Moe Ferrara

And while that's all what I'm looking for — I do love being surprised by things I didn't know I wanted. So if it falls anywhere under the genre tags I have on query manager... send it my way. Who knows, yours might be the next thing I fall in love with. querymanager.com/query/mferrara

> reality/competition shows (like Below Deck or Next Level Chef).

And did I mention Ted Lasso? (Sighing, where's my Season 4 announcement any day now please...)

Media I've been consuming lately (if you want a sense of storytelling and characters and things I love in my books):

Ted Lasso ⚽️, Only Murders in the Building, The Traitors (US and UK!), Ghosts (US and UK), Succession, White Lotus, The West Wing, Bob's Burgers >

📚 OGNs: I'm primarily looking for MG/YA graphic novels (preference for author/illustrator, but open to author-only!) As far as what I'm looking for, everything above applies here!

📚 YA: You'll steal my heart with unique magic systems. Creepy carnivals. Creepy abandoned buildings. New twists on the familiar.

And yes, I'll selectively be looking at queer rom-coms still (because reasons)!

📚 YA: I'm focusing more on genre fiction — namely fantasy and horror with an emphasis on works by authors from marginalized communities. I still have a soft spot for reimaginings (like...Count of Monte Cristo. Or if someone were to update Christopher Pike's The Midnight Club...)

📚 MG: I love kids getting into trouble and have to get out of said trouble before their parents get home!

Unless it's a madcap adventure novel *or* kids navigating their queerness, I'm really not looking for contemporary middle grade.

📚 MG: Three things I'll probably always be looking for:
1. Adventure novel with a humorous voice
2. creepy and lyrical horror a la coraline.
3. queer first crush (if it makes you think of the short 'in a heartbeat' I want to see it.)

📚 PB: Currently, my wants in the PB space are for author/illustrated manuscripts. Bonus points for humor. I *love* to laugh, especially now. I love the smart-but-side-splittingly-funny vein.

Am I open to queries in the first time in a couple of years? Yes, yes I am. What am I looking for? Glad you asked! Here's my updated #MSWL :

Overall — please don't send me books that deal heavily with parental death. I'm not at a place where I'm ready to delve into those yet.

Excuse me while I just... slap a #MSWL on this please and thank you.

My turn on the @bookendslit #MSWL train! When I reopen to queries I want all the kidlit: graphic novels and all your LGBT narratives from PB through YA! Swoon worthy rom coms and heartbreaking stories all welcome.

#MSWL - #YA: Either set in the 1950s or the 1970s/1980s: a historical YA that deals with being queer in a time period where it wasn't safe to be out of the closet. Deal with the tough subjects and please break me before I get to the end.

#MSWL - #YA: I'd love a great mystery or something set in one location a la CLUE or MURDER BY DEATH (contemporary or unique period, please! Not SFF). A whodunit where everyone is the suspect and bonus points for smart humor!

#MSWL - #NF: yes, you heard me. Non-Fiction. :^) I'm looking for musical theatre analysis or biographies. Honestly, I'd love to collaborate with someone who works on Broadway in some manner on a project!

#MSWL - #YA: I am STILL waiting for my contemporary re-telling of COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO.

#MSWL - #YA: I've become so much pickier in terms of genre fiction because I want to see something new. Give me a new twist on court intrigue or "chosen" ones. More contemporary fantasies/magical realism. Retellings of new/different stories.

#MSWL - #YA: I can never have too many queer rom-coms on my list. Ever. I want more than just boy-meets-boy or girl-meets-girl, however. The ones I am drawn to are when there's so much heart and subplots with more than just the core romance.

#MSWL - #MG: I'm still on the hunt for a MG that's like 'In a Heartbeat'. I want that queer first-crush book. Figuring out who your MC is as a person, be it who they "like" or if their birth gender isn't what they truly are. Your challenge: make me cry.

#MSWL - #MG: I will always want more creepy AF middle grade. Always and forever. Give me lyrical voices and atmosphere for *days* and I will love you. Ghost stories with a twist. Creepy carnivals. Alternate worlds a la Coraline. GIMME GIMME PLZ.