Happy New Year! I reopened to queries on 1/1. As a refresher, here is a link to all of my past #MSWL Tweets. I am still actively hunting for all of these requests! mswishlist.com/agent/SWekstein #amquerying

Happy New Year, all! I am officially open to queries again. Be gentle with me! querymanager.com/query/EmilyKey…

New Year New #MSWL Me! Looking for:
✨Historical fiction featuring strong women and grounded Lost Apothecary mystic vibes 🔮
✨Quirky, accidental (or not so?) murders a la Only Murders in the Building 🔪
✨Novels w/ the Ted Lasso effect (uplifting but also unflinchingly real) ♥️

First read of 2022 (not counting requests with offers or client manuscripts 😊): Death of a Red Heroine by Qiu Xiaolong. So glad to finally begin the Chief Inspector Chen series!

Hint: looking for adult mysteries like these when I reopen to queries 1/3/22. #MSWL

If your work falls in one of these categories, I would be honored to hear from you. Please refer to the PSLA website for submission guidelines, including our response policy. While I love connecting with the #WritingCommunity on social media, this is not the place to query me.

TV SHOWS are also a great way to find the perfect comp for your WIP. Some of my faves are SUCCESSION, VIDA, YELLOWJACKETS, INSECURE, THE GOOD PLACE, MARE OF EASTTOWN, SHRILL, TED LASSO, THE GOOD FIGHT. If your work is similar to these, please query me!

As long as your work does not fall under a category/genre I don’t rep (see above), I would eagerly welcome your query. It’s impossible to list everything I’m looking for and, besides, I enjoy being surprised by reading something I wouldn’t have thought I’d love, but that I do!

I am *not* the right agent for the nonfiction categories of true crime, sports, and music. I am also *not* a good fit for stories with passive protagonists. I do *not* represent children’s books or YA, though, of course, my fabulous colleagues at PSLA do!

A confession: I find stories where rich people get in trouble to be deliciously wicked. And I love all things dark. In fact, if you’d classify your story as dark (whether just ‘dark’ or ‘dark-type’ such as ‘dark comedy’), I might be the agent for you!

I adore all tropes—there’s no such thing as an overdone trope as there’s always a way to infuse originality/freshness into a story. My favorite tropes include characters caught between two worlds, identity swaps, outsider-looking-in, and anything involving con artists.

…BIPOC, LGBTQ2S+, disabled or chronically ill, and neurodivergent authors: I would love to hear from you—especially fellow Latinx writers. Feminist stories will always have a special place in my heart. To offend misogynists is both my mission and pleasure.

I am passionate about representing under or misrepresented voices and stories that contribute to a larger cultural conversation whether explicitly (e.g., a nonfiction title on social justice) or subtly (a comedy of manners about a mixed-raced Latinx family)…

…The #2 reason in fiction is because the story plateaus (escalating tension is a must!); and in nonfiction because there isn’t enough original ‘meat’ (case studies, research, etc.) to support the claims.

For fiction and nonfiction: I fall in love with stellar writing on the level of the line, voice, and rhythm. The number #1 reason why I pass on a query is because the writing is not where it needs to be given the competitive traditional publishing market…

I consider memoirs to be a blend of fiction and nonfiction. AFTERSHOCKS by Nadia Owusu, WILD GAME by Adrienne Brodeur, and MY BROKEN LANGUAGE by Quiara Alegría Hudes are my all-time favorites. A good memoir reads like a novel and is packed with conflict, tension, and stakes.

Contemporary fiction in the vein of Curtis Sittenfeld, Meg Wolitzer, J. Courtney Sullivan, and Delia Ephron is something I’m always looking for. Liane Moriarty is an all-time favorite author. (And, yes, Delia is my favorite Ephron. Sorry, Nora.)

I’m a sucker for short story collections, particularly those with a hypnotic, slice-of-life feel. THE OFFICE OF HISTORICAL CORRECTIONS by Danielle Evans and TELL ME WHO WE WERE by Kate McQuade are favorites of mine. Bonus points for voice-driven, idiosyncratic writing.

I enjoy provocative humor—humor that challenges the intellect. I am open to comedy of manners, satires, surrealist stories, dark comedies, etc. Humor that’s also a little sad is my sweet spot. MARRYING THE KETCHUPS by Jennifer Close is a great example of a wickedly witty story.

I enjoy select historical fiction, particularly those with a contemporary feel that lean into setting as a character, whether that’s a dwelling (THE DUTCH HOUSE by Ann Patchett) or a country (THE HENNA ARTIST by Alka Joshi).

I am eager for more high-concept sci-fi and fantasy with literary and upmarket feel. Examples of my favorites in this space include THE POWER by Naomi Alderman, THE AGE OF MIRACLES by Karen Thompson Walker, and THE NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morgenstern.