Haley Casey

I cannot and do not have enough stories about tight-knit female friends. I don't care what they're doing or what genre they're in as long as they're together, rejecting all the expectations put on young women, and refusing to be separated. #MSWL
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Please, somebody, send me a rollicking multi-POV adventure for YA and MG! I want a journey, a heist, a cast of characters who each bring a unique voice and talent to the table! Make it dark, or make it break conventional tropes, but send it my way! #MSWL
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Also, bring me the opposite: dark, suspenseful, unsettling, atmospheric (YA) mystery and horror. Make it creepy and intense and full of wonderful characterization, and keep me guessing. I'm talking HOUSE OF HOLLOW, ACE OF SPADES, TRULY DEVIOUS, THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE... #MSWL

Speaking of feels, I deeply want to rep a tropey, meaningful, nuanced, hilarious, and swoony contemporary romance. I don't have a single traditional romcom on my list at the moment, and it's a genre I love! Bring me WELL MET, THE KISS QUOTIENT, CHLOE BROWN, BEACH READ... #MSWL

Specifically, across genres, I am ready for EMOTIONS. I want to laugh out loud, and ugly cry, and full-on swoon, and feel all sorts of secondhand embarrassment for characters if that's what it takes. Bring me all those feels we've been suppressing since 2020! #MSWL

First, I'm going to focus a lot of my time and attention on submissions from minority voices. That's always a goal of mine, but as I grow as an agent, I'm also growing pickier about the projects I offer on. I'm striving to make sure those projects are diverse across genres. #MSWL

I would do absolutely anything for a manuscript with a character who has exact OVER THE GARDEN WALL Greg energy. (Preferably MG, but all genres welcome to apply.) #MSWL #AmQuerying #WritingCommunity

RN, I'm craving a YA/Adult romance with a male love interest who OOZES charm and charisma. Nothing else, just those vibes of being irresistible af and leaning into it. Please give me your Henry Montagues, Ian Flannerys, Jesper Faheys, and yes, even Jace Waylands. #MSWL

The next HELLO GIRLS remains on the top of my #MSWL, but as I consider endless, emotional, meaningful platonic love and the types of female friendships that are ride or die in the way my own have been—especially as teens, in high school, in YA—let's add BOOKSMART as an example.

#MSWL

And honestly, you all, I’m DYING for the next retelling of ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND, so just keep that in mind.

There’s not room to hype all of the interesting and underrated YA NF out there, but I’m open to anything. Comps include AMERICANIZED: REBEL WITHOUT A GREEN CARD; THE BELOVED WORLD OF SONIA SOTOMAYOR; BONNIE AND CLYDE: THE MAKING OF A LEGEND; GIRL CODE; #NOTYOURPRINCESS; and SHOUT

Karen McManus is the current YA mystery gold standard, and I’d love a comp to any of her titles. But I’d also love a creepier THERE’S SOMEONE INSIDE YOUR HOUSE; a manuscript as twisty as DANGEROUS GIRLS; or a straight-up horror, like WILDER GIRLS. Give me tension and action!

When it comes to contemporary, I want something short and moving, like IF I STAY; or kickass and female-forward, like HELLO GIRLS; or romantic, hilarious, and tension-filled, like RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE. I also love NOTEWORTHY, BEFORE I FALL, ON THE COME UP… I’ve got more.

My hands-down favorite YA dystopian is SCYTHE, so come at me with your clever takes on the future of death and society! I also want to see Gen-Z characters taking on a broken society in the way only they can. Give me the next CREWEL, THE GRACE YEAR, or ACROSS A STAR-SWEPT SEA.

When I say I’m seeking “light” SF, I mean where the world fits the sci-fi genre, but the story is more about the conflict and characters. It’s why I like SNOWPIERCER (2013) as a comp—science fiction informs the setting and carries a message, but it's a backdrop to the rebellion.

For fantasy, I want purposeful world-building. I'm into standalone or loosely interconnected stories (think GRACELING or WOVEN IN MOONLIGHT), but I’ll never say no to a richly conceived series, especially one with a little darkness. Either way, characterization should be 🔥🔥

I remain open to everything that’s on my CMALit.com page, but I’m REALLY hoping to fall in love with a few YA manuscripts. I want to hear from authors with brand-new ideas for the market! Without being able to anticipate those myself, though, here are some thoughts:

Authors keep querying me manuscripts with ghosts in them, and it's WONDERFUL. You all are reading my mind. Please keep them coming! #MSWL

Is it too much to ask for a modern, female-centric, MG version of THE SANDLOT? The varied friendships and subtle family drama and learning your fears aren't so scary and growing up/growing apart? So much to love! #MSWL