specific #MSWL visit: manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/ashlee-maccallum/
✨To query: QueryTracker.net/query/queryash/queryashlee
✨ For my #kidlit fam, I am open to children's by referral only while I build the adult side of my list 🫶 (8/8)

Adult

· Jun 25

✨Historical Fiction✨
-Fresh angle or underexplored historical moment
-Strong emotional throughline and character focus
-Dual timelines or narrative reveals that drive momentum
-Hidden histories or marginalized perspectives
-Book club appeal with a compelling central hook (7/8)

Historical

· Jun 25

✨Women’s Fiction / Book Club Fiction✨
-High-concept emotional premise
-Relationship-driven stories with strong character arcs
-Family, identity, and reinvention at the center
-Secrets, moral dilemmas, or layered interpersonal tension
-Diverse perspectives (6/8)

· Jun 25

✨Horror / Gothic / Paranormal Cont.✨
-Voice-driven narratives with strong character perspective and emotional depth
-Stories that blend horror, gothic elements, or the paranormal with identity, relationships, grief, or memory (5/8)

· Jun 25

✨Horror / Gothic / Paranormal ✨
-Atmospheric, eerie, or unsettling storytelling. . . hauntings, decay, isolation, or a lingering sense that something isn’t right
-Psychological or social tension grounded in real fears, often intersecting with the uncanny or supernatural (4/8)

· Jun 25

✨Mystery/Thriller ✨
-Psychological or domestic suspense with a strong hook
-High-stakes premise that escalates quickly
-Unreliable narrators or morally complex characters
-Bingeable pacing with sharp twists
-Cozy mysteries with a unique setting, voice, or hook (3/8)

· Jun 25

Across all categories, I’m looking for:
-A clear, compelling, one-sentence pitch
-A strong, distinctive voice
-A touch of the unexpected, offbeat, or strange
-Stories that balance emotional depth with commercial appeal (2/8)

· Jun 25

✨I'M OPEN TO QUERIES✨
#MSWL 🧵

I’m seeking high-concept, voice-driven adult fiction with strong emotional stakes, a clear hook, and broad commercial appeal. I’m drawn to diverse and underrepresented voices, as well as stories that feel fresh, strange, or genre-bending (1/8)