Young Adult

• Messy, vulnerable characters who trip over their emotions, whether they bottle things up and the pressure leads to an explosion or they always wear their hearts on their sleeves

• Characters who don’t get what they want and need to find another path forward

• Plots that go sideways because of mistakes 

• Friendships and rivalries that spur characters to greater heights

• Drama that isn’t rooted in miscommunication or love triangles

• Difficult decisions that close certain doors and potential futures and irrevocably alter relationships

• Characters starting to break the rules imposed on them by family and society that no longer serve them unless they’re already rebelling or completely outside those constraints altogether

• Figuring out what to hold onto and what to let go. Comfort and nostalgia competing with stagnation and ennui when you cling to the past vs. fear of the unknown competing with the necessity of change and evolution when facing the future

• For contemporary, realistic novels without any speculative elements, I strongly prefer a clear high-concept hook (contemporary, slice-of-life graphic novels are okay, though)

• While I’m open to historical fiction set in any era, for more contemporary period pieces, I’m interested in writing that heavily leans into subcultures, movements, and pop culture, e.g., early Internet culture, 90s K-pop fandom 

 

Not seeking

• Romance novels (romance graphic novels are the exception). However, I’m okay with romance as a minor element or subplot that’s very much in the background. I prefer romance as a vehicle to explore bigger themes

• Nonfiction unless it’s a graphic memoir