Paula Weiman

#mswl it would be fun to see a labor organizing romance. maybe they have a professional rivalry at different companies but they connect while trying to unionize their respective workplaces. maybe something else! maybe labor rights in a fantasy setting!

#mswl weird and beautiful YA where I may not be sure what's really happening, but the storytelling is so skillful I trust that it will take me where I need to go. books like Strange Creatures, Ink Poppy Midnight, When the Moon Was Ours, Among Others, Places No One Knows

A few of my evergreen requests for #mswl day: women who are knights! women with swords and an unhealthy relationship to the concept of chivalry, who maybe haven't done enough introspection on their proximity to power!

#mswl butch protagonists, please! Especially in YA! A YA romance with a butch love interest would be so delightful

That's all for now. I don't answer questions about queries on Bluesky so direct any questions to the ASH Literary submissions email address. Looking forward to reading!
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#mswl this is very specific but I'd like to see a contemporary YA novel about a formerly high-achieving teen athlete who has to redefine their sense of self after a physically disabling injury or illness changes their relationship with the sport

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#mswl labor rights in fiction is a big buzz word for me. Extra intriguing when someone can pull it off in middle grade, but I'm open to speculative or real-world settings, middle grade or YA or adult.

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#mswl I still haven't signed a YA rom-com and I'd love to! Send me rom-coms please. I love fun, bantery romance with thoroughly teenage priorities, especially when grounded in queer or multicultural identities.

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#mswl heists please! YA or adult, contemporary or fantasy settings. Bonus if the heist is intended to right a legal injustice in the vein of the show Leverage or the book Portrait of a Thief. Extra bonus if there's a lesbian protagonist.

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I'm looking for picture books, chapter books, middle grade, YA, and speculative adult fiction. I'm open to science fiction for the first time; please be gentle with me.

I'm NOT currently accepting queries for graphic novels.

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If you're #amquerying , the most comprehensive and up-to-date information about what I'm looking for and how to query me is on the ASH Literary submission page. ashliterary.com#submissions

You can also find my profile on MSWL: manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/pa...

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My query inbox reopened today! I'm not quite to inbox zero like I'd hoped, but I have either passed or requested additional material for every query I received prior to closing my inbox at the end of October 2025. If you queried me and haven't heard back, follow up over email or QueryTracker.
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A couple of my evergreen wishlist items are heists, labor rights, trans joy, and thoughtful fairy tale adaptations. I'm also open to being surprised by something that's not listed above! Check out ashliterary.com#submissions for more information about the kinds of projects I represent.

#mswl
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I'd really love to work on a YA suspense novel this year! I'm looking for stories that aren't murder mysteries, but instead follow a teenager trying to tackle an unjust system in their local community.
#mswl
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I want to read a YA contemporary novel that dives deep into teenage bisexual angst. Something like The Last True Poets of the Sea, or Don't Let It Break Your Heart (though now that I think of it, I'm not sure if any of those characters are bi... that's the vibe, though).
#mswl
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I'd love to read some YA or adult horror stories from indigenous voices, and more broadly, horror stories that use a speculative lens to examine topics of racial identity.
#mswl
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Bonus points for YA rom-coms:
-butch love interest
-autistic protagonists
-former athletes rediscovering their identity after an injury or health crisis that ends their career within the sport
-protagonist thinks they're nemeses and love interest thinks they've been flirting for years
#mswl
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I haven't received as many YA rom-coms as I'd like yet. I want stories that are heavy on the com, and have subplots with a lot of depth that inform the development of the rom. #mswl
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I'm on the hunt for an exciting anti-colonialist YA or adult fantasy. Something along the lines of Skin of the Sea, So Let Them Burn, or Babel. #mswl
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I'd love a middle grade mystery that reminds me of The Westing Game, Blue Balliet, Lemony Snicket, or Varian Johnson #mswl
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Reminder that I'll be closing to queries in two weeks! There are a lot of exciting projects already in my inbox that I'm looking forward to reviewing, but there's still time for #amquerying authors to send me a few more.

Non-comprehensive thread below of some concepts I'd really like to see. 🧵/