Natascha Morris, Literary Agent, BookEnds Literary Agency

A reminder that I really want a MG about being a child of an immigrant. Something from Crazy Rich Asians that hit home to me was this line (summarized for space):

"You may look Chinese and speak Chinese, but not here (head) or here (heart)." #MSWL

MG

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Natascha Morris @SoCalledYALife · 28 Aug 2018

Lauren [closed to queries in August] @laurenspieller

This is the most obvious #MSWL ever, but...

I want books like To All The Boys I've Loved Before, in YA and Adult. This means:

--high concept
--romantic
--funny
--diverse!
--contemporary
--family B plots
--HEA

Let's do this!

Same TBH #MSWL

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Natascha Morris @SoCalledYALife · 25 Aug 2018

I will also say that 4 of my novelists were #MSWL finds: @LauraTNamey with hoarding, @alexandraovery with Klaus like character, @KariTrogen with Swan Lake elements (from my auditory MSWL), and @jamlo525 for celebrity.

Most of my MG was query pile, & most of my YAs #pitmad finds

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Natascha Morris @SoCalledYALife · 25 Aug 2018

Natascha Morris @SoCalledYALife

Something #TeamNat shares, regardless of their chose form, is a willingness to work, be pushed beyond their comfort zones, to experiment, to play, and to remember that we aren't doing easy things, but that is why we are gonna be legendary. (subtle reference to team song 🤓)

And if you have made it this far in my fan girling, you might have noticed that the genres I DON'T HAVE. Which is why I am looking for:

-Graphic Novels
-Nonfiction
-Historical Fiction
-Magical Realism

In addition to my fantasy and contemporary list. #MSWL

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Natascha Morris @SoCalledYALife · 25 Aug 2018

Natascha Morris @SoCalledYALife

In MG, I am kind of all over the map. @KimLongMG's MG was a fun Sci-Fi Amazing Race that put me on an adventure. @laurel_gale's fantasy felt literary and classic to me, like a warm hug. And @jamlo525 just crushed (in a good way) me with her character's OCD.

Each of them nailed their MG voice, and that is central to me. #MSWL

MG

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Natascha Morris @SoCalledYALife · 25 Aug 2018

Natascha Morris @SoCalledYALife

With my contemporaries, I look for escapism. @Alex__Reda made me fall in love with her Anne/Gilbert level chemistry in her manuscript. @ahoyantara wrote a character as if she had pulled from my darkest corners. @Patti_J_Kurtz gripped me through her way of writing car racing.

@LauraTNamey sucked me in with her prose and the perfect version of my MSWL.

All of #TeamNat's contemporary YA authors had a voice that hooked me and characters to spoke to me. But plots that removed me from my everyday life. #MSWL

Contemporary

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Natascha Morris @SoCalledYALife · 25 Aug 2018

Natascha Morris @SoCalledYALife

I am looking for YA fantasy. I have 3 dedicated fantasy authors: @alexandraovery (because damn, lady can write an unreliable character and amazing concepts) @StefanieSuzaya (because lady wrote a dark Asian fantasy that drew me in), and @KariTrogen (who spoke to kid me) .

So with my #MSWL in fantasy I am looking for these elements:
-amazing writing
-fantastic world building
-complex, rounded characters
-high concept plots or explorations of tropes froma new angle

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