Erin Clyburn

I want to see more super-atmospheric haunted houses & ghosts for MG, YA, & adult.

(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 swear I’m not gonna work today, but want to mention this: I love track & field. A lot. GHOST by @JasonReynolds83 was a huge FINALLY! moment for me.

#MSWL MG & YA about kids on a track team. Runners, hurdlers, shot putters, high jumpers, decathletes - let’s see ‘em.

A THOUSAND TIMES YES! #MSWL

I thought of another: A culinary history/food memoir. Think: The Cooking Gene (a look at people and culture) or Salt (how a food shaped history). Any topic goes. #MSWL

Lastly (I think), ghost stories, for MG/YA/adult. Did anyone out there also grow up with Kathryn Tucker Windham's Jeffrey books? Give me ghost stories for people who grew up loving the Jeffrey books. #MSWL

This is a huge ask, but something I think about often: 100 Years of Solitude, but about a family from a marginalized community in the South. A multi-generational saga with magic realism. (Who knows; someone might be writing this!) #MSWL

Of course, I'm dying for any MG that gives me The Halloween Tree vibes right now. (Even though there's something in my inbox right now that might scratch that itch... 😈 but send it to me anyway.) #MSWL

A realistic MG ensemble story—a contemporary The View from Saturday. #MSWL

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

An engaging adult nonfiction project about a historical figure(s) whose story hasn't been told. (Same goes for a picture book bio.) My dream would be an adult bio with a science component, like The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. #MSWL

I’m finally getting to spend some time with the astounding @TheHighwomen album, & I was just shattered by “If She Ever Leaves Me.” I want a novel of that song. A F/F classic country love story with sequins & twang?! #MSWL

Big-time #MSWL

-Please send me anything that’ll make me laugh. I’d love to see a protagonist as dry and witty as Eleanor Oliphant or Flavia de Luce, or a dysfunctional family saga like Arrested Development.

-The Neverending Story by Michael Ende is my all-time favorite book.

-I’d love to see a new twist on Tom’s Midnight Garden.

-I read The Strange & Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender four years ago & have thought about it nearly every day since.

-If you have anything you could comp to Karen Thompson Walker, Ray Bradbury, Emma Donoghue, Helen Ellis, or Kate Milford, I need it.

-I love medical documentaries and books, from historical records to case histories to memoirs, anything that shows the human side of science: Oliver Sacks’s books, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, My Lobotomy, My Brain on Fire, When Breath Becomes Air.

-I’m a Southerner, and I want to lift up diverse Southern voices. Southern writers from marginalized communities, please send me your work.

-I’m outdoorsy. An avid hiker. Would love high-stakes travel/adventure memoirs.