BookFriends! It's #MSWL time!

From @EmilyKaitlinnn:

"My kingdom for a middle grade with magical, high-stakes world building in the vein of THE OWL HOUSE and YA assassin or spy stories like THE GALLAGHER GIRLS series"

You know what is more fresh and interesting and high-stakes to me than stories about leaving earth for space? Saving and preserving earth for future generations. #MSWL

🌟Middle grade stories about (non-speaking) animals, human-animal bonds, nature, & high-stakes survival
▫️Think: A Wolf Called Wander, today’s My Side of the Mountain #MSWL

🌟High-stakes competition w/ a radical, subversive bent & meaningful consequences for the characters
▫️Think: the Squid Game of YA (but note that sobs don't have to be violenct, & I am definitely not looking for violence that’s used for shock value or voyeuristic pleasure) #MSWL

Seeking literary & commercial crime/mystery, thriller & speculative/scifi. Unique hooks & new, diverse views in these classic genres. Linguistic & storytelling mastery, high personal stakes, psychological depth.❤️Tana French, Hervé Le Tellier, Octavia Butler, Kazuo Ishiguro #MSWL

We also love high-concept, high-stakes middle grade fantasy like AMARI & THE NIGHT BROTHERS, ARU SHAH, NEVERMOOR, and TRISTAN STRONG. #MSWL

✨Dark academia w/ high personal stakes and rich settings
✨Asian-inspired SF/tech-fantasy crossover in the vein of Xiran Jay Zhao.
✨Fantasy inspired by South Asian and Middle Eastern cultures and mythologies
#MSWL

In speculative fiction (light sci-fi, horror, fantasy), I need worlds that I can settle into easily.

Fresh takes on classic tropes, dynamic characters, unique magic systems, atmospheric writing & undeniably high stakes ✨Think: R.F. Kuang, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Rory Power

4/

New year, time to share a new #MSWL thread of things I’d love to see this year.

I am actively looking for: Adult, YA & MG.

And I am eager to support commercial and high stakes stories featuring BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disability, and neurodiversity representation.

(A thread)

1/?

Stories about best friends set against the backdrop of competitive, high-stakes, art-based industries: this is what I live for! Think THE BALLERINAS by Rachel Kapelke-Dale and SMILE AND LOOK PRETTY by Amanda Pellegrino.

Grounded fantasy/ genre! I can read books like THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE, ADDIE LARUE, SERPENT & DOVE, or THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY again and again -- anything with a lush setting, a little (or a lot) of romance, and high stakes has my name all over it.

Presents that balance high stakes and high emotion with a touch of humour (not rom-coms though!)

On the speculative side of YA, give me a world or a circumstance I’ve never seen before. I love high-stakes, plot-driven fantasy and sci-fi, where the world enhances the story more than is the focus.

Eagerly seeking upper MG with first love, emerging identities, high stakes, and self-reliance. If there's music, dance, cooking and/or rollerskating - all the better! #MSWL #kidlit

It goes without saying, but send me big, big epic fantasy! Multiple POVs, innovative magic systems, tense politics, huge stakes – the whole nine yards. Recent faves include THE RUIN OF KINGS, THE UNSPOKEN NAME, THE CITY OF BRASS, THE BLACK PRISM, the list goes on 😉 #MSWL

Can't wait to read your #KissPitch pitches today for Harlequin Presents! I'm looking for stories with glamorous international escapes, captivating emotional drama and high-stakes seduction! As well as new voices that will bring diverse perspectives, characters and stories #MSWL

• Stories about (non-anthropomorphic) animals, human-animal bonds, nature & high-stakes survival
• Select author-driven nonfiction, primarily with a radical, social justice–oriented focus—think prison abolition, open borders, union organizing, anarchy, socialism
#MSWL 16/?

for disney hyperion, i'm looking for YA by underrepresented creators ft. underrepresented characters, specifically commercial, contemporary 📚 that lead with joy

i love diverse romcoms & romdrams & anything soap-y, highly aspirational, & with high emotional stakes (5/6)

#mswl

I'm dying (lols) to get a locked-room mystery #YA. I want high stakes, high energy, and I want to be guessing who did what and why and then be surprised that I was wrong. Send it if you've got it! #MSWL

6) Competitions, tournaments, puzzles, and mysteries! Give me those sweet aha! moments and high stakes.