Some of my favorite tropes:
-friends-to-lovers
-fake dating
-forced proximity
-found family
-enemies-to-lovers
-second chance romance
-grumpy sunshine

I'm open to reading any tropes, but these have a special place in my heart! #MSWL

I love romances with:
-emotional vulnerability
-any level of steam (no erotica)
-any level of humor
-sweet, loving relationships
-lovable side characters
-main characters who are figuring it all out
-contemporary settings

Pretty much any kind of love story (contemporary romance or rom com)
#MSWL

✨ 2025 ROMANCE #MSWL ✨ I’m really excited to find some new romance authors this year, so here are some specifics about my favorite kinds of romance/rom coms, including my favorite tropes, books, movies, shows, and songs, as well as some things I’m always looking for across all genres.

Happy #MSWL day all! Of course being the queen of good timing, I am in Rome with my partner, so I can’t participate the way I’d like. But my #mswl is evergreen: www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/re...

And I will do a longer post updating it when I am ready to reopen to queries.

#MSWL Fiction in any space that explores the complicated dynamics of relationships, whether romantic or familial, in high stakes, high pressure situations—like Monsoon Wedding, Mr. And Mr. Smith (the tv series), The Diplomat, and Nobody Wants This.

#MSWL I’d love to find a YA/crossover or adult novel that is magical, dark, and mysterious in our own grounded world a la Maggie Stiefvater’s THE RAVEN BOYS or a cozy with-some-teeth fantasy like Emily Wilde’s ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FAERIES.

#MSWL Unusual retellings, and fiction that has a mythic quality or creates new myths! Bonus points for morally gray protagonists, stories that open doors to secret knowledge or hidden worlds, and genre elements from fantasy to historical with a twist, spec fic, and literary-commercial fiction.

I’d love to see fantasy, spec fic, SF, comedy of manners, Rom-Coms, historical with a twist, and contemporary fic based on Japanese culture and/or set in Japan. I spent two years each in Tokyo and Osaka, and have an ongoing love affair with all things Japan. #MSWL

Happy #MSWL Day, writers! If you see your book in my next few posts, please query me via my Query Manager link (querymanager.com/query/LauraR...). You can include #MSWL in the referral line. Please note that I am closed to PB submissions, unless you are referred by a client or close associate.

I update my #MSWL regularly, and you can find it all here:
www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/erica-bauman/

Overall, I’d say that my taste is high concept with a commercial, hooky conceit, but with beautiful, lush, heady prose that you can burrow into. #MSWL

I love romance, but I need a strong secondary plot that’s not romance to balance out the story. If you’re enemies to lovers, also be rivals for the last spot on the Olympic gymnastics team. If you need a fake date for a gala, it’s because they’re also your patsy/alibi while you pull a heist. #MSWL

I’d also love to see more mysteries/adventures that involve puzzles/riddles/games. I’ve seen National Treasure and Jumani too many times, and love that sort of propulsive plot device. #MSWL

I love retellings, but I believe that 1) they shouldn’t be too precious with the original, but bring something new to the telling, and 2) need to stand on their own. I’d also really love to see a retelling with an unexpected genre mashup, like mythology x sci-fi, or Peter Pan x horror (😍) #MSWL

Right now, the largest % of queries I receive are for the fantasy genre. Which is great, I love fantasy, but I also want my list to be balanced. So I would *really* love to see more queries in other genres: romcom, horror, mystery, historical, magical realism, graphic novel, etc. #MSWL

Happy #MSWL Day! I’m looking to work with some great new authors this year! General MSWL is linked below, but here are some specifics I’d really love to see…
bsky.app/profile/ericabauman.bsky.social/post/3ldlrgu36zs2p

- anything inspired by reality TV (bonus points for Traitors, Love Island, or the Bachelor inspo!)

- gothic romance, gothic horror, and horroromance of all kinds!

-BIPOC romantasy

Some random things I love to help you understand my literary interests: natural history, traditional handcrafts, food, anthropology, puppy dogs, Catholic liturgy, Tolkien, tattoos, whisky, foraging, alpacas, jazz, educational theory/pedagogy, puzzles, and people of all stripes.

- MG mysteries! Friends solving puzzles together!

- MG fantasy with immersive magic and problem solving like Spirited Away

- MG contemporary stories about building community (sports teams, clubs, craft circles, neighborhood gardens, etc!)

- YA mysteries that feel like Truly Devious or One of Us is Lying

- YA psychological thrillers like We Were Liars

- YA horror that is gently spooky and also very dark YA horror