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    • MSWL for 2022

      Posted at 11:16 am by Laura, on December 29, 2021

      Also known as
      What I’d Like to See in my Agent Inbox in 2022

      In general, my manuscript wish list stays the same no matter the season or year! But for 2022, I’m really hoping to see these kinds of projects in particular appear in my inbox. Similar to 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021, but with an emphasis on joyful and uplifting stories, especially with contemporary narratives.

      As I mentioned in a recent post, the industry is slammed and publishers are being even more selective, making it even harder for debuts. So I’m being extra picky as well––and I’m hopeful this post helps provide insight to my wishlist!

      Keep in mind, a manuscript is more than a recipe combining themes of Book A, characters like those found in Book B, with a plot like Book C. It’s in the essence of the writing, the make-up of the narrative, the style of the voice––that’s what captures attention. A really great manuscript infuses the tone, atmosphere, and emotion into every word, applying careful attention to detail to evoke a sensation from the page to the reader’s mind. That’s what agents are looking for. We’re enticed by your recipe and hope to be moved by the outcome. So while I am pointing out published books that accomplished elements of what I love and what I’m seeking, I’m also pointing out books that most accurately display the essence of what I’m looking for.

      ~~~

      ADULT FICTION

      Fantasy || I adore fantasy inspired by historical events, cultures, folklore, and fairytales. More often than not, these fantasies tend to be set in secondary worlds, where magic may or may not exist, but the feel of the novel is certainly magical. My absolute favorites are The City of Brass (Islamic- and Arabic-inspired, set in 18th-c outside Cairo), Uprooted and Spinning Silver (Eastern European and Jewish fairytale retellings), The Wolf of Oren-Yaro (Filipino-inspired culture), and Daughter of the Forest (Irish Celtic mythology). Award-winning author and client Tasha Suri‘s Empire of Sand, Realm of Ash, and The Jasmine Throne are inspired by Indian history and mythology, and Malice by Heather Walter spins a fairytale completely on its head. These books have lush writing and beautiful characterizations, which is what I’m most drawn to in these fantasies. I also enjoy in-depth world-building and unique perspectives (literally everything about A Darker Shade of Magic), have thoroughly enjoyed dragon stories (Priory of the Orange Tree and His Majesty’s Dragon), am seeking more previously-established-relationships among ensemble casts with one POV (a la Kings of the Wyld), and I want to find my own Queen of Blood, Bone Ships, or The Wolf and the Whale.

      Pie-in-the-sky manuscript: What every single book mentioned above accomplishes is the ability to take a creature, character, or tradition from a culture, tale, or faith and make it entirely new, unique, fresh. I want to see golems, djinn, wendigos, vetalas, almasties––I’m tired of the typical werewolf/vampire/angel/fairy. Give me something rarely covered in Western literature. Give me depth to the world and the characters. I don’t need heists and sword fights and action-action-action to propel my reading. I would especially love to see this from marginalized and underrepresented voices.

      Historical Fantasy || Though a branch off fantasy (“low fantasy”), this category is for all those books that have a hint of magic within the historical narrative. Not necessarily magical realism––but a tiny little something sparks that energy and spins into the fantastical. In Another Time explores wormholes in WWII, The Familiars leaves you wondering if she really was a witch, The Winter Witch adds an element of intrigue on a quiet Welsh farm, Outlander has a hint of time travel but is otherwise historical, and A Secret History of Witches explores generations of women in one family and the impact their magic has on the community. I would love to see more gothic-, religiously-, politically-infused historical fantasies like The Once and Future Witches and The Year of the Witching––I would fall over to represent something like that! Basically if it involves witches, a hint of magic, and the ways in which a community unravels, I’m down.

      Pie-in-the-sky: A fresh and unique spin on historical events that then asks, “what if…?” What if witches were real during XYZ historical event? What if witches were behind A? What if magic was the cause of B? What if someone with XYZ abilities could’ve changed the outcome to C? What if magic/witches were the root of religion? Take the idea and run with it.

      Women’s Fiction || I adore women’s fiction that is about the average woman doing average things, experiencing the difficulties of everyday life, and growing from it — such as Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, A Window Opens, Leave Me, Goodbye, Paris, The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett, and The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living. On the flip-side, I love chick-lit/romcom — humorous women’s fiction that’s appealing to a millennial audience, about young women in the workplace and the silly things that happen in their life. My absolute favorite is Sophie Kinsella, along with Don’t You Forget About Me, The Friend Zone, Ayesha at Last, The Matzah Ball, A Holly Jolly Diwali, and The Flatshare. Romance is not a primary draw for me, but it doesn’t turn me off to the story, either!

      Pie-in-the-sky: I’ve found I’m drawn to two particular sorts of protagonists and life journeys in women’s fiction. The first is the character that thinks they’re content when actually they’re lonely. Though these characters are typically older or curmudgeonly––and that’s okay––a kind and young character can experience this too. I’m drawn to the ways in which another character/event challenges them to break routine. The second is the character that has something preventing them from moving forward in life––grief, finances, a relationship––and the snowball effect that has throughout the narrative. I want to read something joyful and uplifting, with levity and humor throughout.

