Also #amquerying really looking for *grounded* SF&F right now—MG, YA, A.
✨Usually not the right match for high fantasy.
✨Love to be based in myth/folklore/etc.
✨Love to be grounded with a clear emotional arc.
✨My tastes tend quite literary for Adult.
#MSWL

“Realistic middle-grade stories featuring characters with compelling interests, like in The First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Pérez and The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin.” @msmariavicente #MSWL mariavicente.com/representation

11: Southern Gothic, and/or other regional twists on the genre. Comps: SING UNBURIED SING and the forthcoming SUMMER SONS. Neo-Gothic, like WHITE IS FOR WITCHING.

10: Feminist and/or queer romcoms, especially non-idealized depictions of polyamory and t4t romance. I don’t have comps for these! The closest I’ve come is the work of Xan West, parts of the TRANSCENDENT anthologies, and the gender diverse pronoun ed. of CAPRICIOUS.

9: Picture book texts and chapter books by authors with experiences underrepresented in publishing. THE MAGNIFICENT MAKERS, GUM GIRL, anything by Julie Flett, DREAMERS, LOVE YOUR BODY.

8: Books by Newfoundland authors that engage our culture, from ALL I ASK to FEBRUARY to OUR HOMESICK SONGS to NEW GIRL IN LITTLE COVE. Giv’er here, b’y!

7: Queer books that engage with intra community conversations in all genres. DETRANSITION BABY, WILDER GIRLS.

6: I would love to see immersive and subversive family/community sagas. THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS, BRIDESHEAD REVISITED, WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE, EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED, DO NOT SAY WE HAVE NOTHING.

5: Author-illustrator graphic novels (in all age groups) and picture books. I could make a list a mile long of favourites, but think TEA DRAGONS, THIS ONE SUMMER, BE PREPARED, and anything by the Fan Brothers or Jessie Sima.

4: Manga was biggest growing subgenre in publishing in 2020, and if you have something that evokes this culture but for a Western audience, I’d love to see it. My favourite manga is LAID-BACK CAMP.

3: I have recently taken up birdwatching, and I would love a book that incorporated aspects of this kind of pastime. Comps: BIRDS ART LIFE, or STRANGE BIRDS.

2: Slice of life stories with low stakes, bonus points for cottagecore aesthetics, across all genres and age categories. Comps: NOTHING MUCH HAPPENS, the concept of the anthology A QUIET AFTERNOON.

1: High-concept contemporary is what’s making my heart sing right now. I recently read SHINE by Jessica Jung and devoured it. That said, hints at the speculative are always special for me. (Focus on hints.)

First: I always prioritize queries from LGBTQ2S+, disabled, chronically ill, and/or BIPOC authors. That applies to ALL my asks below, and I am grateful for all of you who choose to query me.

Madeline Miller’s CIRCE but Medusa is very #mswl

"Romance, Literary, Commercial, Suspense, Young Adult, Middle Grade, and Picture Books." @CurtisPSLA #MSWL psliterary.com/submissions/

I'm not the best agent for satire.
Just gonna warn you.
#MSWL

SAME. #MSWL (Bonus points if they're super queer!)

“Something exploring ability/disability – #OWNVOICES non-fiction or fiction but my taste skews more commercial, not literary.” @carlywatters #MSWL psliterary.com/submissions/

If you’ve got the book, I wanna read it!

I’ll also take any BIPOC fantasy creatures; vampires, werewolves, witches. . . I’m not picky. #MSWL