In Adult Fiction, she’s especially looking for:
- Psychological and domestic suspense full of twists. Think: Lucy Foley, Vera Kurian, Andrea Bartz, May Cobb, Eliza Jane Brazier, Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, Jeneva Rose, Jessica Strawser
- Murder mystery, cozy or traditional, contemporary or historical, serious or humorous, hijinks welcome and big family drama very welcome. Think: Louise Penny, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, Lucy Foley, Tana French, Before She Disappeared, Dial A for Aunties, Rhys Bowen, Knives Out, Only Murders in the Building.
- Fantasy – cozy with low stakes, high/epic, portal and romantasy. Think: Legends & Lattes, The Ten Thousand Doors of January, Every Heart a Doorway, Sarah J Maass, Leigh Bardugo.
- Rom-coms and romance – in particular I’m interested in POC voices in romance, body-positive romance, LGBTQ+ romance, and adventure romance (think The Lost City). If you can give me a strong hook, an ‘impossible’ situation, and real, quirky characters I can root for, I’m sold. Think: Tia Williams, Emily Henry, Angie Hockman.
- Women’s fiction: give me that heartfelt beach read. Bonus points for sister relationships, complex family dynamics, intergenerational tensions, and upmarket writing.
- Sci fi – I don’t want my sci-fi cold; give me human connection, make me cry, give me that high concept worldbuilding and heartache that lasts for a week. Think: This Is How You Lose the Time War.
- Speculative – give me speculative twists on rom-coms, thrillers, mysteries, etc. Give me time loops, robots, parallel worlds, fantastical creatures, etc. Give me a story rooted in the present that has that one, addictive speculative twist. Think: The Rehearsals, Groundhog Day, Bone Gap, Stranger Things.
- Upmarket and book club fiction. Think: Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, Britt Marie Was Here, Great Kitchens of the Midwest, Taylor Jenkins Reid.
In Adult Nonfiction, Jenna is selective. She’s especially looking for:
- Voicey memoir (solid platform is a huge plus)
- The next big ex-evangelical voice, and both feminist and LGBTQ+ voices in the Christian context. Think: Rachel Held Evans, Matthew Vines, or Beth Allison Barr’s The Making of Biblical Womanhood.
- Spiritual deconstruction / reconstruction. Think: Kate Bowler’s Everything Happens for a Reason and Other Lies I’ve Loved.
- Self-help from an “expert” millennial or Gen Z voice on topics such as divorce, sexuality, pregnancy, parenting.
- Books highlighting alternative approaches to death (living funerals, death doulas, at-home body care, etc.)
In Young Adult, she’s especially looking for:
- Fantasy, cozy or epic, contemporary or infused with sci-fi. Think: Iron Widow, Only a Monster, Where Dreams Descend, Caraval, Sarah J. Maass, Girl of Fire and Thorns, Leigh Bardugo, Brigid Kemmerer’s A Curse So Dark and Lonely.
- Sci-fi that makes me feel as much as it makes me think; bonus if you can make me cry. Think: The Ones We’re Meant to Find.
- Thriller/suspense and mystery. Think: One of Us Is Lying, Come Find Me.
- Speculative. Think: The Grace Year.
- Atmospheric horror or extravagantly satirical horror. Think: House of Hollow, Wilder Girls, Bodies Bodies Bodies.
In Middle Grade, she’s looking for:
- Graphic Novel – mostly interested in author-illustrators; fantasy or contemporary. If my ten-year-old would love it, we’re on to something! Think: Amulet, Smile, Drama.
- Fantasy with series potential. Think: Chris Colfer, The School for Good and Evil, Wings of Fire.
- Contemporary stories that explore the multicultural / multilingual experience
- Horror
In Picture Books, she’s only looking for author/illustrators and the following very specific projects:
- Books that explore neurodiversity, in particular, high sensitivity/sensory processing
- If you have What Happens on Wednesdays but set in Chicago, please send that my way!
- Books that celebrate the joy, grittiness and diversity of urban living
- Books highlighting the multicultural experience (bilingual books English/Spanish), especially from the point of view of a refugee child
She is not currently looking for:
- Picture books (unless it’s a referral/request or fits the above)
- Chapter books
- Hardcore/gory horror
- Erotica
- Military Science Fiction
- Anything with child abuse or gruesome child death described in detail on the page (okay to refer to it as part of a character’s backstory, but I can’t take it on the page; exceptions made if you are Tana French) … my heart can’t take it!
- Poetry or screenplays