More of this rollercoaster sibling energy in middle grade submissions, PLEASE! #mswl

More of this tambourine side-eye energy in picture book submissions, please! This closeup is from Mr. S by Monica Arnaldo, which is so funny and memorable. #mswl

20. Please do not email me your query or use the contact form on my website, where it clearly states not to use it to query me. 🤦🏼‍♀️ If I’ve asked you to email me your query material, that’s ok, but cold queries must come in via Query Manager.

19. My query inbox opens SO SOON! I will announce it here and in other platforms as well as on my website, and I’ll add to this thread the submission link as soon as possible. Here are some guidelines in the meantime:

18. Three very important elements in opening pages for me are voice, tension, & curiosity! These are a MUST if I’m going to potentially request more material. Less backstory and world building, more scene action & character. Surprise me! Give me something I MUST keep reading for.

17. I *DO* want to see diversity in my inbox and in the world. *DO* send me LGBTQIA+ stories, diversity in families, etc.

I’m good with swears in books if it’s appropriately used/not overdone. Swearing for the sake of swearing in a 📖 is not my jam. (Even though I’m a swearer!)

16. My stance on AI: Do NOT send me anything generated by AI. That is not art, it’s a copout. AI is ok to do research but in no way, shape, or form should it be used to “create” a story. Humans do the storytelling; AI steals it. My opinion. 🤷🏼‍♀️

15. I’m not keen on:

Epic Fantasies
Science Fiction, Space Operas, Robots, etc. I’m not a science-y person
Anything political, incl vaccination debates & Trump-supporters
Gore horror, extreme violence
Erotica—it’s just not my thing
Religious-centred works
Stories over 110K words

14. (Continued from above):

Witches
Ghosts
John Krasinksi
Tom Hanks
Ryan Reynolds
YOU
Back to the Future
YELLOWJACKETS
MAN ON FIRE
THE HUNTED (Roz Nay)
EVERY SUMMER AFTER (Carley Fortune)

13. Stuff I absolutely LOVE in no particular order:

OUTLANDER
The jaw-dropping parts of BEHIND HER EYES
Travel
Soulmates/past life stuff
Babies
Animals—I’m a huge kitty person!
Wine, chocolate, coffee
Tear-jerkers like THIS IS US
Romcoms like YOU’VE GOT MAIL

12. Other nonfiction categories: true crime, wine and wineries, wine and food pairings (especially if combined with travel), empathic studies and emotional toll on empaths, history of witches and witchcraft, ancient civilizations and locations in the vein of ANCIENT APOCALYPSE.

11. Spiritual explorations of past lives, reincarnation, soul connections, etc. (Spiritual ≠ religious). Tarot, palm readings, astrology as well.

10. Nonfiction about overcoming narcissistic/sociopathic abuse and how the criminal justice system is anything but just. The “brotherhood” mentality of law enforcement and how it negatively impacts victims of any kind of abuse, giving permission to the “bad guys” to be bad.

NONFICTION I’d love to see:

9. Above all else, I am hugely drawn to natural childbirth, pregnancy, unassisted birth, and motherhood. Informative and heartwarming as opposed to overcoming losses. Ina May Gaskin is my hero!

8. For example, I would love to see something in the vein of WILDCAT (Netflix series showing how saving animals in the wild jungles of South America positively impacts mental health).

7. I’m very particular about memoirs. It needs to read like fiction. Memoir Plus is huge right now; your personal struggles being affected by a universal external circumstance. A memoir is not a diary of your life; it’s a specific event that greatly impacted your life.

6. Across the board, I’d like stories that normalize blended, single-parent, adoptive, racially and/or culturally diverse, and same-sex families.

5. When it comes to Upper MG, I enjoy adventures with pirates, witches, ghosts, animals that can communicate, an underlying moral lesson learned by the main character, strong friendships, and stories of courage, overcoming obstacles, or shining in the face of adversity.

4. Speculative fiction: like our world, but one or two big differences. This is less of a pull for me, but if you’ve got something unputdownable with a massive hook, send it my way!

3. Romcoms like EVERY SUMMER AFTER. Romance: anything to do with past lives, soulmates, time travel, second-chance romance, etc. Light spice.