      Historical Fiction || I love all sorts of historical fiction, especially when it branches off little-known aspects of history, or it takes on a fresh new look at popular historical events (WWI and WWII, for example, are incredibly common on the shelves, but it’s how the story is told or the unique perspective the story is told through that brings them to the shelves). For example, my favorite historical fiction includes Shadow on the Crown (Emma of Normandy and early British history), The Alice Network (WWI/WWII parallel narrative shining light on female spy networks), The Romanov Empress (about Tsarina Maria Feodorovna, wife of Alexander III and mother of Nicholas II), and Dear Mrs. Bird (WWII advice columnist/slice-of-life narrative). I would love to see some more light shed on impressive women in history and the things they accomplished despite society’s limitations (STEM, feminism, code-breaking, politics/reigns, first female to ___), like client Clarissa Harwood‘s Impossible Saints. In 2021, my favorite books included The Book of Longings, Hamnet, and The Giver of Stars. Admittedly, I’m most familiar with European (specifically English) history, but I’m open to reading anything as long as the premise is compelling and the writing style is relatable to a modern audience.

      Pie-in-the-sky: Lately I’ve been craving Gilded Age/turn-of-the-century narratives, particularly in the ways American wealth supported British aristocracy. I also want to read about women we know (Wu Zetian, Elizabeth Bathory, Mette Magrete Tvistman), women behind great men in history, and women being the first in smaller [and oftentimes fictional] ways––like the first to run her family’s Victorian shop, with Sarah Waters vibes, for example.

      Contemporary/Historical Parallel Narratives in Fiction || There are great ways to introduce parallel narratives in historical and contemporary women’s fiction. Some of my favorites include anything pertaining to archivists, curators, scribes, researchers, and academics. Sometimes the parallel narrative is in the form of epistolary fiction –– artifacts and documents the curator, archivist, or researcher in the modern day stumbles across that takes us into the historical narrative literally (like The Weight of Ink, Possession, The Lost Apothecary) or figuratively (Meet Me at the Museum). I especially adore fiction that follows said curator, archivist, and academic on their journey, like The Clockmaker’s Daughter. I’m open to two historical narratives (Letters from Skye) as well as one historical and one contemporary, just as long as both narratives are tied in some way while still having two separate, compelling journeys.

      YOUNG ADULT FICTION

      Fantasy & Historical Fantasy || The YA world is difficult to break into, especially in fantasy. But I’m such a sucker for YA fantasy — I love all the worlds and ideas and originality that floods the market. That’s the issue at stake, though: it needs to be original. So while I love fairytale retellings, they need to be proper retellings, with twists and turns and (for goodness’s sake) new names––just like my clients Lisa DeSelm’s The Puppetmaster’s Apprentice and Chloe Gong’s These Violent Delights. I love culturally-influenced or mythology-inspired stories (like Six Crimson Cranes and Don’t Call the Wolf), but I’m not interested in Greek or Roman mythology whatsoever. (Never have been.) I love historically-inspired fantasies, too, such as Walk on Earth a Stranger. That said, I’m very much into elemental magic — when magic is innate, a part of the world, or part of the world’s faith/mythology — over all other kinds of fantasies, like Shielded by my client KayLynn Flanders. Think Star-Touched Queen, Shadowfell, Sorcery of Thorns, and Hunted. If you have a YA fantasy, send it my way, especially if they fit into any of the above criteria.

      Pie-in-the-sky: (As stated in the adult fiction section, since it applies here too) What every single book mentioned above accomplishes is the ability to take a creature, character, or tradition from a culture, tale, or faith and make it entirely new, unique, fresh. I want to see golems, djinn, wendigos, vetalas, almasties––I’m tired of the typical werewolf/vampire/angel/fairy. Give me something rarely covered in Western literature. Give me depth to the world and the characters. I don’t need heists and sword fights and action-action-action to propel my reading. They’re entertaining, but I’m here for the meat of the story, not the garnish. I would especially love to see this from marginalized and underrepresented voices.

      Contemporary Fiction || It is all about the voice for me when it comes to YA contemporary. When I read YA contemporary, I need to feel like I’m talking to my high school best friend. Teen readers can spot inauthenticity in a heartbeat, and you want to make sure you have their desires and heartbreaks in the voice of your protagonist. You’re not an adult trying to be a teen — you are a teen. That said, I am seeking fantastic rom-coms like When Dimple Met Rishi (technology camps!), Royals (royals’ sidekicks fall in love!) and Anna and the French Kiss (study abroad programs!), badass heroines like Dumplin’ (fighting against stereotypes!), and great family and friendship dynamics like Emma Mills, Morgan Matson, and Jenny Han. Perfect examples of this are my own clients Jared Reck (A Short History of the Girl Next Door) and Nina Moreno (Don’t Date Rosa Santos). I’d love to see more characters with fun and interesting jobs and unique hobbies (A Pho Love Story and Happily Ever Afters). I tend to lean on the lighter side of things, with hope at the end of the tunnel. I do like tear-jerkers, but I want that spark of hope and inspiration at the end. This year especially, I want to see more joy and uplifting reads!

      Historical || Historical fiction is very hard to break into in YA. Sometimes it needs to have magical elements, sometimes it needs to be an era that readers are familiar with. Look to your own city, look to the history books, look to your family history, and see what seemingly small event had a large impact for that area. A Prisoner of Night and Fog is set in Germany in the 1930s, not quite WWII but through the perspective of someone in the middle of the frightening changes in the country; Outrun the Moon is set during the San Francisco earthquake, and how race and economic status barriers fell in a state of emergency; A Madness So Discreet is set across America in the 1800s, battling patriarchy and standing up for those unlawfully sentenced to mental institutions; The Forbidden Orchid is set in Asia as a Victorian girl hunts down her father, a man in the middle of a race to find a perfect, rare orchid; The Bird and the Blade, though partially based on a folk tale, is inspired by historical events during the Mongol Empire and the Great Khan’s reign of power. There are so many more — but great YA historical fiction requires an intriguing and original premise, a general accessibility, and bringing the past to life. I would love to see historical fiction set outside the US and Western Europe!

