White characters interacting with non-white societies at a disadvantage. Non-white civilizations that do not exist for the white gaze, that treat with outsiders on their own terms. #Wakanda, and hundreds more nations like it. #SFF #MSWL

Postcolonialism 2.0: multifaceted conflicts that go beyond colonizer and colonized. Give me diaspora, give me infighting on all sides, give me vehement disagreement about a nation’s future that is borne of genuine patriotism and idealism. #SFF #MSWL #BlackPanther

Economically realistic motives for colonialism & war. Vibranium is spot-on as an analogue for resources that drove (historical & current) conquest: oil, gold, tea, slaves, spices...

#SFF is full of war stories; give ‘em better reasons than righteousness & border conflicts.
#MSWL

Female characters of all stripes with interior lives and motivations that don’t revolve around the male main character. Even if the male protagonist is supposed to save the world. #SFF #MSWL

WOC in science who are brilliant, fearless, multifaceted, and celebrated for their contributions. (This last point is important.)

Shuri is the Disney Princess of my dreams. (I was a STEM kid; I have FEELS, ok?) #MSWL #SFF #BlackPanther

BLACK PANTHER. My heart is full; my brain is on fire.

I want stories like it in my inbox. I want to help them reach readers. But, as one wise writer notes, “#MSWL = #BlackPanther!” is reductionist—however truly felt.

So, a list of specific things I LOVED & want more of in #SFF:

Seeking:
Adult: thriller, fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, contemporary romance, & romantic comedy.
YA: thriller, fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, horror, historical, & contemporary.
Send query & 1st 5 pages pasted in the body of email to: querylynnette (at) theseymouragency (dot) com #MSWL

Saturday Evening Thoughts

I would really love to find an exciting, middle grade adventure/ fantasy set somewhere other than the US or Europe.

Great example: THE SERPENT'S SECRET by @Sayantani16

#MSWL

“Fantasy (urban or otherwise) dealing with the diaspora of a magical community—how does the magic change/thrive?” @kurestinarmada #MSWL psliterary.com/submissions/

Hey! It's Thursday! You know what that means?
Nothing really I guess but plz go write me some wild sci-fi/fantasy with stakes that just skyrocket through the whole book and relationships that make me weep. #MSWL

If I don’t see your #KissPitch pitch, send query & 1st 5 pages in body of email to: querylynnette (at) theseymouragency (dot) com. Seeking: Adult: fantasy, thriller, cont. romance, rom. com., mystery & sci-fi. YA: fantasy, sci-fi, horror, contemporary, thriller & mystery. #MSWL

#Querying? Send me your contemporary #MG, especially if it plays with structure like Jack Cheng's See You in the Cosmos. Send me your historical fantasy #YA, especially if it has a multicultural cast like Heidi Heilig's The Girl From Everywhere. #MSWL

#MSWL Adult fantasy with wild new magical systems/belief structures/world structures. Lace the magic into the world in surprising, original ways. Vivid settings, towering stakes, dynamic voices. Confident, unique perspectives. LGBTQ+/Diverse characters a plus.

I would so love a YA like this, contemp or fantasy. Chloe Kim’s dad texted her before the Olympic halfpipe final that she was about to become a dragon. nbcolympics.com/news/what-chlo… #MSWL

"Actively and hungrily seeking diverse YA fantasy and sci-fi." @ericsmithrocks #MSWL ericsmithrocks.com/mswl/

I'm craving a DARK fantasy in YA or adult. Do you have one for me? #MSWL Send query and first five pages to: querylynnette (at) theseymouragency (dot) com.

Adult fantasy manuscripts? Got one? Gimme. *grabby hands* #MSWL Send query and first five pages to: querylynnette (at) theseymouragency (dot) com.

Just to clarify, I'm not AGAINST seeing projects w/ an evil ruler being dethroned. I just receive a high volume of these types of submissions so I'm super picky (I recently received a few emails saying "I hate this, too!" And I'm like nope, nope not what I was saying! 😂) #MSWL

New Surge Editor looking for submissions! #YA #NA #MSWL #Fantasy #Retellings #Inspy #ChristianFiction wp.me/p4e8bN-SA

I want a literary book that is not contemporary. Give me a literary fantasy, magical realism, historical fiction. #MSWL