Some things I am currently looking for across age groups:
✨More humor—we could all use more laughter right now, right?!
✨Kids falling in love with the outdoors—camping, urban gardens, farms, really anything to do with nature.
✨ Girls who do martial arts!

Putting out a call for humor like this amazing book I read recently… until 5:30am. 🙃
#mswl

I’ve opened to picture books. I’ve missed my PB community. (Go easy on me.)

I’ll be prioritizing authors and/or illustrators from marginalized communities, books with side-splitting humor, and fascinating nonfiction (that’s not a bio).

Querymanager.com/jmcgowan - #MSWL

ALWAYS want #YA whodunnits/mysteries that are puzzle-y or riddle-strewn and have touches of humor and lively characters in the spirit of Agatha Christie, like #TrulyDevious or the Inheritance Games series. #MSWL #amquerying

-Immersive YA high fantasy and sci-fi with well-defined rules (be it unique magic systems or technology)

-YA inspired by or reimagining folklore or mythology

-Humorous, voice-y MG, as well as MG that recognizes the harder truths of the world while being ultimately hopeful
#mswl

(GNs) 🌟Middle grade humor with a big heart—I’d particularly like to explore careers outside of policing that nonetheless lend themselves to multiple adventures over the course of a series
▫️Think: Dog Man, InvestiGators #MSWL

🌟Sharp & original humor that shows a deep understanding of its readers—whether goofy, over-the-top humor for middle graders or well-observed sarcasm for teens
🌟Books that slide adeptly between humor & poignancy, that make me laugh on one page & cry on the next #MSWL

MG nonfiction that uses humor and playful formats to bring readers to both evergreen & rapidly evolving topics; in particular, I'd love to learn about civics, media literacy, mental health, body positivity, and food in fresh ways

I do love: fables, gallows humor, absurdism, unsettling atmospheres, unreliable narrators, sympathetic villains, anti-heroes, adventures, revenge-plots, twists that make the reader say "it all makes sense now!"

On the book club side, I love stories about toxic female friendships, family sagas with the layers and humor of a prestige soap opera, and novels that skirt the line between commercial WF and thrillers. #MSWL

✨A Black marching band drama
✨A humorous take on puberty for girls
✨Subversive Catholic school stories
✨If something has "already been done” but it's never been done with characters who hail from marginalized backgrounds, I want to read it...

Genres I'm on the hunt for:
MG fantasy, MG literary contemporary, YA humor, YA fantasy, YA rom-com, Upmarket Women's fiction.
#MSWL - international settings, folktale re-imaginings, funny friendship banter, twisty YA thrillers, multiple POV, found family.

😂 Make me laugh! Note I am not one for super zany young MG or grossout humor, but I love self-aware wryness or a bit of quirk
😭 & make me cry, especially with contemporary MG about family, friendship, & kids figuring out their place in the world #MSWL

... a broad range of MG & YA fiction and graphic novels--fantasy (my first & greatest love as a reader), historical, romance, some great humor, and high-concept contemporary (especially with a framing device such as epistolary elements, then-and-now timelines, etc.) #MSWL

Since I'm open to queries again:
MUST HAVE: Adult romance only. NO YA. Fantasy or sci-fi sub-genre ONLY.
Prefer: High heat level
#MSWL list:
1. Vampires or witches (still looking for something different)
2. mystery & humor even if dark
3. Bridgerton w/PR element
4. Surprise me

•Think high concept sci-fi like Dreamfall Chapters (video game), where people are addicted to virtual reality and can't funciton in society.
•Dark fantasy themes with equally dark humor like Sweeney Todd and Dark Shadows. Tim Burton is a vibe.

Humorous essay collections, especially if they have some sort of bigger picture social commentary tying the essays together. #MSWL

I like sarcasm and humor. I like nonfiction narratives that read like fiction. I like books that deal with current issues, but that teach you the history of a thing. Have you read IMMUNE by Phillipp Dettmer? Fascinating!

In nonfiction, when in doubt, try me. #MSWL

I have a soft spot for grounded stories with touches of speculative fiction, cheeky, self-aware humor, and elevated horror.

I am *not* the right editor for mss that contain sexual violence, stalking, or predatory behavior, or picture books with animal characters.

PICTURE BOOK:
--Offbeat humor and cheeky, adventurous characters
--Thoughtful, emotional stories with unusually beautiful art