      ~~~

      For a final once-over, feel free to read my Manuscript Wishlist post, follow submission guidelines, read up on Publishers Marketplace deals, check out my clients page and book deals records, and catch up on this blog once in a while to read my thoughts and reviews of published works. Every little bit helps to getting representation! Oh, and as a reminder:

      ALWAYS seeking: diversity. Race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, mentality, health, economic status, religious affiliation, all of it. The obvious shouldn’t need to be said — that I want my projects to reflect the beautiful diversity of the world, that I want to see and share with others life through another’s eyes, that I want to see these differences expressed through art and creation and culture, that these books need to be on bookshelves — but that’s the state of things. So yes, there is no question to it: I want diversity.

      ALWAYS open to queries: even during times of the year when publishing seems extra busy, or extra slow, or I’m on vacation or traveling — I am open to queries. I never close. I read every single query. It’s unfair to you as the writer to try to keep track of all the agents who are opened or closed, and (selfishly) it’s unfair to me to be closed when something truly remarkable could have been in my inbox for me to represent. SO! With that said, if I’m busy or traveling or on vacation, I’ll have an away message up with clear, simple instructions about what will happen with your query in the time I’m away. I am never closed to queries.

      NEVER seeking: anything set in space, anything set in the future, thrillers and suspense (psychological, military, legal, political, or otherwise), Greek or Roman-inspired narratives (I’m sorry, I’m just not into it), all nonfiction (poems, essays, memoirs, how-tos, everything nonfiction), scripts or screenplays, paranormal romance, erotica. If your project uses any of these concepts to describe it, it’s an automatic no. I’m not the agent for any of these projects, so please do not send them to me.

      ~~~

      I hope this is helpful! I’m looking forward to receiving great manuscripts and selling lots in 2022!

      Posted in agenting | 0 Comments | Tagged agenting, personal
    • If We Were Having Coffee…*

      Posted at 4:32 pm by Laura, on November 23, 2021

      *Titled as such even though I prefer tea because saying “if we were having tea” sounds so high brow for a Midwestern American. Though it’s been so long since I’ve done this, I suppose it should say, “if we were having tea/coffee/cocoa over Zoom” *laughs* *weeps*

      Hello! I haven’t done this in a while. Not since January 2020, apparently. I also haven’t really been on this blog much either. So I thought, why not take a few minutes during this rare lull at work and just…give you a little update?

      If we were having coffee…I’d take a moment to complain about this new WordPress editing/posting/whatever-this-is set-up. Why can’t I go back to Classic Editor? What’s with all this fancy new block stuff? Clearly I’ve been away for too long. Oops. I’m sorry. (But seriously though, what gives?! *is old*)

      If we were having coffee…we would no doubt cover the pandemic topics and get them out of the way. Yes, I’m vaccinated, and I’m getting a booster on Sunday (yay!). Yes, I’m still wearing masks indoors. Yes, we had to reschedule our honeymoon for a third time and gosh darn it we’re going on it in spring 2022 and LIVING IT UP. YOLO. And our cat Rossetti’s loving all this 24/7-with-humans time she’s getting. Honestly the biggest hit for me––for us, really––was not being able to sing in choir in 2020. It’s been great to be back with them since August 2021, making music again safely. (For any other singers out there, this is the mask we wear for rehearsals, services, and concerts. Highly recommend.)

      If we were having coffee…I’d tell you about how wild this year has been, how unpredictable and odd and just…weird, in publishing! So I’ll do my best to explain it in non-pub-lingo and in as much of a nutshell as possible. 2020 was a lot, to say the least, but that exhaustion didn’t let up once the calendar changed. January 2021 hit, and agent inboxes flooded. FLOODED. So many writers with projects finished during 2020, including our own clients’ projects. And it didn’t let up. Now on the other side of the business, editors were also getting bombarded more than usual with these submissions from agents, on top of the usual workload editors are required to do. And then toss in printing and shipping and the bottleneck of supply chains across multiple industries, publicity and marketing teams pivoting monthly (weekly!) to changed dates and moved productions––it boggles the mind. Mix all of that overflowing digital paper, schedules, chains, and personal lives in a pot, and it’s boiling over.

      To say everyone was swamped this year is an extreme understatement. I’ve never had so many client projects out on submission at once, nor for so long––I’ve had to cross-reference the tabs of my spreadsheet to make sure I’m not overburdening some poor soul with more than one of my submissions (MAJOR APOLOGIES TO THE EXCEPTIONS *sobs, hugs*). I’ve also never been so behind* in my own requests folder. I took pride in reading fulls in a month, but as my client list grew and as the queries in my inbox became stronger (seriously, you guys, the querying writers are really hitting the mark lately and I have to be even more discerning! As a client once said to me, it’s a “champagne problem” for sure!), I’ve started averaging 3-4 months in my response time for request manuscripts. I don’t like taking so long, but my goodness. It’s been nuts. 2021 has been a true exercise of patience, grace, and empathy…and extreme gratitude for the success stories, too, of course! Phew!

      [*”so behind” LOL, look, I hear stories of agents getting back after a year (or two (or three!)), and it’s definitely not that. More like…six months max, but I still feel ashamed of it.]

