In Middle Grade: Stories that are lyrical and on the more literary range of the spectrum. #MSWL 7/7

In SFF: Stories that are feminist and intersectional, particularly in science fiction. #MSWL 6/7

In YA: Gothic or horror as long as it’s not too gory. I especially love atmospheric settings and psychological horror/suspense. #MSWL 5/7

In Romance: Raunch-coms that embrace female sexuality and are fun and sexy with heroes who are supportive and never slut-shame. #MSWL 4/7

Invisible chronic conditions: I want to see characters with diabetes, epilepsy, other auto-immune diseases, where the condition is part of their identity, but not the whole of it. I want to see their joy more than their struggles. #MSWL 3/7

But for all these wishes, I would love to see diverse stories from diverse authors. Not just BIPOC, but queer and disabled voices sharing stories that share their joy across a broad range of age categories. #MSWL 2/7

Speculative twists on our reality are always always always welcome!!! #mswl

Also #amquerying really looking for *grounded* SF&F right now—MG, YA, A.
✨Usually not the right match for high fantasy.
✨Love to be based in myth/folklore/etc.
✨Love to be grounded with a clear emotional arc.
✨My tastes tend quite literary for Adult.
#MSWL

“Realistic middle-grade stories featuring characters with compelling interests, like in The First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Pérez and The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin.” @msmariavicente #MSWL mariavicente.com/representation

11: Southern Gothic, and/or other regional twists on the genre. Comps: SING UNBURIED SING and the forthcoming SUMMER SONS. Neo-Gothic, like WHITE IS FOR WITCHING.

10: Feminist and/or queer romcoms, especially non-idealized depictions of polyamory and t4t romance. I don’t have comps for these! The closest I’ve come is the work of Xan West, parts of the TRANSCENDENT anthologies, and the gender diverse pronoun ed. of CAPRICIOUS.

9: Picture book texts and chapter books by authors with experiences underrepresented in publishing. THE MAGNIFICENT MAKERS, GUM GIRL, anything by Julie Flett, DREAMERS, LOVE YOUR BODY.

8: Books by Newfoundland authors that engage our culture, from ALL I ASK to FEBRUARY to OUR HOMESICK SONGS to NEW GIRL IN LITTLE COVE. Giv’er here, b’y!

7: Queer books that engage with intra community conversations in all genres. DETRANSITION BABY, WILDER GIRLS.

6: I would love to see immersive and subversive family/community sagas. THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS, BRIDESHEAD REVISITED, WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE, EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED, DO NOT SAY WE HAVE NOTHING.

5: Author-illustrator graphic novels (in all age groups) and picture books. I could make a list a mile long of favourites, but think TEA DRAGONS, THIS ONE SUMMER, BE PREPARED, and anything by the Fan Brothers or Jessie Sima.

4: Manga was biggest growing subgenre in publishing in 2020, and if you have something that evokes this culture but for a Western audience, I’d love to see it. My favourite manga is LAID-BACK CAMP.

3: I have recently taken up birdwatching, and I would love a book that incorporated aspects of this kind of pastime. Comps: BIRDS ART LIFE, or STRANGE BIRDS.

2: Slice of life stories with low stakes, bonus points for cottagecore aesthetics, across all genres and age categories. Comps: NOTHING MUCH HAPPENS, the concept of the anthology A QUIET AFTERNOON.

1: High-concept contemporary is what’s making my heart sing right now. I recently read SHINE by Jessica Jung and devoured it. That said, hints at the speculative are always special for me. (Focus on hints.)