I realize this is super specific, but that's what #MSWL is for!

I'd love a middle grade that plays with how we can never be 100% sure what others are thinking--and, if it comes with something like an objective social interpretation machine, all the better.

In both F and NF though, I'm pretty open minded on subject matter. I mostly get excited about quality of writing and expertise; if you're a good stylist and can be trusted on the topic, we'll figure out how to make other people care about it. #MSWL

I love a fractured fairy tale! But please surprise me with something new. And while talking about fairy tales and myths, I'd love a MG fantasy with the cultural specificity and the fresh contemporary voice of Sayantani DasGupta's THE SERPENT'S SECRET. #MSWL

I'm a sucker for enemies to lovers. A la SERPENT & DOVE and RED WHITE AND ROYAL BLUE. #MSWL

Twitter's not the right place for this probably, but just in case: I work on more academic-leaning stuff like trade science and history (especially if it has a cultural angle as described above). Particularly a fan of physics and biology writing. #MSWL

Essays/commentary are probably worth calling out on their own. We're seeing all kinds of engaging work happening in literary NF right now and if you're as excited about it as I am, send me your stuff please #MSWL

On a similar note, I wonder what a contemporary REBECCA and/or GASLIGHT would look like 🤔 #MSWL

I was talking about The Prestige recently, and I would love that kind of relationship-driven, twisty, suspenseful historical. #MSWL

#MSWL day! What am I looking for?
-surprising hooks, elements, voices
-conflict and tension from sentence #1
-competent ladies getting stuff done
-mystery type plots with clues and games and twists (The Westing Game is an all-time fave)
-legit funny, laugh-out-loud HUMOR

#nonfiction: True Crime. Nothing relating to the mob or money laundering or the military, but I'd love to see books about killers and cults. #MSWL

I never quite know how to reverse-engineer a fiction commission like one needs to on #MSWL day, so how about this: here's my 2019 reading list. I liked each of these to varying degrees, but I was drawn enough to them at first to want to buy them? That feels somewhat useful.

#mswl - I would love a fresh take on YA paranormal: vampires or werewolves like we've never seen them before, or a sprawling ghost story. Something that feels both grounded and also epic in terms of it scope and stakes.

Quick reminder for #MSWL peeps: I only do Kidlit. So YA, MG, PB, or GN in MG or YA.

#MSWL Redemption arcs!!!!

Tones I like:
-this creepy but strangely magnetic
-oh so this is what dissociation feels like
-you could totally turn this into poetry if you wanted to
-so nerdy I can't stand it
-omg this is so cute only dogs can hear my squee
#MSWL

Characters I like:
-bad choices, heart of gold
-i know they're bad, but maybe they can change?
-grumpy but cares SO MUCH
-watch out, they've got jokes!
-deeply enthused about something literally no one else cares about
#MSWL

One regret as an editor is that I never had my "kid and their dog" story. It doesn't have to be a dog... but the sensibility of an animal teaching a MG character to better understand Big Truths in a bring-your-tissues kind of read is so satisfying! #MSWL

Romance tropes I like (LGBTQ+)
-we're queer and no one in this book is homophobic!
-enemies to lovers
-o no there's only one bed
-I thought I liked my BFF's SO but maybe I just love my BFF?
-any and all types of bisexual panic
-FWB
#MSWL

Romance tropes I like (hetero):
-enemies to lovers
-o no there's only one bed
-fake relationship
-I'm with someone else but sorta love my BFF?
-cinnamon roll heroes
#MSWL

Some favorites: Margaret Finnegan's WE COULD BE HEROES, GHOST, ONE AND ONLY IVAN.

Next up on my TBR: THE TRUTH AS TOLD BY Mason Buttle
#MSWL