Molly's 2013 Wish List

New year, new wish list. I’ve been with TBA a year now and it’s been terrific fun watching the market evolve and refining my own tastes. My client roster is growing, so here’s what I’m looking for this year:

Middlegrade fiction! Especially…

• Funny, contemporary stories about real kids in real situations
• Stories that feature a strong sibling dynamic
• Adventure stories
• Literary fiction with a strong voice

Young adult fiction! Especially…

• Romance, either contemporary or historical
• Funny contemporary fiction with a ‘hook’  -- think ROCKOHOLIC: ‘Girl kidnaps the rock star she’s obsessed with and hides him in her garage!'
• Well-researched historical fiction
• Thrillers
• Gothic novels and straight-up ghost stories (not to be confused with paranormal romance) – think THE DIVINERS
• Stories set in wartimes real and imaginary, with high stakes – think CODE NAME VERITY or HOW I LIVE NOW
• Stories about religious sects and cults
• A story set in a theme town
• A story that P.G. Wodehouse might have written…if he were writing for children in the 21^st century 

And New Adult fiction! Romances or thrillers, please.

Here’s what I’m not looking for:

• Snark. Wit is great – I love wit – but sarcasm is not wit. I’m over the eye-rolling “whatevers”
• Paranormal/urban fantasy. No vampires, werewolves, angels, succubi, shapeshifters, etc.
• Time travel (I said I wanted it last year, and I got tons – I don’t need any more right now)
• Stories set in the 1980s
• High fantasy, for the most part. I’ve been suffering from ‘fantasy fatigue’ for the last year or so, and it took THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS to snap me out of it. But if you've written something as personality-driven and engrossing as that, send it to me

I’m actively looking for projects from authors in the U.S. and the U.K. (and elsewhere, of course, but British publishers are clamoring for U.K.-based authors who can actively participate in promoting their books).

If none of the above describes your project, but you think it might be a good fit for me, by all means send it along. I can’t wait to see what 2013 brings to my inbox!