✨QUERYING UPDATE

I'm reopening to queries today, but ONLY to middle-grade series/duologies/trilogies!

I'll reopen to my other categories soon, but I'm still reading some lovely subs from you all & want to give everything my best attention!

Query here: QueryManager.com/3240/MiddleGraiddleGradeSeries

Open to queries starting today! Updated #MSWL is below: manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/kayla-lightner/

Just a heads up for all of those who are querying--After receiving almost 2k queries since opening in January, I am going to close my QM inbox on May 1st. I won't reopen until I have time to review all of these amazing submissions.

Happy to announce that I'm open to queries again! (Still working through a couple submissions, thank you authors for your patience)

And while I'm super disappointed in the Phillies' opening performances, I nonetheless am asking for baseball stories. #MSWL

#mswl 🥹

my forever #mswl 😮‍💨

To keep going on my earlier tweet, I LOVE all shades of MG! The quieter, simpler prose stories and the long, whimsical books that are for the big readers! Both are so welcome in my inbox 🥰 all genres! #MSWL

I'm still not the best fit for SF (aside from 5-min in the future/grounded SF or the aforementioned horror), or books that are sports-centric or where MC is an athlete. I'm not open to adult fiction (for now), poetry/novels-in-verse, non-fiction, picture books, early readers.

Another #mswl I've been wanting to find forEVER is a genre-blended YA sci-fi/horror akin to Alien (or even The Thing I think would count). Atmospheric, not super tech heavy, isolated, far from home, trapped with an extraterrestrial horror. Those kinda vibes.

I would also love to find something that takes a big swing and lands it, especially in YA. Epic but accessible, character-driven but with lyrical or evocative writing. As an example,
@Tiff_Liao
told me that she would love to find a YA Cloud Atlas and my eyes went 😻🤩 #mswl

I consider queries the same way I do books in the store. If the pitch doesn't grab me, I pass and move on. And so much of what doesn't grab me feels like "more of the same." I always want to know what makes YOUR book feel special. Why am I excited to move to the writing?

One thing I'm realizing I really love is something that feels comforting and familiar but with an element that makes it feel unique and fresh. Retelling and reinterpretations but also tackling timeless themes from new angles. Taking something we know and changing it up.

I'm being more picky than usual about MG right now, but I'd especially love to see commercial genre stories w/ series potential a la Wings of Fire or PJO. I grew up reading Animorphs and Fear Street so I'd love to rep more (potential) series.

I'm always a fan of horror and/or spooky goth vibes. Some faves: Fear Street (books AND Netflix trilogy), Stephen King, The Addams Family, The Thief of Always by Clive Barker, Coraline (movie), early seasons of Supernatural, Final Destination, Anne Rice, Alexis Henderson, etc.

I'm also leaning more heavily into my love of genre fiction, especially fantasy and horror and books that genre-blend. I would love to find more epic fantasy with fantastic world-building, a la Tomi Adeyemi, Claire M. Andrews, Katy Rose Pool, Natasha Ngan, etc.

I'd really love to find more books that have strong commercial hooks (books that will appeal to a wide audience and can be pitched in 1-2 sentences) but that still have strong prose. I don't need literary writing but I've never been able to be a plot over prose kinda guy.

I said "check back on this thread later for some updates" and then never updated. But here's some areas I'm looking for in 2024 (YA and MG only for now)...

#MSWL for Harlequin Heartwarming, Special Edition or Love Inspired or something close. If I’m closed when you see this, DM me or reply in comments! Looking for Black authors writing cowboy or ranch romance who themselves are riding and ranching and rodeoing!

who wants to send me a muay thai rom-com?! #mswl

Psychological thrillers in the vein of THE SILENT PATIENT

Psychological horror, haunted houses, setting as character

Dark academia

#MSWL