Middle Grade (ages 9-13) I am particularly drawn to adventure, contemporary, horror, magical realism, and mystery novels. I love character driven stories with humor and authentic voices.
I’d love to see
• A contemporary novel featuring stories of family, first love, and overcoming obstacles. • Chilling tales of horror a la R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps, including creepy dolls, ghosts, and books set at camp. • Stories involving a diverse group of friends coming together to solve a mystery or a crime, like The Goonies or Stranger Things. • Magical tales, especially ones set at boarding schools. • Stories of adventure from anywhere in the world, from any time period, like pirates on the high seas or camping in the National forest. • A modern-day Babysitter’s Club series or Sweet Valley Twins series. Young Adult (ages 14-19) I am interested in a wide variety of YA genres: adventure, contemporary, horror, magical realism, mystery, romance, thriller, true crime, and light fantasy. I love strong, unique voices and am always looking for diverse, inclusive reads. I have a soft spot for misunderstood characters and love interests.
I’d love to see
• Feel-good coming of age stories like Stand by Me or Now and Then. • Dark stories and tales of terror! Send your books involving ghosts, witches, tarot, haunted houses, cemeteries, or things that go bump in the night. • A novel that reads like a true crime podcast. • Myths and legends from your part of the world. • Mysteries that involve friends banding together. If your novel can be likened to a more diverse Clue, Nancy Drew, or the Hardy Boys, send it in. • Stories featuring your local girl gang (girls supporting girls). • Romance in every subgenre, in every heat level. From slow burn romances to enemies-to-lovers to feel-good romances, I love them all. • Stories involving heists of any kind. • Adventures involving pirates, mermaids, or the ocean in any capacity. • If your book’s aesthetic is in the dark academia realm, I’d love to see it. • I’m forever wishing for a book that brings the same kind of autumn magic that Ray Bradbury conjured in his writing. • Magic and witches, witches and magic, magic and witches, witches and magic. Oh, and curses too. New Adult / Adult I am interested in a variety of genres: adventure, chick lit, commercial women’s fiction, horror, mystery, paranormal, romance, thriller, suspense, and true crime. I am drawn to unreliable narrators, dark and gritty tales, and stories with lots of twists and turns.
I’d love to see
• Horror of any kind that can scare and thrill. Bonus points if it can also make me laugh. • Psychological thriller that messes with your head. • Cozy mysteries with a lovable detective. Bonus points if it reminds me of Murder, She Wrote. • Any and all mysteries and true crime novels. • Romantic suspense featuring a strong lead and a hot, irresistible love interest, working together to solve a crime. • Feel-good romance that can make a reader laugh and swoon simultaneously, especially small town romantic comedies. • A ghost hunter rom-com or a tarot reader / psychic rom-com
NON-FICTION
I seek well-researched and focused books on lifestyle (health, wellness etc.), self-help, self-improvement, true crime, spiritualism, witchcraft, and magic.
I AM NOT THE RIGHT FIT FOR
• Chapter/Picture books • Military/Political thrillers • Pandemic stories • High Fantasy • Science Fiction • Screenplays • Novellas/Short Story Collections
Fun facts about me
I am a huge animal lover, iced coffee drinker, and lover of spooky things. Submission Guidelines Submissions should be emailed to jolene@ To query me, please review my agent page and follow Marsal Lyon Literary Agency’s submission guidelines. To submit, email your query to jo **** @ **********************.
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