AGE GROUPS:

YA/NA/Adult

GENRES:

All kinds of fantasy, with a focus on urban/contemporary fantasy!

Romance/Romcom

Romantasy

Horror*

Contemporary

Action

Specifics:

As a commercial-leaning author, I really want to be able to bring more ‘off-beat’/’less-typical’ stories into the mainstream. If you have any trouble marketing your book, but still believes it belongs in the commercial realm - or even better, you’ve subverted a bunch of common tropes in a common genre - please send them to me! I believe in plot and themes > tropes, but I am also very aware of how to sell pitches/manuscripts. So please - I will find a place for them for you :)

Onto genres I enjoy: I love all kinds of fantasy! I’m requesting low fantasy in particular because while I love high fantasy/SFF, I’m admittedly not extremely detailed worldbuilding-wise. Nevertheless, as a law student, I love poking at systems in society, and we might be a great match. My debut is a fantasy, action and rom-com rolled into one, which encompasses my direction as a creative. I love action movies (especially superhero movies), as well as comedic rom-coms and campy stories (see also: comedies in dystopia, trope-y superhero stories). I’m extremely interested in stories with trope subversions (ie, chosen one gone wrong, lovers to enemies) or even just tropes executed uniquely. I also love interesting visuals on a prose-level and novel metaphors - anything a little bit experimental is so cool to me, and I’d love to help you figure out how to place that in the publishing market. I also would love non-Western fantasy, such as SEAsian/Asian-inspired stories (fantasy or horror)!

I also love reading and watching horror, but am less familiar with horror conventions than I am with fantasy ones. I would provide enthusiastic support for horror manuscripts and would work with mentors on writing style, potential plot holes and exploring societal themes through horror, but I must disclaim that I am a greater enjoyer than creator of horror. Nevertheless, if you send me a horror manuscript that I have a vision for, I would be so excited to see it! I grew up on Stephen King and watched thirty horror movies in 2023. I love zombie/apocalyptic horror, horror as critique/satire, and sea/space horror (for example, INTO THE DROWNING DEEP by Mira Grant).

I also love romance and rom-coms - I’m fine with any level of ‘spice’, but would likely not choose anything with many spicy scenes (unless blended with a genre, like horror). I love all kinds of romance (especially queer, ND and with more than two parties), and do tend to be slightly more invested in stories with romantic threads. I am unlikely to take on traditional romance stories if they aren’t queer, and I’m looking for diverse characters in your romances!

I have extremely wide tastes and love reading both voice-y scripts and lyrical, atmospheric ones. My personal style draws to emphasising character voice over setting, but I love exploring that balance. I also deeply believe that I follow a character more than I follow stories, which means I’m looking for characters I can fall in love with. Witty, insufferable protagonists are my personal weakness. I also prefer characters with more agency, but can fully appreciate manuscripts where characters are deprived of their agency and must act as such. I am a huge fan of found families - please send them all my way! Other fun character dynamics for me are: tired mentor x energetic mentee, reformed socially-awkward villain, sibling dynamics, enemies-to-lovers, criminal families.

Since my preferences are so scattered, feel free to send me nearly anything. I’m not looking for anything specific, and will be more focused on finding a mentee that I have a vision for and who I think I can work well with.

Stories I’m less likely to take on: anything overly historical, anything with gratuitous on-page racism (important in some stories but can be stressful to read), anything pro-war/military, anything with violence towards animals/pets, anything where pets die.

COMPS:

NIMONA (movie)

NEZHA (movie)

DEBS (movie)

DEAD POETS SOCIETY (movie)

YELLOWJACKETS (TV show)

DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS (movie)

HARLEY QUINN (TV show)

WE’RE THE MILLERS (movie)

THE MARTIAN (book)

LOCKED TOMB SERIES (books)

Anything comped to books by AJ White

Anything comped to books by Wenyi Lee

CUTE MUTANTS by SJ Whitby (book)

JOHN DIES AT THE END series by Jason Pargin (book)

THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST by Rick Yancey (book)