#mswl 😁

Calling all smart, uplifting commercial fiction with a speculative slant that basically encapsulates how my heart grew watching the last season of The Good Place and somehow emotionally attaches me to a weirdly wonderful cast of characters like this elite crew. #MSWL

& now some recently read favs:

💀CEMETERY BOYS by aiden thomas

🕸🙋🏼‍♂️A SHOW FOR TWO by tashie bhuiyan (not out yet--you're gonna love it!)

👸🏾YOU SHOULD SEE ME IN A CROWN by leah johnson

👠CINDERELLA IS DEAD by kalynn bayron

🦩WHERE THE RHYTHM TAKES YOU by sarah dass

#mswl

& bc examples are always helpful, here are some of my all-time fav contemporary YAs:

⚽️FURIA by yamile saied méndez

💕THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL by maurene goo

😈SHADOWSHAPWER by djo

🐼AMERICAN PANDA by gloria chao

📚THE EDUCATION OF MARGOT SANCHEZ by lilliam rivera

#mswl

i want 📚 w unforgettable characters i'd follow to the ends of the 🌎; who make mistakes & are messy & we 💓 them thru all the ⬆️& ⬇️; who bring me back to those teen days when we felt like everything was on the line & one night of adventure could change our entire lives #mswl

i'm a sucker for: boarding school stories (the soapier the better); stories that take place over 24 hours; generational family stories; & stories that put BIPOC in places where we don't often get to see them (like boarding school, on vacation, the world of ballet, etc) #mswl

i love contemporary YA full of heart that plays with speculative elements in a way that hinges on the emotional connections between people.

i want stories that tackle weighty sociopolitical issues from an emotional, character-first POV, & with a thru-line of hope & joy #mswl

the best thing about YA is that high emotional stakes can come from something as simple as a first date, a text msg gone wrong, a misplaced love letter 💗--& i want to feel those stakes so much that they give me goosebumps & butterflies & tears #mswl

for disney-hyperion, give me ALL THE TROPES (seriously all of them) but make them feel ✨new✨ again

i want stories where BIPOC to take center stage when it comes to all the fake dating, graduation night, only one bed, epic road trip, one last summer, joy-filled tropes #mswl

im ALWAYS looking for ✨contemporary✨ stories that center BIPOC & lead w joy!!!!

for RRP i'd love stories w an emphasis on intersectionality, deeply tied to culture & identity--bonus points for stories that play with magic/supernatural/mythology in fresh, exciting ways #mswl

...but one thing i do accept is that theres much more i can do to work towards a better world for BIPOC creators & young readers.

authors of color are writing some of the most incredible books right now, & i can't wait to see even more of them in my inbox! now onto my #mswl ☺️

...& being more conscious, purposeful, & selective in how i spend my time as an editor & the voices & stories i choose to uplift.

it took me a long time to accept the fact that i have any kind of power to affect change in this world/industry (bc really who am i??)...

#mswl

...& my fear of turning off agents is why i've hesitated until now to state this outright. but publishing is broken, & that inequity disproportionately affects authors of color. so i'm doing what i can to work towards a more equitable system for BIPOC creators...

#mswl

first, i want to say that my lists at both RRP/disney-hyperion are focused on 📚 from BIPOC creators that center BIPOC voices--& these are the only stories i'll be acquiring. i'm very conscious of the fact that some may see this as me drawing an unfair line in the sand...

#mswl

agents! while my inbox is overflowing with amazing MG subs right now, my list is predominantly YA & i would love to see more of it! so here is an updated YA #mswl so you can PLZ SEND ME MORE YA💕📚

as a reminder i acquire YA for both disney-hyperion & #rickriordanpresents!

I'm actively looking for inspirational romantic suspense manuscripts 55k words for Love Inspired Suspense. Full of danger, intrigue & sweet romance. Fast paced. Danger from chapter 1. Villains with interesting goals and motivations. Heroes and heroines with strong conflict. #mswl

#MSWL You know that fave YA book you couldn't put down? The one that kept you up all night on the edge of your bed, eyes glued to the page even though you knew you had to work in a few hours?

I want you to send me the sexy adult version of THAT! ;)

My inbox has 0 epic fantasy submissions from Canadian authors right now. Something is wrong. #mswl

#MSWL Don't forget! @CityOwlPress/Mystic Owl does not publish YA, and all submissions must have romance.

#MSWL Anything paranormal, sci-fi, or fantasy WITH ROMANCE! (The hotter, the better.) Voice and skilled writing will always trump everything else, so if you have something I haven't asked for specifically, but the writing/voice is stellar, please send it anyway!