Addendum: anger that masquerades as love, as idealism. Characters who persuade themselves of the righteousness of their own cause, who rationalize extremism born of a seed of compelling truth—because that’s how it so often begins.

You know what I’m talking about.
#MSWL #SFF

Different types of love & loyalty at war with each other, esp within the same person. Romantic love. Familial love. Love of country. Love for one’s people. Love for the downtrodden.

Love is stronger than hate, and opposing loves often make the most powerful conflicts.
#SFF #MSWL

Beautifully choreographed fight scenes that advance plot, develop character, and worldbuild.

Yes, #BlackPanther has the advantages of a visual medium. It’s harder in prose fiction, but it can be done so, so well. (See @FondaJLee.)
#SFF #MSWL

Accents, dialect, and non-English languages in English-language fiction, used in ways that enhance characterization and worldbuilding rather than othering or exoticizing the speaker. #SFF #MSWL

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.