Erin Clyburn

My fever-addled self also rewatched HEREDITARY today & it reminded me of a #MSWL I’ve mentioned before: horror that deals with grief (in both children’s & adult lit). Horror that’s intertwined with grief. Like HEREDITARY, THE BABADOOK, A MONSTER CALLS. Please & thank you. 🖤

Good morning, y'all! I have updated my #MSWL on my agency page to include more specific language about what kind of horror & sci-fi I am looking for as well as what I'm not looking for at this time. Check it out!

jdlit.com/erin-clyburn

I am still thinking about how THE PERFECTION & BLACK SWAN so creepily captured what it's like to take a passion too seriously. (I was a ballet dancer for 18 years, & BLACK SWAN was shockingly familiar.) I'd love a YA/adult horror novel about a dark obsession with the arts. #MSWL

My @WritersDigest New Agent Alert is up! Check it out to see my #MSWL & how to sub to me.

writersdigest.com/publishing-ins…

-Horror (YA/adult): Psychological horror, body horror, hauntings, & other weird/new/different horror. (Also, I am NOT looking for zombies/werewolves/vampires/other creatures at this time.)

While I'm at it, a quick #MSWL of things I would love to see right now:

- Big-hearted contemporary MG
- MG horror
- A domestic thriller
- YA thriller/horror
- YA/A speculative/light sci-fi (think Black Mirror)
- MG/YA/A with a culinary theme

I'd love to see MG you could comp to Mary Downing Hahn & in general, more middle grade horror of all kinds, including darker MG involving mysteries/puzzles/scavenger hunts.

(A slight exception to this is that I am a fan of gore & body horror like Ilsa Bick's Ashes trilogy & Wilder Girls. But even those are very character- & setting-driven.)

For adult & YA, I gravitate more toward character-driven horror/fantasy/sci-fi than plot-driven. I prefer dark lit to reflect truths about humanity through relationships & setting over tangible monsters. I don't really get excited about werewolves, vampires, zombies, demons, etc.

I want to see YA or adult horror/spec fic that's deeply rooted in character (We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Baby Teeth). A lyrical spec fic like The Dreamers. I am forever dying for something you could comp to Never Let Me Go. #MSWL

-Horror movies & novels of ALL stripes for ALL ages. I particularly love the recent spate of movies using horror to express grief and anxiety, a la Hereditary, The Babadook, and Midsommar.

Horror, above all. In MG, YA, and adult. All kinds of horror. I'd also love to see a great adult pop science, like Mary Roach, or bio/history of a lesser known person/event, like RADIUM GIRLS. #MSWL #askagent