“I read widely in YA, and enjoy just about every genre in it. I love moving contemporary reads, thrilling sci-fi, and lush fantasy.” @ericsmithrocks #MSWL ericsmithrocks.com/mswl

Of course I rep a lot of amazing YA fantasy authors and always love YA fantasy, and am especially excited to find fantasy that totally upends my expectations, contemporary fantasy, and contained fantasy (a la a fantasy set on a cruise kind of thing). #MSWL

And middle grade contemporary or realistic -- with or without a twist of magic (a la WHEN YOU REACH ME) -- will always have my heart. #MSWL

Gender-flipped contemporary Cinderella retelling, except I want “Cin” to be damaged, the bad boy, who needs rescuing in true enemies-to-lovers fashion by his “princess.” Make him sympathetic & redeemable at first. Make us only really like him as the plot develops. #MSWL

The Fear Street movies are everything I love about horror and more. #MSWL I’d love to see anything along these lines in YA horror. Make it contemporary, sassy, full of friendship, enemies that band together, and don’t forget the jump scares. #FearStreetNetflix

✨Genre-bending speculative fiction
✨High concept YA romance
✨Heartfelt MG contemporary fic with a big hook
#MSWL

MIDDLE GRADE:
- contemporary, joyful, humorous slice-of-life stories about marginalized characters and their middle school problems
- commercial light fantasy adventures with extraordinary heart
- sister stories, competitor-turned-friend narratives, first crushes

#mswl

High on my #MSWL list:
Contemporary Southern Gothic
Creepy Historical Gothic
Give me haunted manors, haunted woods, haunted histories
Add a dash of magic, even better!!
Fantasy RomCom
More YA urban fantasy
MG adventure and mystery and puzzles to solve
GN for MG and YA

#MSWL For YA, I’d love to see kind of edgy contemporary and thrillers that represent some of that diversity mentioned above. One specific thing I’d ~love is a story about a teenage activist who stands for something they believe in, perhaps despite being underestimated.

#MSWL I have a love for contemporary MG books with quirky plotlines and lovable characters that you just want to hug as you see them grow. I’d love to see unique family arrangements and unique communities with those characters too.

I’m on the hunt for well-crafted YA and MG! Here’s some things I like/am looking for:
- “Out of the box”/quirky narratives
- YA contemporary
- Stories with feminist themes (esp an intersectional framework. Bonus points for teen activism!) (2/6)

Romance: I'm looking for contemporary romance and rom-coms with a fresh hook and voice, high concept, as well as clear chemistry. I don't currently have a favorite trope, but I always love tension of all sorts and lots of humor :)

#MSWL Desperately looking for a YA contemporary with royalty in my query inbox #amagenting #amquerying

Briefly popping back in to say that I'm still looking for contemporary w/LGBTQIA+ characters! Same goes for the rest of the list, but I'm especially in the mood for contemporary right now. Really looking for strong voice w/a compelling internal conflict. #MSWL

(Agented only.)

The continuing US-Canada border closure has me feeling wicked homesick -- especially in the summer. If you have contemporary #YA or #MG set on the Cape, Nantucket (though Martha's Vineyard is good too! #nottakingsides), or even the South Shore of MA, pls send to me! #MSWL

7. Funny contemporary YA—I know I tend toward dark stuff, but I also adore comedy, & I would love some super-voicy YA that makes me laugh out loud. Rom-coms included. Ditto adult for fresh & funny book club/contemporary fiction.

My #MSWL these days: Fiction: Adult Suspense, YA contemporary (any subgenre), YA and MG Graphic Novels.
Nonfiction: Pop Culture, or Narrative Nonfiction that reads like a novel, but is 100% researched. I remain open to other stuff, but the above is what I really want.

#MSWL
C’mon, yall! Where are my #Romance authors?? I’m dying for more contemporary romance.

One #MSWL item I really hope someone picks up on is a Black version of UTOPIA AVENUE feat. Magical Realism in Motown or the golden age of Rap. MR/Fabulist or Contemporary Fantasy stories based in historical music scenes like UTOPIA AVENUE shouldn't be limited to white writers.

⟡ #MSWL Contemporary fantasy or magical realism that comps ADDIE LARUE or THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY from a BIPOC perspective