Erin Clyburn

#MSWL

Olympic-related #MSWL: A reminder that that I'd love more narrative nonfic/memoir by athletes or about extreme sports. I'm obsessed with stories about what the human body is capable of. I recently watched the doc It's Easy Until It's Not—I'd love stories about events like this!

I’ve been in a bit of a reading funk for a while, but I just devoured half of @dakadh’s HIDE AND SEEKER, & y’all! This is what I mean when I say I want scary MG! It is not gently spooky; it is visceral! It’s scary! It’s the book my morbid childhood self would’ve loved! #MSWL

I am pining for Halloween vibes big time—that old autumn yearning set in early this year—so ditto this. #MSWL

Thought of another one for the #MSWL: I'm always looking for memoir/narrative nonfic about extreme sports, athletes, & adventure (think ALONE ON THE WALL, BORN TO RUN). Brought to you by me going nuts over the Olympic trials (Sha'Carri Richardson!!!).

I think that's it for now, but as always check my website or agency page for a full #MSWL & I'll add onto this if I think of anything—If you have any questions, feel free to drop them here. I look forward to having the opportunity to consider your queries soon.

8. During quarantine I've played a lot of video games. I'd love some MG & YA fiction, or adult fiction & nonfiction about video games (Homages to games? Deep-dive histories? Esports stories?). I am a lifelong Zelda, Monkey Island, & Harvest Moon fanatic.

7. Funny contemporary YA—I know I tend toward dark stuff, but I also adore comedy, & I would love some super-voicy YA that makes me laugh out loud. Rom-coms included. Ditto adult for fresh & funny book club/contemporary fiction.

6. Domestic/psychological thrillers in YA & adult

5. Still looking for my MG scavenger hunt/puzzle mystery—Greenglass House, The Parker Inheritance, The Westing Game, Winterhouse comps

4. YA & adult upmarket fiction with speculative elements—please, I want this coming out of my ears. Send me your weird stories that are grounded in our world. (Think: Catherine House, Nothing to See Here, Neverworld Wake, Black Mirror, Never Let Me Go)

3. Gothic & Southern gothic fiction in YA & adult (Does anyone have a Rebecca comp for me?)

2. Horror across the board: Spooky stories for MG, lyrical & atmospheric YA horror, adult horror that will surprise me—literary-leaning writing with propulsive plots. I am open to & love nearly all kinds of horror.

1. Food-centric fic & nonfic. I would love to see narrative nonfic deep dives into culinary history & people whose stories haven't been told. Essay collections about food intersecting with culture, politics, social justice. & in fic, MG, YA, & adult fic where food plays a role.

If someone takes the bones of this—cultish women's group holes up in historic house & creates text-based adventure games (minus the hints of far-right extremism)—& write a novel, please dear god send it to me. "There are many Miss Martindales..."—Are you kidding?! #MSWL

This wasn’t a huge surprise to me because of how much I love @AaronStarmer’s books, but oh my god, I LOVED Spontaneous. Get thee to Hulu & watch it. What a wild & perfect depiction of anxiety & existentialism & first love & maybe a healthy dose of nihilism. Also #MSWL forever.

I finished line editing a client’s gorgeous MS that’s a family saga with a speculative twist, & I feel like I know generations of a whole town’s worth of people so intimately. Please send me more family sagas with speculative twists. I would so love more books like this. #MSWL

I'd love to see in my queries:

- Atmospheric, woodsy, lush horror like THE YEAR OF THE WITCHING (YA, A)
- Domestic/psychological thrillers by BIPOC authors (A)
- Scavenger hunts (MG, YA, A)
- Eerie spec fic in isolated settings (CATHERINE HOUSE, THE WATER CURE)

#MSWL

Echoing this, as I believe I've echoed before: Joanna Newsom comps, please! If I could rep a manuscript that feels like "Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie"... #MSWL

When I reopen to queries I want to see those friend families of outcasts & weirdos around that terrible cusp of adolescence. The kids who are patently uncool & dealing with tough stuff, but can get through it because they have each other, & lots of humor & heart.