      I wish I had the answers. I wish I knew when things would let up. But I feel exhausted too. And if I’m feeling it at an agency, I know my colleagues in publishing houses are feeling it 10x more.

      Deep breaths.

      If we were having coffee…I’d tell you about all the TV shows and movies I’ve seen, rather than the books I’ve read XD Partly because I’ve been watching a lot on so many streaming platforms, partly because I don’t want to talk about how ashamed I feel (there it is again, shame, the guilt and sadness!) that I haven’t read as much for fun as I’d like! I’m showing up to my two book clubs saying things like “Sorry, didn’t finish, so I’ll just stay muted and listen!” or “I read 40 pages but wasn’t into it,” or “WOW OMG YOU GUYS I READ IT!” For reference, the post on here about books I read in the first half of 2021 is basically all I’ve read…I’ve finished maybe two books since that post, so yeah, for fun reading is very slow-going. But streaming!! Watching a lot over there! Vikings, Peaky Blinders, Brooklyn 99, Marvelous Mrs Maisel, Dr Oakley: Yukon Vet, all the Marvel stuff (omgggg WandaVision!), all the latest GBBO duh, Watchmen, The Great, Master Chef: Junior, All Creatures Great & Small, Westworld, rewatching Band of Brothers, New Girl, Friends, and Gilmore Girls too…I’m probably forgetting some but those are the big ones. What have you been reading and watching?

      ~~~

      All that ^ said, I’ve just started reading Empire of Gold (finally brave enough to close out the trilogy), I feel hopeful for and confident in my clients and their hard work and perseverance, and I remain optimistic for a bright future ahead. This is a massive, massive pothole in the road, yes. But I’m immensely grateful and thankful for my job and doing what I love. I want nothing but the best for you and yours, too. May the rest of this year and the holiday season be full of light and wonder, and may 2022 be full of blessings!

      Posted in Update Post | 3 Comments | Tagged if we were having coffee, personal
    • Deal Announcement: Chloe Gong, Adult Fantasy

      Posted at 1:13 pm by Laura, on November 19, 2021

      I’m so happy to finally share the news that Chloe Gong (These Violent Delights / Our Violent Ends, Foul Lady Fortune / FLF2) will have a debut adult fantasy trilogy hitting shelves in Summer 2023, beginning with IMMORTAL LONGINGS!

      NYT-bestselling YA author Chloe Gong’s IMMORTAL LONGINGS, pitched as an epic fantasy inspired by Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra and the historical Kowloon Walled City, following two lovers in a deadly contest through the crowded streets of San-Er, where people have the ability to take control of one another’s bodies, to Amara Hoshijo at Saga Press, in a pre-empt, in a three-book deal, for publication in summer 2023, by Laura Crockett at TriadaUS Literary Agency (NA).

      As announced on Publishers Marketplace. For full details and public access, read io9’s feature!

      Last time I shared a deal announcement for Chloe, I discussed option materials and how publishers get first dibs to look at an author’s new project.

      Well this time things were a little different, because Chloe wrote an adult project––which meant she needed to have a full manuscript prepared before we could take it out on wide submission in the adult SFF sector of publishing. That being said, at this point These Violent Delights made the NYT bestseller list for several weeks, and Chloe was tweeting about an adult fantasy––which meant every time she mentioned it on her social media, an editor from adult SFF would email me. (“Is it ready yet?” “Please keep me in mind for this!” “Please submit this to me when it’s ready!”) I joked with Chloe I knew when she was talking about her adult SFF manuscript on social because my inbox would flood with requests.

      It was ready to go on sub mid-summer, and one day––one day––after submission, Amara at Saga (the adult SFF imprint of S&S, the parent company to Chloe’s YA projects) emailed me and said Saga would be making an offer. It was a very busy week, a flurry of emails with everyone everywhere, and at the end of the week Chloe and Amara hopped on a Zoom call. I cannot even begin to describe to you how magical it was to witness their interaction. It was as if the universe just clicked––Amara is the perfect editor for Chloe, the perfect editor for IMMORTAL LONGINGS. The way the two of them got on and understood one another and the manuscript and the trilogy’s trajectory was just…wow. Simply magical!

      And the rest is history.

      Congratulations, Chloe!

      Posted in agenting, deal announcement | 1 Comment | Tagged agenting, deal announcement
    • 2021 Favorites: First Half of the Year

      Posted at 1:54 pm by Laura, on August 21, 2021

      Time is flying by, leaving this blog in the dust! I apologize for not including book reviews for recent reads. Work has been good and overwhelming in the best ways, leaving me with little time or energy to read published books for fun. If I manage to read a published book, it’s on the weekend. And then I post a quick snippet of a review on Instagram instead of the blog. But I’m (finally) here today to give you a glimpse of my favorites from January through June!

      Five stars!

      I thoroughly enjoyed, devoured, and (for half of these) sobbed over these six books. Click to read the reviews (and see bonus books!)

      Continue reading →
      Posted in books, Reviews 2021 | 1 Comment | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, genre: historical fiction, genre: young adult, mini review, review
    • Deal Announcement: Kaitlyn Hill, YA Contemporary

      Posted at 12:48 pm by Laura, on July 6, 2021

      It has been a very busy 2021 so far, and I’ve fallen behind on sharing deal announcements and reviews. This particular deal announcement was shared April 12 (!!!), but new books are always worth rejoicing any time! I’m thrilled to share the news Kaitlyn Hill will have another YA romcom published!

