I am NOT a fit for:

-Racist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist, xenophobic, misogynist, or otherwise discriminatory content

-Rhyming picture books (unless the author mainly writes free verse or prose)

-Early readers, chapter books, lower MG

-Adult books

Specific Interests continued (II):

-Beach settings

-Knitting

-Gymnastics (BREAK THE FALL by Jennifer Iacopelli)

-Holidays (any holidays, especially underrepresented ones! I’m a huge holiday person. Super excited for 8 DATES AND NIGHTS by Betsy Aldredge)

Specific Interests continued:

-Singers, music, musical theatre

-Pets (cats!!), esp. if the owner was hesitant at first

-Retellings (not necessarily of popular fairytales—love DON’T LOOK BACK by Lilliam Rivera)

-Characters who don’t want kids

Random/specific topics of interest:

-Death/grief, specifically loss of parent or friend

-Endometriosis, adenomyosis, hearing loss, brain tumors, trouble walking/balance disorders

-Fat characters who are *NOT* interested in weight loss

-Asexual characters

PB Nonfiction:

-I'm open to bios; I prefer women, LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and/or otherwise underrepresented subjects (POLIO PIONEER by Linda Elovitz Marshall, NIKI NAKAYMA: A CHEF’S TALE IN 13 BITES by Debbi Michiko Florence)

-Informative with some wit, like Mary Roach for kids

PB: Author-illustrators or teams!

For some styles I like, check out the M&O team of picture book illustrators: Stacey Byer, Maribel Castells, Rachel Más Davidson, Tiffany Golden, Skylar Hogan, Dawn Masi, Sue Safianoff

-Disability, in both fiction and nonfiction

-Diverse cultures, holidays, traditions, identities (THE PROUDEST BLUE by Ibtihaj Muhammad)

For both—again, open to any format/premise here!

-Grief – hopeful but not saccharine; honest about the heavy parts. (THE HOLE by Lindsay Bonilla)

-LGBTQIA+ – Anything from celebratory, to informative, to issue-based (WHAT ARE YOUR WORDS? by Katherine Locke)

Picture book: As I work on so many great ones with my boss @ChristaHeschke, this is likely to be the smallest area of my solo acquisitions! Topics I’m interested in:

Anthology pitches: The industry remains divided on them, so my consideration may be a bit narrower than novels, but I’m interested, for both fiction and nonfiction. (THIS IS OUR RAINBOW was a favorite!)

Thriller/mystery/suspense: Murder mysteries, especially with dual timelines (WHERE SECRETS LIE by Eva V. Gibson). I like more focus on character than is typical for these areas (Maureen Johnson’s TRULY DEVIOUS series) and very literary writing (I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU again).

Historical: I prefer stories set in the nearer-past, and stories set in lesser-told times in history that have a human-interest element alongside the education (HER REBEL HIGHNESS by Diana Ma).

In YA and MG, I’m sparingly open to other genres, too:

I would LOVE to see ghost stories (I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU by Kara A. Kennedy)! Note, though, that I’m not a fit for other paranormal characters, such as werewolves, vampires, zombies, faeries, etc.

Open to near-future dystopian (but not post-apocalyptic) with social critique, magic, or both (BLOOD LIKE MAGIC by Liselle Sambury, INTERNMENT by Samira Ahmed.).

Sparingly open to higher fantasy if very detailed, atmospheric, accessible (A FORGERY OF ROSES by Jessica S. Olson).

YA and MG contemporary fantasy: My second love! I’m interested in the same topics, and will look foremost for lyrical writing and character focus, with unique but very grounded magic systems. Example: THE NATURE OF WITCHES by Rachel Griffin.

Comps: TOGETHER WE CAUGHT FIRE; THANKS A LOT, UNIVERSE; YOU OWE ME ONE, UNIVERSE; FANS OF THE IMPOSSIBLE LIFE, THE UNBEATABLE LILY HONG, THE TRUTH PROJECT; ALL THE FIGHTING PARTS; WHEN YOU WERE EVERYTHING; ALAN COLE IS NOT A COWARD; THE BEST LIARS IN RIVERVIEW; GOOD DIFFERENT

I also love stories featuring relationships—the good, the bad, and everything in between: friendship and found family, “friend break-up”, complicated family dynamics. And I adore romance (especially LGBTQIA+!), but prefer it as a subplot.

YA and MG contemporary will be my first priority! Lyrical prose, novels-in-verse, “dark and gritty,” “issue-driven,” character-driven, voicey. I want to feature LGBTQIA+ voices, BIPOC voices, disability and chronic illness, mental health and neurodivergence, grief.

I’m also extremely hands-on editorially!

And though publishing is a business, I know that writing (especially the dark, raw books I fall for) is an intimate endeavor, so I strive to connect with my clients not just on a professional level, but a personal one.