Ali Herring

You know, #MSWL for when I reopen.

#MSWL -YA historical realistic centered on a historical but fictionalized MC -High-concept fast-moving YA -Contemporary MG -space opera -generation ship setting -western settings / adventure -inspy & category romance -accessible scifi -diverse scifi -Hallmark-esque MG 1st love

I adore the summer I got to dream all this and if someone ever sent me a MG novel that gave me these feels, I would sign them in a heart beat. #MSWL

#MSWL Middle Grade kid chefs. Lots of unique fun-for-kids recipes the character make themselves that kid readers can try to make.

#MSLW I've seen queries before w/ worlds where water is scarce. Would love to see something like this in the YA or even MG space when I reopen to queries. You can always put something like "#MSWL For YA drought-world book" or whatever the MSWL is in the referral space.

#MSWL Middle Grade Mystery w/a girl protag! Think THE INHERITANCE GAMES but for middle grade (not that exact concept; I’m just giving an example of 🔥-high-concept mystery). Fast plotting. Short chapters. Chapter cliff hangers, pls. Commercial but some emotional nuance too pls!

I’d love some middle grade sci-fi too! #MSWL

Really happy to see my MIDDLE GRADE HORROR list growing with @saskwriter and @Lora013's debuts. I'm always looking for horror across the board from MG to YA to Adult, though not of the gross-out variety, but do give me eerie, tension-filled, scary with heart! #MSWL #MG #horror

So send me your MG horror #MSWL when I reopen. I’m picky as all get-out, so the road is narrow. And obviously if I sign several authors in the same genre, they have to have different flavors to set them apart. But I want to see it.

Oh that’s sooooo cool!!! I call #MSWL. Someone give me an awesome middle grade novel about a group of normal everyday neighborhood kids who go into a forest everyday after school and live out magical lives. Like a happy Bridge to Terabithia.

This is one of my eternal #MSWL’s. I’d really love some middle grade here. Think Goonies. Think space adventure. Think Indiana Jones. Think Flipped. Think Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys. Maybe a contemporary about a boy gymnast. Something! Anything light & fun with diverse characters.

I would love to see this, but I kinda want it as an MG. #MSWL

I would REALLY REALLY like a “Dumplin” for the middle grade audience. In these formative years, there needs to be a book about accepting/loving yourself, how to handle bullies, positive coping mechs, finding true friends, and just general body positivity. #MSWL

On the hunt for middle grade and young adult manuscripts that are really joyful and feature characters from marginalized backgrounds. #MSWL

I want a #MG that gives me Goonies vibes. Slightly irreverent. Lots of humor and sarcasm. BIG almost over-the-top characters, yet still believable. Ensemble. #MSWL

Middle grade contemporary fantasy. #mswl

#MSWL I love love love love love middle grade. My sweet spot is upper #MG. Send me all the middle grade.

Horror & horror. All types & ages (mg, ya, adult). Could be super scary. Psychological. Thriller. Mystery. Warm Bodies-esque. Odd Thomas-esque. Any way you slice it. #MSWL

#MSWL middle grade with a sense of adventure, fantasy, fantastic word building. Super voicey. Something that belongs on a shelf near other Rick Riordan Presents books.

#MSWL Would love to see some fantasy based on non-western cultures. Adult, YA and MG. I will look at it all but especially like darker elements.