      Hannah Hill at Delacorte has acquired Not Here to Stay Friends by Love from Scratch author Kaitlyn Hill (no relation). Pitched as The Bachelor meets The Rest of the Story, this YA romance follows Sloane and Liam, two childhood friends who reunite in L.A. for the summer after five years apart. But when Liam’s producer dad ropes him into working for a teen reality dating show and Sloane becomes a contestant, their lives take a turn for the unreal. Publication is planned for spring 2023; Laura Crockett at TriadaUS Literary did the deal for world rights.

      Last time I announced a deal for Kaitlyn, I shared how funny and engaging her writing style was, how much I connected with her voice. She did it again with her next project, making me snort hot tea in the opening pages. Her characters come to life in such a relatable and refreshing way, and I knew Hannah would love it too.

      Not only did Hannah see how fun and witty Kaitlyn continued to be, but she also fangirl’d hard on all The Bachelor feels, making us an offer after a week of considering the manuscript. Kaitlyn happily accepted Hannah’s rose!

      I’m so thrilled for Kaitlyn to have two projects in the pipeline, and I can’t wait for you to read her debut next spring!

      Posted in agenting, deal announcement | 0 Comments | Tagged agenting, deal announcement
    • Deal Announcement: Nina Moreno, MG Contemporary

      Posted at 8:55 am by Laura, on March 10, 2021

      I’m excited to finally share the news that Nina Moreno will be writing a middle grade novel! Even cooler, she’s partnering with artist Courtney Lovett for the illustrations sprinkled throughout the book!

      Shelly Romero at Scholastic has bought world rights to Join the Club, Maggie Diaz by Nina Moreno (Don’t Date Rosa Santos), illustrated by Courtney Lovett. The illustrated middle grade novel follows a 12-year-old Cuban American girl who is determined to discover who she is and what her “thing” is, no matter how many activities or clubs it takes. Publication is scheduled for spring 2022; Laura Crockett at Triada US Literary represented the author, and Jemiscoe Chambers-Black at Andrea Brown Literary represented the illustrator.

      We’ve been sitting in this news for a year now, so it’s very exciting for us to be able to talk about it. MAGGIE was Nina’s pandemic book, a spot of joy in the mess that was 2020, and every interaction pertaining to developing, writing, and editing the manuscript brought a smile to my face!

      Shelly and I have wanted to work on a project together for a while, and Shelly and Nina have wanted to work on a project together for a while, so it seemed fitting that she and Nina collaborated to make this fun, Lizzie-McGuire-but-Cuban manuscript come to life! When it came time to find the perfect artist to make Maggie jump off the page, it was truly a no-brainer to go with Courtney. Look at her art!

      This is a whole new adventure for me and for Nina––middle grade and illustrated work. It’s been such a joy so far! Congratulations, Nina!

      Go add Join the Club, Maggie Diaz to your TBR!

      Posted in agenting, deal announcement | 0 Comments | Tagged agenting, deal announcement
    • Deal Announcement: Chloe Gong, YA Fantasy

      Posted at 10:41 am by Laura, on February 24, 2021

      I’m thrilled to share the announcement that Chloe Gong, New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights and forthcoming Our Violent Ends, will have a new duology publishing in Fall 2022, beginning with Foul Lady Fortune!

      Sarah McCabe at S&S/McElderry has bought a YA duology by bestselling author Chloe Gong (These Violent Delights). Foul Lady Fortune, the first of the two books, is a speculative historical noir surrounding the events of Imperial Japan’s expansion into China in the 1930s. A familiar character is recruited as a national spy, maintaining her false identity by posing as a young married couple with someone who might be the very enemy. Publication is set for fall 2022; Laura Crockett at Triada US Literary did the two-book, six-figure deal for North American rights.

      Last time I announced a deal for Chloe, I mentioned how amazed I was with her ability to weave historical fact with fantasy, to keep me glued to my seat, to make me want to research more into this period of history while also enjoying a thoroughly enticing and engaging novel. That certainly hasn’t changed!

      Not long after her first sale, knee-deep in edits with her editor for These Violent Delights, Chloe shared an idea with me about [redacted character] and her intention to make a spin-off duology following [redacted]. Yes, I said––run with it, expand it, let’s see what you’ve got, let’s see if [redacted] can stand on two legs and be a star.

      Fast forward to 2020, where she’s promoting her debut launch in the middle of a pandemic while also revising Our Violent Ends. Even though we couldn’t celebrate in person like we all dreamed for her, the onslaught of praise and admiration and splashy reception Chloe received in trade, commercial, academic, and general reader circles was astounding!

      We felt confident that her idea for [redacted] would work, so she wrote her optional materials, submitted shortly before winter break, and received wonderful news from her publisher that they loved it too.

      In the words of her editor Sarah, “The queen of hate-to-love romance––the incomparable Chloe Gong––has an incredible new story coming, and you’d all better start prepping because you ARE. NOT. READY!!!!!” And she’s so right. Add Foul Lady Fortune to your TBR!

      Congratulations, Chloe!

      Posted in agenting, deal announcement | 1 Comment | Tagged agenting, deal announcement
    • MSWL for 2021

      Posted at 12:15 pm by Laura, on January 1, 2021

      Also known as
      What I’d Like to See in my Agent Inbox in 2021

      In general, my manuscript wish list stays the same no matter the season or year! But for 2021, I’m really hoping to see these kinds of projects in particular appear in my inbox. Similar to 2018, 2019, and 2020, but with some adjustments and additions (pie-in-the-sky dream projects).

