Rebecca’s Wish List

For YA:

• Open to anything contemporary or romance, but I am not a huge fan of projects where the majority of the story is based on the typical high school experience, like plots revolving around school dances, sports, etc. I prefer older YA.

• I would love to see anything dystopian, historical, sci-fi, or cross-genre. 

• Anything with a summer camp setting.

• The next Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappiais my dream. The protagonists need to be obsessive about their passions to the point of their downfall.

• A boarding school setting in any YA genre would be interesting to me. I fell in love with Maureen Johnson’s Truly Devious when I first read it because of this. 

• I’d love to find the next My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows.

• Anything with important themes for young adults to explore, like Exit, Pursed by a Bear by E. K. Johnston, Heroine by Mindy McGinnis, or The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo.

• While I would love to have romance in YA, I prefer closed door and for it to be young-adult-friendly. 

• I would be open to YA graphic novels.

• I am not a huge fan of mystery or thriller, but if I could somehow find something comparable with Maureen Johnson’s Truly Devious series(specifically, I love the first three and The Box in the Woods), or if I could find a YA Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano, I would be interested. 

YA Fantasy:

• Whimsical fantasy with a plot and yearning, like Stephanie Garber’s Once Upon a Broken Heart, Kiera Azar’s Thorn Season, and Roshani Chokshi’s The Swan’s Daughter.

• I would love to find a YA equivalent to Heather Fawcett’s Emily Wilde series.

• A unique setting would sell me with YA. If it’s a steampunk world, underwater, in a volcano, send it my way!

• Tension is everything inYA fantasy. This includes both the plot and the characters. I don’t usually enjoy books that center around trials or a checklist-type quest because it feels like the plot only moves because of those elements.

• I am always intrigued by monstrous protagonists—whether they are actually monsters or not. I love a grand reveal or a plot twist with this nature. Think This Savage Song by V. E. Schwab or Not Even Bones by Rebecca Schaeffer. 

• I’d love to see an urban fantasy with a unique setting. Patrick Ness’ Burn does this well, as it takes place on a remote farm in Washington.

• A YA fantasy sports story would be a good fit. Think Amparo Ortiz’s Blazewrath Games.

• A subplot of romance is welcome in YA fantasy (closed door, please) and, I’d love for it not to take up a significant amount of plot. Think Kaz and Inej in Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows or Cardan and June in Holly Black’s The Cruel Prince. 

Dystopian:

• I am open to YA, crossover, and adult dystopia with a fresh hook/concept that brings something completely unique to the genre. 

• I am not a good fit for romance-based dystopians, like Matched by Allie Condie or The Selection by Kiera Cass, but if romance is a sub-plot, that is welcome (like 20% max compared to the rest of the story).

General Fiction/Upmarket/Literary:

• I love books by Kiley Reid, like Such a Fun Age and Come & Get It, especially with the university setting.

• Lan Samantha Chang’s Hunger and All is Forgotten, Nothing is Lost are favorites of mine. I love how she brings in hobbies to her writing, specifically writing and music.

• Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson is an example of what I would look for in a strange-concept upmarket title.

• I’d love to find the next I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue.

Romance:

• I would love a good paranormal romance, similar to what Ashley Poston has been writing with The Dead Romantics and what Ali Hazelwood wrote with Bride. I would love to see a rise in more unique paranormal creatures (not just vampires and werewolves).

• I am also a big fan of speculative romance, similar to what Ashley Poston did in The Seven Year Slip. 

• I am open to contemporary romance too. I would like to find something similar to Beach Read by Emily Henry with more of a focus on the character’s hobbies. 

• I love a good rivalry (over enemies to lovers) and a good slow burn. I would love a book similar to the movie How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days. 

• Please do not send me erotica. I prefer books with a low spice level. 

• I am not a good fit for dark romance. 

Sci-Fi:

• I am a big fan of Murderbot by Martha Wells.

• I would love to get a science fiction story that leans into climate fiction, but with more action. Think The Great Transition by Nick Fuller Googins, but with a little more action and a world that is slightly less adjacent to ours.

• I loved Veronica Roth’s Seek the Traitor’s Son, and I would love a science fiction novel that has a sweeping romance like that one.

Horror:

• I would love to find a horror novel that has a concept that is both naturally funny and intense, like The Southern Bookclub’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix.

• I enjoy horror that is satirical or offers a critique in nature, like how Mona Awad’s Bunny critiques academia and cliques. A literary tone, like Julia Armfield’s writing, is welcome too. 

