Things I’d love to see more of this year:
- Muslim characters
- Ace-spec stories
- Fantasy featuring BIPOC leads
- Magic
- Black women’s fiction

In addition to my usually list of interest. Can’t wait to read your work! serendipitylit.com/agents #MSWL

Major emphasis on marginalized creators doing all of the above. Kids of all backgrounds and identities and abilities being KIDS. #MSWL

At the moment, I'd say I want to see YA and MG that leads with joy. Falling in love. Doing something exciting. Exploring new worlds. Kids with quirky passions. Humor. Families (of all configurations) that love each other. #MSWL

I call my taste "timeless meets timely" meaning I like books that lean into a genre or trope but spin it for a modern reader. Fairytales? Princesses? Magical creatures? Sci-fi adventures? Great! Update it. #MSWL

I like fantasy and fanciful books, but it has to offer something new. High-fantasy YA was my biggest query category in 2020 and had the highest rejection rate as a result. I'd prefer contemporary with a splash, or just something really fresh. #MSWL #querytip

Forever and always: commercial, plot-driven fiction for MG and YA. I have more room for MG. I am flexible on genre, but don't love gore or problem novels. I'm more interested in kids going on adventures than Only Suffering With Issues. (obvs kids do have issues in life) #MSWL

#MSWL

I open to queries on MONDAY! Here is my current #MSWL.
Genres:
Adult scifi, fantasy, horror (pref w/speculative elements)
YA Contemporary, scifi, fantasy
I am temporarily CLOSED to adult romance, and PB&MG.

The details (thread):

I’d love to see this (in teen & mg) also! #MSWL

And who's going to let me bath or @RebeccaPodos for this??? #mswl

Who’s going to write and query me an historical f/f or f/nb romance? I want the hopeful, penniless spinster to swoon at the dusty riding boots of the embittered, lonely duchesse #MSWL

(If you’ve got one, btw, you don’t have to wait for my QM to reopen. I want it 👀)

Can someone please write a magical book about a girl with ADHD who is also a witch and call it FOCUS POCUS? #mswl

#WritingCommunity my #MSWL is now open to #Illustrator. If you're a children's illustrator you can #query me flanneryliteraryassociate@gmail.com

Please include a query/introduction letter and a sample of your art embedded in the email. I won't open attachments or links.

Guess who FINALLY updated her #MSWL profile for 2021!

manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/char…

And honestly, you all, I’m DYING for the next retelling of ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND, so just keep that in mind.

There’s not room to hype all of the interesting and underrated YA NF out there, but I’m open to anything. Comps include AMERICANIZED: REBEL WITHOUT A GREEN CARD; THE BELOVED WORLD OF SONIA SOTOMAYOR; BONNIE AND CLYDE: THE MAKING OF A LEGEND; GIRL CODE; #NOTYOURPRINCESS; and SHOUT

Karen McManus is the current YA mystery gold standard, and I’d love a comp to any of her titles. But I’d also love a creepier THERE’S SOMEONE INSIDE YOUR HOUSE; a manuscript as twisty as DANGEROUS GIRLS; or a straight-up horror, like WILDER GIRLS. Give me tension and action!

When it comes to contemporary, I want something short and moving, like IF I STAY; or kickass and female-forward, like HELLO GIRLS; or romantic, hilarious, and tension-filled, like RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE. I also love NOTEWORTHY, BEFORE I FALL, ON THE COME UP… I’ve got more.

My hands-down favorite YA dystopian is SCYTHE, so come at me with your clever takes on the future of death and society! I also want to see Gen-Z characters taking on a broken society in the way only they can. Give me the next CREWEL, THE GRACE YEAR, or ACROSS A STAR-SWEPT SEA.

When I say I’m seeking “light” SF, I mean where the world fits the sci-fi genre, but the story is more about the conflict and characters. It’s why I like SNOWPIERCER (2013) as a comp—science fiction informs the setting and carries a message, but it's a backdrop to the rebellion.