Randomly, I find the hunger stones surfacing in the European drought fascinating.

TURN YOUR IDEA INTO A STORY 💡 Do you have a graphic novel idea you love but aren’t sure how to shape into a complete story? #scbwisfsouth #kidlitillustration #kidlitauthor #graphicnovels #graphicnovelsforkids

I want a book that comps to RIDE OR DIE #MSWL

I forgot how much I enjoy JOHN TUCKER MUST DIE #MSWL

Congratulations to @allisonlbitz.bsky.social on her new romantic spec YA!

Open to queries again! Check out my @socalledkidlit account on Instagram to see more! And as always check out my profile here for up to date #MSWL

Rewatching HART OF DIXIE and I love the chemistry between Zoe and Wade #MSWL

I want humorous and irrevent picture books #MSWL

New Deal for Jessica Stremer! Can't wait for this history of the Little Golden Books!

breaking my vacation hermit mode, to share this amazing deal!

One of the current scams targeting writers is to send an e-mail that appears to be from a real editor, full of gushing (LLM-generated) praise for one of their books. There are a couple of very specific tells I want to flag for the vulnerable.

I have been rewatching MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE, and I love Hal as a dad. #MSWL

Me: "Hey you want to go with me on a walk?" My colleague Steffi: "Sure! Sounds great!" **Proceeds to take her on a 5 mile hike across the Hollywood Hills**

a little girl in a blue shirt is standing in front of a shelf with a shelf full of trophies .

ALT: a little girl in a blue shirt is standing in front of a shelf with a shelf full of trophies .

media.tenor.com

Sports book (HEATED RIVARLY, ICEBREAKER) but set it in a fantasy world #MSWL

Weird picture book query trend i am seeing: alot of first person or "I" usage. Personally, I think using first person POV in picture books can lead to weaker storytelling since it's easy then to slip into telling a story.

Emily Henry for YA #MSWL

I just worked for 2 hours on queries only to just realize I have been using the wrong query form. If you got a pass about illustration, I'm sorry! I wasn't paying attention.

Also looking for in 2026 #MSWL

Natascha@socalledyalife.bsky.social · last yr.

2025 #MSWL: -an YA Fantasy that feels fresh -a sweeping epic YA romance -a great YA mystery (LOVE Rian Johnson and if you can comp to the vibes there, even better) -a YA mermaid book -College set sex advice column book -hypernormality in Dystopian -spooky adjacent picture book -weird and quirky

I want an academia book: dark, light, or cozy/whimsical #MSWL

Fast food work place comedy for #YA #MSWL

What i would love to see more of in fantasy: blending genres, spies, military academies (weirdly a sucker for this); cozy fantasy, romantasy that is not portal fantasy. #MSWL

Natascha@socalledyalife.bsky.social · last yr.

I am seeing way too much princess fantasy in my queries. While I do love a royal fantasy, I think we are seeing market oversaturation and I would love to see more fantasy that isn't just concerned with palace intrigue, princesses getting their stabby on, and royal machinations.

#MSWL YA fantasy series

#MSWL college set coming of age/romance YA

I am loving this vein of comedic fantasy. You know, the high fantasy world meshed with a workplace romance/comedy, and an almost contemporary voice. I'd love something like that. ONWARD & ASSISTANT TO THE VILLIAN is kind of what I am thinking. #MSWL

Then we have poison gardens, herbalist vibes in a fantasy world. I love the idea that the same plants that can cure things can kill. #MSWL

Mermaids! This is only one version of my mermaid #MSWL: atmospheric, unsettling, not taking place in the water.

#MSWL

A classic summer beach read romance but set in a fantasy world #MSWL

Mermaids as horror. Strip the male gaze and recognize them for what they are: predators with the ability to use tools. #MSWL

a cool retelling or homage to THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO #MSWL