Christabel McKinley

The above is only a snapshot of some very specific areas I'm interested in, so if your story has intricate world-building & characters who feel like real portraits (humour/romance a +) please do send to christabelsubmissions(a)davidhigham.co.uk and I'd love to read it #mswl

I lean more towards fantasy than sci-fi, but always love an intricately built space opera. I'm more attracted to the human aspects, so what I'd really love is a Space Soap Opera: imagine Shonda Rhimes writing a show, but setting it on a spaceship. High drama + high stakes! #mswl

I read a lot of Teen Wolf (& other) fanfiction & love the worlds fandom creates, so on the lookout for a POLICE PROCEDURAL with supernatural creatures. Bonus points for a team of unlikely misfits of various non-human denominations solving crime in a Supernatural Division! #mswl

As a Turk, I'm always on the look-out for Islamic-world inspired fantasies that I would have devoured growing up. An Ottoman-set fantasy would fulfill my wildest dreams! I also studied Russian & used to live in Korea, so always v eager to see these settings in stories. #mswl

I am forever a lover of WITCHES, so whatever slant you have on it: I want to see it. I would love to find something with the contemporary family feel of Charmed. A cosy series would make me very happy - particularly if it featured protagonists from non-European cultures. #mswl

I do love a GOTHIC setting & creepy old houses definitely do it for me - particularly with witchcraft or an ancient family with secrets to hide. In general I am intrigued by the slightly sinister but beautiful: apothecaries, circuses/fairs, old trains/trams and the like. #mswl

FOLKTALE or FAIRYTALE retellings, particularly from a little explored tale or from an underexplored culture or canon, would immediately grab my attention. By no means does a retelling need to stick strictly to the original source - a liberal dose of imagination is welcome. #mswl

I have a soft spot for HISTORICAL FANTASIES, whether real or imagined & particularly if they have a healthy dose of romance in there i.e. Regency Faerie Tales. I do love learning about a new culture or period of history, so assume I am casting this net very far & wide! #mswl

I quietly reopened my #SFF inbox last year & although I have already signed some fantastic clients, I thought it was high time to pull together an #MSWL to share a sense of what I'm looking for. Please assume this is not an exhaustive list, however - it's the writing that counts!

Making it official! 🎺 I am now formally open to children's submissions - picture book texts, fiction through from early readers to YA, illustrators & graphic novelists. I'll update with an #MSWL later but for now will just say I'm looking forward to reading all your work! 💕