• Please do not send me horror with overly-detailed graphic content involving SA, torture, or mentions of anything of that nature involving minors. 

Historical Fiction:

• I would only like to represent historical fiction if it is cross-genre. I love historical fiction with speculative elements like The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden, yet I would like the focus to remain on the time period it is in—the extra elements can embellish but not carry.

• I enjoyed Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. If you have anything similar to that with an observation of a life during a specific time period that includes struggles of that time, it would be welcome. (Ex: her struggles against sexism, romantic notions, tragedy.)

Middle Grade Fantasy:

• I would only be interested in representing middle grade fantasy at the moment, ideally with higher-level chapter books, like The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainanior The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann.

• I would love to find books that are geared towards middle schoolers but could be enjoyed by older readers, so if readers were to revisit them when they were older, they would fall in love all over again, like Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan.

• Unique worlds and magic systems would sell me. I love the steampunk world Jaleigh Johnson creates in Mark of the Dragonfly. It would be really special to find a concept I have never heard of before within a middle grade fantasy.

• A fairytale retelling would be interesting to me. I loved the Tyme series by Megan Morrison and The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani.

• I would be open to looking at middle grade graphic novels.

Mystery/Thriller: 

• I love Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosmianoand Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto, where it has a goofy premise that is easily readable and sucks the reader in.

• I am not a good fit for traditional thrillers or mysteries. I would be more so interested in cozy mysteries. I would prefer projects that are largely entertaining rather than an adrenaline rush. 

• I am not accepting political thrillers, military thrillers, international/spy thrillers, and crime fiction. 

Other:

• I would love to find some cross-genre work. Ex: speculative crossed with historical fiction, YA fantasy with a mystery element, dystopian with upmarket or literary themes.

• If you have a concept that makes me wonder how it could possibly work, and I need to know how it was pulled off, please send it my way. 

• I enjoy concepts that are slightly unconventional, especially within general or speculative fiction. For example, Kevin Wilson’s Nothing to See Here does this well, with the concept of babysitting children who spontaneously combust. It makes me wonder how the concept would work within a story and immediately intrigues me. 

• I love a good academic setting. This applies to almost every genre. Whether it’s a boarding school, a college, etc. I would be interested in the academic struggle specifically, like what R. F. Kuang portrayed in Katabasis.

• If you have a book involving music in some way, I would love to see it!

• I’d be interested to find a book that reads like reality television, where I am addicted to the writing. I felt this way when I first read the American Royals series by Katharine McGee.

• I would love to see passionate characters who love their hobbies or jobs to the point of obsession. 

• I am especially drawn to books with a lot of tension 

• Some other tropes I enjoy: slow burn (really slow), rivalry, forced proximity.

• Please send me diverse books! Any kind of diversity is welcome, but I would especially like to find some disability representation. Anything that is lacking in publishing would be great to see! 
  

What I do not represent:

• Non-Fiction

• Adult Romantasy and Fantasy

• Anything Middle Grade (except fantasy)

• Children’s books

• Mystery/Thrillers that are overly dark and are not cozy

• Overly dark horror with graphic or inappropriate content

• Erotica

Books I Love:

• Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

• Katabasis by R. F. Kuang

• Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

• The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson

• Burn by Patrick Ness

• Miss Peregrine’s Series by Ransom Riggs

• This Gilded Abyss by Rebecca Thorne

• Heavenbreaker by Sara Wolf

• Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto

• The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen

• Emergency Contact by Mary H. K. Choi

• Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

• Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

• A Curse for the Homesick by Laura Brooke Robson

• We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

• Book Lovers by Emily Henry

• Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson

• Under Loch and Key by Lana Ferguson

• When Among Crows by Veronica Roth

• Seek the Traitor’s Son by Veronica Roth

• Erasure by Percival Everett

• Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim

• A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

• The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

• I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue

• Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko

• Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz

• Ballad for Sophie by Filipe Melo

• The Sculptor by Scott McCloud

• Final Draft by Riley Redgate

• Solitaire by Alice Oseman

• Fang Fiction by Kate Stayman-London

• Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

• The Last Voyage of Poe Blythe by Ally Condie

• The Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu

• The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

• The Mark of the Dragonfly by Jaleigh Johnson

• The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner

• The Great Transition by Nick Fuller Googins

• Yellowface by R. F. Kuang

• Paper Girls by Brian K. Vaughan

• You Have a Match by Emma Lord

• Heroine by Mindy McGinnis

• The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

• This Savage Song by V. E. Schwab

• The Rule of One by Ashley and Leslie Saunders

• An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green

• The Magic Half by Annie Barrows