With the publishing industry working from home and the beloved agent-editor lunches on hold until further notice, I realized that the best way to tell professional contacts what I’m looking for is to post it here, where it is easily accessible and updated as necessary.

Please note: I only accept submissions from literary agents at this time. Please do not use the contact form to send queries and materials. If you are a writer and would like me to see your work, please have your agent reach out. I cannot review material otherwise.

Acquiring: suspense, upmarket women’s fiction, historical fiction

Drawn to (though not necessarily all at once!): atmospheric settings, lyrical or stylized writing, inventive storytelling, strong voices that immediately jump off the page, a sense of humor.

2022 Update: This year, I’m particularly eager to read more of the following:

*Expansive epics: give me family sagas, love stories, narratives that span decades or centuries. These need not be long in length, but should feel all-consuming.

*The unpredictable: I love a novel that challenges my sense of where the story is going even from one chapter to another. I’m interested in unusual structures and intrigued by elements that straddle genres (my list includes historical rom-coms, speculative mysteries, etc.).

*More: High-concept historical fiction (especially those that take place outside of European settings); literary crime, fiction with a slight speculative or fantastical element.

All of the below are perennial wishlist items and still apply!

• Twisty, suspenseful narratives with equal weight given to writing and plot
• Con artists and grifters (Social Creature; My Sister the Serial Killer)
• Suspense with a strong blend of friendship and women’s fiction in the style of Liane Moriarty
• Literary crime, although I am rarely drawn to police procedurals, military, or cybersecurity thrillers
• A historical thriller like Rule of Four, The Shadow of the Wind, The Historian, The Doll Factory
• Historical fiction set in South American or Asia
• Elegant, voice-driven historical fiction in the vein of Amor Towles, Beatriz Williams, and Anton DiSclafani
• Rom-coms with a strong hook, humor and heart (including historical rom-coms–humor a must!)*
• Novels with unusual structures and inventive storytelling (All the Missing Girls, Homegoing, Daisy Jones & The Six)
• Fiction with a speculative twist à la Karen Russell, Kelly Link, Yangzee Choo, and Karen Thompson Walker
• Feminist fables or fairytales like What Should Be Wild, Conjure Women, The Water Cure, and The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock

I am also looking for select non-fiction projects, specifically narrative non-fiction, true crime, social history, and memoir with a strong platform. Please feel free to reach out specifically via email.

Maybe not for me: although I am an enthusiastic editor of rom-coms, I don’t edit contemporary or historical romance without a strong comedic element; I am rarely drawn to novels with supernatural beings, but please feel free to ask if a submission fits my taste otherwise.

Outside of the office, my interests include opera, ballet, and learning new languages. I am always open to novels that include those elements!

Last updated: January 18, 2022