Things I DO love/DO want to see: fun settings that push the story along (museums, resorts, amusement parks, public transit, etc.), wholesome cinnamon rolls, anti-capitalist themes, non-western mythology, school trips, smashing the patriarchy, found family, cozy fantasies

#MSWL

I am always looking for Picture Books (non-rhyming)! I tend to prefer funny stories and stories that focus on family, but I love a good unexpected narrator!

I’m a total sucker for found family in any setting. Epic fantasy, space opera, I don’t mind. Just give me
those heartfelt 'with-you-to-the-end-no-matter-what vibes' #MSWL

#MSWL a beautifully written PB/MG/YA touching upon and shedding light on Korean American history. Something like one of my favorite films, 말모이 Mal-Mo-E, weaving humor, nuanced characters, complicated family dynamics beating w/love, & a spirit of resistance against the odds.

Specifically, I'm looking for complex family sagas that span decades (must include a contemporary component). Stories about friendships and the ways those bonds build and sometimes fracture. Sibling stories. Novels about home, belonging, lineage, legacy, and inheritance. 3/10

I will go for messy family stories before I go for messy friendship stories. I’m especially keen on complicated love-hate sibling relationships.

Friendships are the new romance! I want stories showing found family and friendships through their ups and downs #mswl

On the YA side I want more SFF that features friend groups over “the chosen one” trope - I love a chaotic but loving found family! #mswl

This is the first time I am open to Picture Books! I am selectively looking for: whimsical and funny stories, especially those that showcase diversity. Family and friendship themes are my favorite. It's a plus if you are an author/illustrator, but not a must.

"I really love literary fiction that takes you into small worlds and communities where I'm an outsider. Give me a glimpse inside a complex family, or a workplace."
@ericsmithrocks #MSWL

psliterary.com/submissions/

"Send me family sagas that recontextualize intergenerational trauma from a modern perspective."
@ceciliaclyra #MSWL

psliterary.com/submissions/

Coming-of-age stories. Child and teen protagonists. Novels exploring childhood, friendship, family drama. Characters realizing how pivotal life moments completely fucked them up. #MSWL

I am passionate about representing under or misrepresented voices and stories that contribute to a larger cultural conversation whether explicitly (e.g., a nonfiction title on social justice) or subtly (a comedy of manners about a mixed-raced Latinx family)…

I can’t get enough of: family sagas, female friendships, edgy psychological suspense, closed-setting novels, anti-heroines, smart romances, comedy of manners, found family, genre-blend romcoms, and change-one-thing-in-our-world speculative fiction.

My official #MSWL site is up! Read more about my tastes, what I’m looking for, and even find some fun facts about me here: manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/caro…

Would love an MG or YA book whose theme/lesson is "sometimes your family sucks and you don't have to put them first actually." #mswl

I get a lot of "family is the most important thing" books which is sweet and all but... does not match my experience or that of many of my friends

Similarly, I would love to see a Gilded Age Historical Fiction submission exploring witchcraft and female family/friendship relationships—think Practical Magic meets The Social Graces
 
#MSWL

If you have a sweeping, extravagant historical family saga similar to Downton Abbey or Belgravia, but spanning the generations, send it my way! The drama, the romance, the heartbreak, the opulence—that’s what I’d love to see!
 
#MSWL

YAAS. Jobu Tupaki may be one of the best characters to ever grace the film screen. My wild #MSWL: a smart YA that has the feel of Everything Everywhere All at Once from the POV of Jobu w/the dysfunctional but heartfelt family dynamics, existential angst, absurd humor, & queer rep

But, I love some angst and themes of identity, grief, family/multigenerational dynamics, displacement, self-love, etc.

NOOOOO BLACK TRAUMA, unless it has a powerful message on Joy being a tool for RESILIENCE!