More stories with queer characters —seriously shower me in rainbows!!! Please! #MSWL

What do I want to see in my 2021 inbox? Stories with hope, lots and lots of HOPE #MSWL

My 2021 #MSWL (or at least a start of it) is below, and you can find submission instructions at parkfine.com or below. Looking forward to connecting and talking books with everyone in 2021! twitter.com/petejknapp/sta…

#MSWL - the thing I didn't know I was looking for! I love to be surprised & what I want most is a remarkable voice, wholly realized characters, and writing that I can't put down . . . regardless of genre. #amquerying writers, I hope to see you in my inbox in 2021!

#MSWL - graphic novels! I'm particularly eager for grounded/realistic graphic novels or fantasy with one foot in the real world, but open to all GN genres in MG and YA.

#MSWL - and of course, contemporary YA that is heartfelt and full of big emotions always hits home. Some favorites include I'LL GIVE YOU THE SUN, THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR, and of course client books like THE LAST TRUE POETS OF THE SEA, the upcoming INDIVISIBLE, etc.

#MSWL - monsters! I want lots of monsters and monster hunting in 2021.

#MSWL - I want super ambitious YA stories that feel like they somehow break the paradigm. I'd love to see multi-generational stories, stories told from odd points of view (think A.S. King!) and stories that play with genre. I want to get WEIRD in 2021!

#MSWL - something big, sweeping, ROMANTIC. I love love and I love romantic stories, whether they're romantic comedies or sweeping love stories. I want to see love against the odds stories.

#MSWL - literary MG standalone. I'm still thinking of some of my fav reads of 2020 and a lot of the books my mind can't let go of are MG standalone novels, whether contemporary or not. Think THE LINE TENDER, and if you ever want to talk about that book, I'm here. It's SO GOOD.

#MSWL - YA or MG paranormal: vampires, werewolves, oh my! Particularly interested in paranormal from underrepresented points of view and stories that bring something new to the genre. Related: contemp fantasy a la LEGENDBORN, a 2020 fav, too.

#MSWL - MG series with big concepts and high stakes. Think NEVERMOOR, THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL, upcoming AMARI & THE NIGHT BROTHERS, etc.

#MSWL: twisty, unputdownable YA thrillers, mystery and suspense. Think Tiffany D. Jackson, Courtney Summers, Karen McManus.

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Who will write this for us?! #mswl

If I’m going to spend time inside someone’s head, I want them to be messy and conflicted. I want them to feel envy, greed, shame. I want them to be manipulative and deceitful. I want them their inner life to be at odds with their public persona. I do not want them to be nice.

I am intrigued by characters who want to be good people, but keep making the wrong choices (habits are hard to break, esp if it comes from a place of trauma). I appreciate characters who are, in fact, good people, but who can’t see it (maybe they are hiding a shameful secret?).

A conclusion: I don’t like reading about nice characters. By ‘nice’ I mean characters who genuinely think they’re good people. I am drawn to characters who have to pretend to be nice to survive (especially if they’ve learned it the hard way). #MSWL #WritingCommunity

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I’m feeling inspired. Send me your stories with Black witches! I wanna read them. #MSWL