      Keep in mind, a manuscript is more than a recipe combining themes of Book A, characters like those found in Book B, with a plot like Book C. It’s in the essence of the writing, the make-up of the narrative, the style of the voice––that’s what captures attention. A really great manuscript infuses the tone, atmosphere, and emotion into every word, applying careful attention to detail to evoke a sensation from the page to the reader’s mind. That’s what agents are looking for. We’re enticed by your recipe and hope to be moved by the outcome. So while I am pointing out published books that accomplished elements of what I love and what I’m seeking, I’m also pointing out books that most accurately display the essence of what I’m looking for.

      ~~~

      ADULT FICTION

      Fantasy || I adore fantasy inspired by historical events, cultures, folklore, and fairytales. More often than not, these fantasies tend to be set in secondary worlds, where magic may or may not exist, but the feel of the novel is certainly magical. My absolute favorites are The City of Brass (Islamic- and Arabic-inspired, set in 18th-c outside Cairo), Uprooted and Spinning Silver (Eastern European and Jewish fairytale retellings), The Wolf of Oren-Yaro (Filipino-inspired culture), and Daughter of the Forest (Irish Celtic mythology). Award-winning author and client Tasha Suri‘s Empire of Sand and Realm of Ash are based on 15th-c Mughal-Indian mythology, and upcoming Malice by Heather Walter spins a fairytale completely on its head. Each of these books have lush writing and beautiful characterizations, which is what I’m most drawn to in these fantasies. I also enjoy in-depth world-building and unique perspectives (literally everything about A Darker Shade of Magic), have thoroughly enjoyed dragon stories (Priory of the Orange Tree and His Majesty’s Dragon), am seeking more previously-established ensemble casts with one POV (a la Kings of the Wyld), and I want to find my own Queen of Blood, Bone Ships, or The Wolf and the Whale.

      Pie-in-the-sky manuscript: What every single book mentioned above accomplishes is the ability to take a creature, character, or tradition from a culture, tale, or faith and make it entirely new, unique, fresh. I want to see golems, djinn, wendigos, vetalas, almasties––I’m tired of the typical werewolf/vampire/angel/fairy. Give me something rarely covered in Western literature. Give me depth to the world and the characters. I don’t need heists and sword fights and action-action-action to propel my reading.

      Historical Fantasy || Though a branch off fantasy (“low fantasy”), this category is for all those books that have a hint of magic within the historical narrative. Not necessarily magical realism––but a tiny little something sparks that energy and spins into the fantastical. In Another Time explores wormholes in WWII, The Familiars leaves you wondering if she really was a witch, The Winter Witch adds an element of intrigue in a quiet Welsh farm, Outlander has a hint of time travel but is otherwise historical, and A Secret History of Witches explores generations of women in one family and the impact their magic has on the community. My favorite books in 2020 included The Once and Future Witches and The Year of the Witching, and I would fall over to represent something like that! Basically if it involves witches, a hint of magic, and the ways in which a community unravels, I’m down.

      Pie-in-the-sky: A fresh and unique spin on historical events that then asks, “what if…?” What if witches were real during XYZ historical event? What if witches were behind A? What if magic was the cause of B? What if someone with XYZ abilities could’ve changed the outcome to C? What if magic/witches were the root of religion? Take the idea and run with it.

      Women’s Fiction || I adore women’s fiction that is about the average woman doing average things, experiencing the difficulties of everyday life, and growing from it — such as Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, A Window Opens, Leave Me, Goodbye, Paris, and The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living. On the flip-side, I love chick-lit — humorous women’s fiction that’s appealing to a millennial audience, about young women in the workplace and the silly things that happen in their life. My absolute favorite is Sophie Kinsella, along with Don’t You Forget About Me, The Friend Zone, Ayesha at Last, and The Flatshare. Romance is not a primary draw for me, but it doesn’t turn me off to the story, either!

      Pie-in-the-sky: I’ve found I’m drawn to two particular sorts of protagonists and life journeys in women’s fiction. The first is the character that thinks they’re content when actually they’re lonely. Though these characters are typically older or curmudgeonly––and that’s okay––a kind and young character can experience this too. I’m drawn to the ways in which another character/event challenges them to break routine. The second is the character that has something preventing them from moving forward in life––grief, finances, a relationship––and the snowball effect that has throughout the narrative.

      Historical Fiction || I love all sorts of historical fiction, especially when it branches off little-known aspects of history, or it takes on a fresh new look at popular historical events (WWI and WWII, for example, are incredibly common on the shelves, but it’s how the story is told or the unique perspective the story is told through that brings them to the shelves). For example, my favorite historical fiction includes Shadow on the Crown (Emma of Normandy and early British history), The Alice Network (WWI/WWII parallel narrative shining light on female spy networks), The Romanov Empress (about Tsarina Maria Feodorovna, wife of Alexander III and mother of Nicholas II), and Dear Mrs. Bird (WWII advice columnist/slice-of-life narrative). I would love to see some more light shed on impressive women in history and the things they accomplished despite society’s limitations (STEM, feminism, code-breaking, politics/reigns, first female to ___), like client Clarissa Harwood‘s Impossible Saints. Admittedly, I’m most familiar with European (specifically English) history, but I’m open to reading anything as long as the premise is compelling and fresh and the writing style relatable to a modern audience.

