"Thriller (legal, medical, political, etc.), Mystery (cozy, private eye, police procedural, etc.)" @CurtisPSLA #MSWL psliterary.com/submissions/

“I’m in the mood for some 1920s/1950s upmarket fiction with vivid historical settings.” @readbystephanie #MSWL psliterary.com/submissions/

"I love powerful personal stories, especially from essayists. Some of my favorite essayists include Nicole Chung and Michele Filgate." @ericsmithrocks #MSWL ericsmithrocks.com/mswl

"Art history: Send me your criminal pitches, daring heists and long-standing criminals evading the law – I love a scammer!” @maureen_moretti #MSWL psliterary.com/submissions/

"Non-fiction like Matthew Crawford's SHOP CLASS AS SOULCRAFT." @CurtisPSLA #MSWL psliterary.com/submissions/

#mswl We use Query Manager, so check our website for the links.

#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

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

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

Supernatural things I like:
-WITCHES!
-places that have their own life
-non-traditional vampires
-monsters from less well-known folklore
-Baba Yaga's chicken foot house
#MSWL

Settings I like:
-small, rural communities (bonus points for difficult terrain like unforgiving shoreline or desert)
-old houses
-places that are cold/rainy
-tourist spots
#MSWL

The books I love most are always the ones I'm surprised by in some way, so instead of plot-based #MSWL I'm going to spin through the elements I'm drawn to in a book!

Kimberley wants more historical fiction in her inbox along the lines of THE SECRETS WE KEPT #MSWL

Kimberley would like a mashup of AD ASTRA and THE MARTIAN. On the other end of speculative fiction, she'd love a book in tune with THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY #MSWL

Kimberley wants concepts like TURN OF THE KEY and THE WHISPER MAN...but make it scarier #MSWL

Kimberley loves anything to do with France! She's always drawn to books set in Paris :) #MSWL

Kimberley wants women's fiction and family dramas. Think Anne Patchett! #MSWL

Kimberley is looking for historical mysteries with maybe a dash of the supernatural. Make sure there's suspense! #MSWL