      Pie-in-the-sky: Lately I’ve been craving Gilded Age/turn-of-the-century narratives, particularly in the ways American wealth supported British aristocracy. I also want to read about women we know (Wu Zetian, Elizabeth Bathory, Mette Magrete Tvistman), women behind great men in history, and women being the first in smaller [and oftentimes fictional] ways––like the first to run her family’s Victorian shop, with Sarah Waters vibes, for example.

      Contemporary/Historical Parallel Narratives in Fiction || There are great ways to introduce parallel narratives in historical and contemporary women’s fiction. Some of my favorites include anything pertaining to archivists, curators, scribes, researchers, and academics. Sometimes the parallel narrative is in the form of epistolary fiction –– artifacts and documents the curator, archivist, or researcher in the modern day stumbles across that takes us into the historical narrative literally (like The Weight of Ink and Possession) or figuratively (Meet Me at the Museum). I especially adore fiction that follows said curator, archivist, and academic on their journey, like The Clockmaker’s Daughter. I’m open to two historical narratives (Letters from Skye) as well as one historical and one contemporary, just as long as both narratives are tied in some way while still having two separate, compelling journeys.

      YOUNG ADULT FICTION

      Fantasy & Historical Fantasy || The YA world is difficult to break into, especially in fantasy. But I’m such a sucker for YA fantasy — I love all the worlds and ideas and originality that floods the market. That’s the issue at stake, though: it needs to be original. So while I love fairytale retellings, they need to be proper retellings, with twists and turns and (for goodness’s sake) new names––just like my clients Lisa DeSelm’s The Puppetmaster’s Apprentice and Chloe Gong’s These Violent Delights. I love culturally-influenced or mythology-inspired stories (like Spin the Dawn and Don’t Call the Wolf), but I’m not interested in Greek or Roman mythology whatsoever. (Never have been.) I love historically-inspired fantasies, too, such as Walk on Earth a Stranger. That said, I’m very much into elemental magic — when magic is innate, a part of the world, or part of the world’s faith/mythology — over all other kinds of fantasies, like Shielded by my client KayLynn Flanders. Think Star-Touched Queen, Shadowfell, Sorcery of Thorns, and Hunted. If you have a YA fantasy, send it my way, especially if they fit into any of the above criteria.

      Pie-in-the-sky: (As stated in the adult fiction section, since it applies here too) What every single book mentioned above accomplishes is the ability to take a creature, character, or tradition from a culture, tale, or faith and make it entirely new, unique, fresh. I want to see golems, djinn, wendigos, vetalas, almasties––I’m tired of the typical werewolf/vampire/angel/fairy. Give me something rarely covered in Western literature. Give me depth to the world and the characters. I don’t need heists and sword fights and action-action-action to propel my reading. They’re entertaining, but I’m here for the meat of the story, not the garnish.

      Contemporary Fiction || It is all about the voice for me when it comes to YA contemporary. When I read YA contemporary, I need to feel like I’m talking to my high school best friend. Teen readers can spot inauthenticity in a heartbeat, and you want to make sure you have their desires and heartbreaks in the voice of your protagonist. You’re not an adult trying to be a teen — you are a teen. That said, I am seeking fantastic rom-coms like When Dimple Met Rishi (technology camps!), Royals (royals’ sidekicks fall in love!) and Anna and the French Kiss (study abroad programs!), badass heroines like Dumplin’ (fighting against stereotypes!), and great family and friendship dynamics like Emma Mills, Morgan Matson, and Jenny Han. Perfect examples of this are my own clients Jared Reck (A Short History of the Girl Next Door) and Nina Moreno (Don’t Date Rosa Santos). I’d love to see more characters with fun and interesting jobs and unique hobbies. I tend to lean on the lighter side of things, with hope at the end of the tunnel. I do like tear-jerkers, but I want that spark of hope and inspiration at the end.

      Historical || Historical fiction is very hard to break into in YA. Sometimes it needs to have magical elements, sometimes it needs to be an era that readers are familiar with. Look to your own city, look to the history books, look to your family history, and see what seemingly small event had a large impact for that area. A Prisoner of Night and Fog is set in Germany in the 1930s, not quite WWII but through the perspective of someone in the middle of the frightening changes in the country; Outrun the Moon is set during the San Francisco earthquake, and how race and economic status barriers fell in a state of emergency; A Madness So Discreet is set across America in the 1800s, battling patriarchy and standing up for those unlawfully sentenced to mental institutions; The Forbidden Orchid is set in Asia as a Victorian girl hunts down her father, a man in the middle of a race to find a perfect, rare orchid; The Bird and the Blade, though partially based on a folk tale, is inspired by historical events during the Mongol Empire and the Great Khan’s reign of power. There are so many more — but great YA historical fiction requires an intriguing and original premise, a general accessibility, and bringing the past to life. I would love to see historical fiction set outside the US and Western Europe!

      ~~~

      For a final once-over, feel free to follow my #mswl and #MSWLaesthetic on Twitter, read my Manuscript Wishlist post, follow submission guidelines, read up on Publishers Marketplace deals, check out my clients page and book deals records, and catch up on this blog once in a while to read my thoughts and reviews of published works. Every little bit helps to getting representation! Oh, and as a reminder:

      ALWAYS seeking: diversity. Race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, mentality, health, economic status, religious affiliation, all of it. The obvious shouldn’t need to be said — that I want my projects to reflect the beautiful diversity of the world, that I want to see and share with others life through another’s eyes, that I want to see these differences expressed through art and creation and culture, that these books need to be on bookshelves — but that’s the state of things. So yes, there is no question to it: I want diversity.

      ALWAYS open to queries: even during times of the year when publishing seems extra busy, or extra slow, or I’m on vacation or traveling — I am open to queries. I never close. I read every single query. It’s unfair to you as the writer to try to keep track of all the agents who are opened or closed, and (selfishly) it’s unfair to me to be closed when something truly remarkable could have been in my inbox for me to represent. SO! With that said, if I’m busy or traveling or on vacation, I’ll have an away message up with clear, simple instructions about what will happen with your query in the time I’m away. I am never closed to queries.

      NEVER seeking: anything set in space, anything set in the future, thrillers and suspense (psychological, military, legal, political, or otherwise), Greek or Roman-inspired narratives (I’m sorry, I’m just not into it), all nonfiction (poems, essays, memoirs, how-tos, everything nonfiction), scripts or screenplays, paranormal romance, erotica. If your project uses any of these concepts to describe it, it’s an automatic no. I’m not the agent for any of these projects, so please do not send them to me.

      ~~~

      I hope this is helpful! I’m looking forward to receiving great manuscripts and selling lots in 2021!

      Posted in agenting | 1 Comment | Tagged agenting, personal
    • Top Five Books of 2020

      Posted at 10:56 am by Laura, on December 31, 2020

      It’s that time of year! Everyone is sharing their favorite books from 2020, and for the first time in a very long time I have to struggle to pick five from the pile of five-star reviews rather than accept the meager few as my top.

      When I made it my goal to read for quality over quantity this year (even though I did give a number and didn’t reach it), I found myself really enjoying reading for pleasure again (who would’ve thought?). This resulted in tossing aside several books to the DNF and TTFN, and diving deep into the ones I was truly enjoying. Several four-, four-and-a-half-, and five-star reads came forth, and it was such a joy! I can look back on my reading year in 2020 fondly.

      Top Five Books of 2020

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      “But Laura,” you say, “there are six books here! Can’t you count?”

      Top Five Books of 2020: Born a Crime, The Ten Thousand Doors of January, The Happy Ever After Playlist, Mexican Gothic, and A Darker Shade of Magic make my top most top five of the five-star reviewed titles. 

      Five other five-star reads include Becoming, Digital Minimalism, The Lost Words, Recommended for You, and The Once and Future Witches.

      The Top of the Top Best Book of 2020: The Year of the Witching, solidifying itself as one of my favorite books ever. All the stars to this book. All of them.

      And of course, my clients! 

      Shielded by KayLynn Flanders

      The Puppetmaster’s Apprentice by Lisa DeSelm

      These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

      ~

      Looking forward to another great reading year in 2021! 

      Posted in books, Update Post | 0 Comments | Tagged books, personal, top five books
    • Book Review: “A Darker Shade of Magic” by VE Schwab

      Posted at 4:55 pm by Laura, on December 26, 2020

      A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab

      Publisher: Tor
      Published: February 2015
      Genre: fantasy
      Rating:
      ★★★★★

      Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black.

      Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.

      Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they’ll never see. It’s a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.

      After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.

      Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they’ll first need to stay alive.

      This isn’t so much a review as it is a journey of my experience with Schwab’s writing and this book in particular.

      In the spring of 2014, I went to a book signing for Schwab’s YA duology. I’d read The Archived for my graduate thesis and wanted to meet her. At that event she talked about a book about “pirates, thieves, and sadist kings” that would be published in the next year or so. Then this came out, the world exploded with hype, and I avoided it like the plague—because more often than not, hyped books disappoint me. I wanted to read it away from all that. Fast forward to fall 2019 when an Instagram friend read it for the first time. She was separated from the hype, and loved it to pieces. At this point I figured it was safe…so I bought it, and like many books, it sat unread on my shelves till now.

      I shouldn’t have been so worried or afraid. But at the same time, I don’t regret waiting so long to read this book. I think I can appreciate it more now, absorb and cherish it better than I could have in the middle of the hype.

      Schwab infuses the magic of her world into every single carefully written word. Her language evokes the atmosphere, her words propel the narrative, the diction and syntax so purposefully crafted that I felt transported immediately in the first chapter. Her characters are so well-developed in the way she shows their actions and movements and interactions with others, there wasn’t a single moment of telling or explanation for behavior or history. The world/s is/are so lush and vibrant and beautiful—even in the Grey and White—and yet she managed to craft them with little description. I’m in awe. She evoked all the senses in her writing and not once did I feel bogged down by the narrative, or annoyed with the dialogue, or frustrated with the pacing. It was all so perfectly, exquisitely written.

      A wholly unique experience. I loved this with every fiber of my being.

      I’m excited to learn more about Kell and Lila on this next adventure in the Shades of Magic trilogy. This is one of a kind!

      Posted in books, Reviews 2020 | 1 Comment | Tagged book review, genre: adult fiction, genre: fantasy, review
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    • Hello, I’m Laura!

      I'm a bookish bookworm and book hoarder. By day I'm a literary agent, and by night I'm forever rearranging my bookshelves. I could talk your ear off about Gothic literature, and in my past life people thought I'd become a professional musician. I have a fluffy black cat named Rossetti, I love to knit, tea is my drink of choice, British TV is the best, and I'm obsessed with popcorn. Welcome to Scribbles & Wanderlust! Grab your favorite hot beverage and let's chat books!
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