2025 SmoochPit MSWL (Young Adult and New Adult)

I’m looking for romance AND. Romance and a speculative twist, romance and needed social commentary, romance and meaningful representation, etc. Give me all your combinations—horromance, romantasy, romystery, and any other genre-bending portmanteaus you can come up with! 

Across the board, I’m seeking taut, lyrical prose, complex characters that must overcome significant challenges, and a romance arc that hinges on personal and philosophical development.

I’m always excited by a unique voice like Demon Copperhead or Gideon The Ninth or a high-concept hook grounding the central relationship like They Both Die At The End or Together We Rot. 

Extended MSWL + Some Favorites

My official genres are contemporary romance, rom-com, science fiction, fantasy, paranormal, and fiction with strong romantic elements, but I find myself most often drawn to crossover and high-concept stories. 

I'm not a big reader of straight romance, and by that I mean both books that feature only romance and books that center on a typical cis-het relationship. For books in the contemporary and rom-com genres, I'm looking for a fun hook like the ones found in Wish You Weren't Here or I Kissed Shara Wheeler. 

For genre fiction, my tastes are more broad! My experience tends to lie in grounded speculative work, specifically horror and fantasy that takes place in a setting similar to our modern world. That being said, I'm very open to new genres and elements! If there's something arcane and strange governing the central relationship, be that a time loop, a prophecy, or a disease, I'm sold!

Across the board, I prioritize prose and craft. I specifically value a sparsity of language and distinctive voice, especially if it's drawn from a specific background or backstory.

But all of this is just a generalization in hopes of helping you figure out who to submit to! If you have a story that doesn't quite fit into what I've said here, but you think we'd be a good fit, please send it anyway! 

Specific MSWL— 

• Southern or Appalachian settings

• Trans and nonbinary romances

• Medical settings and medical magic

• Haunting and timely horromances

• A distinctly 2025 take on the John Green-style YA contemporary

• A first-person voice that sounds so genuinely teenage I want to strangle them

Fiction Favorites

• Wilder Girls, Rory Power

• Summer Sons, Lee Mandelo

• Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel

• Upright Women Wanted, Sarah Gailey

• The Spirit Bares Its Teeth, Andrew Joseph White

• Annihilation, Jeff Vandermeer

• Wake The Bones, Elizabeth Kilcoyne

• The Southern Book Club's Guide To Slaying Vampires, Grady Hendrix

Other Assorted Favorites

• Literary Fiction

  • The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy

  • Her Body and Other Parties, Carmen Maria Machado

• Poetry

  • Mary Oliver

  • Ross Gay

  • Ellen Bass

• TV and Movies

  • Palm Springs

  • Big Fish

  • The Last of Us

  • Our Flag Means Death

Anti-MSWL

• Stories centering on sexual assault or sexual violence

  • If it's a minor element or single scene, just give me a heads-up in your submission!

• Prescriptive literature, especially in middle grade

  • If you describe your book by saying "it teaches kids to..." or "readers will learn the importance of..." it's not for me

• Religious fiction

• Any use of generative AI (including moodboards)

Mentoring Style

For each book I read, I deliver a full document of line edits that center prose and scene structure, and a 5-10 page edit letter focusing on story structure, character arcs, and meaning and message. I bring some literary sensibilities to my love of commercial work and will be tough on prose and overly-interested in what your book is “saying.” 

I love working with writers who are confident enough that they can take on the edits that resonate with them and disregard the ones that don’t. My goal is a true collaboration that prioritizes bringing your vision to life. My notes will be kind and include plenty of compliments and cheers, but I’m not someone to hold back on giving larger edits. I want this book to be the absolute best that it can be and I’m hoping for a mentee who feels the same! 

I’m always happy to talk through priorities, plans, or publishing woes! I’ve never encountered a stupid question and I’m always happy to share advice or just let you vent. This is a tough business and revision is an emotional process. I prefer text-based communication and will be available through email/Discord/DM throughout. I’m also happy to schedule some phone or video calls during major checkpoints! Let me know what matters to you and what’s most accessible and we’ll make it happen!

***

2024 SmoochPit MSWL (Young Adult) 

I’m looking for romance AND. Romance and a speculative twist, romance and needed social commentary, romance and meaningful diversity, etc. Give me all your combinations—horromance, romantasy, romystery, and any other genre-bending portmanteaus you can come up with! 

I especially love books with a high-concept hook grounding the relationship like They Both Die At The End or Together We Rot, though I prefer my science fiction and fantasy to have some grounding in the real world. 

Across the board, I’m seeking taut, lyrical prose, complex characters that must overcome significant challenges, and a romance arc that hinges on personal and philosophical development. I’m not the right fit for stories with sexual assault of any kind.

I’m specifically looking for — 

• Commercial stories with literary prose

• Southern or Appalachian settings

• Anything that comps Our Flag Means Death or Good Omens

• Medical settings and medical magic (If you have a medical school/residency romance I want it!) 

• A distinctly 2024 take on the John Green-style contemporary

• A first-person voice that sounds so genuinely teenage I want to strangle them

Extended Version

My official genres are fiction with strong romantic elements, science fiction/fantasy, and contemporary romance, but I will be specifically prioritizing crossover work. I'm not a big reader of straight romances, and by that I mean both books that have only romance and books that center on a typical cis-het relationship. (My exceptions to this would be if you have a retelling of some sort or that med school book.)

I'm fine with some heat and nuance in my YA, but I am not looking for a "dark romance." Romantasy is great, but I'm looking for things that break the mold--if you comp Sarah J Maas or Fourth Wing it probably isn't for me. 

I love a queer-platonic to queer-romantic arc. I'm a big fan of friends to lovers or roommates to lovers. I'm good with love triangles or why-choose elements and I'd love to see more poly + ace representation in YA. If there's something arcane and strange governing the relationship, be that a time loop, a prophecy, or a disease, I'm sold!

Mentorship Style

For each book I read, I deliver a full document of line edits that center prose and scene structure, and a 5-10 page edit letter focusing on story structure, character arcs, and meaning and message. I bring some literary sensibilities to my love of commercial work and will be tough on prose and overly-interested in what your book is “saying.” 

I love working with writers who are confident enough to take on the edits that resonate with them and disregard the ones that don’t. My goal is a true collaboration that prioritizes bringing your vision to life. My notes will be kind and include plenty of compliments and cheers, but I’m not someone to hold back on giving larger edits. I want this book to be the absolute best that it can be and I’m hoping for a mentee who feels the same! 

I’m always happy to talk through priorities, plans, or publishing woes. I’ve never encountered a stupid question and I’m always happy to share advice or just let you vent. This is a tough business and revision is an emotional process. I prefer text-based communication and will be available through email/Discord/DM throughout. I’m also happy to schedule some phone or video calls during major checkpoints. Let me know what matters to you and what’s most accessible and we’ll make it happen!

***

2024 Write Team Mentorship Program MSWL (Young Adult and Middle Grade)

Across the board, I’m seeking tight, lyrical prose, complex characters that must overcome significant challenges, and a plot that hinges on their personal and philosophical development. I am specifically seeking heartfelt middle grade, especially works that explore queer, neurodiverse, or disabled experiences. I’m also on the lookout for twisty young adult novels that explore societal issues or character dynamics with innovative speculative elements or story structures. 

My Favorite Things 

• Anything that comps Sarah Gailey, Kyle Lukoff, or Andrew Joseph White

• Commercial stories with literary prose

• Medical Magic / Medical Settings

• Southern or Appalachian Settings

Extended Version

My official genres are contemporary, fantasy, horror, and sci-fi, and within those I'll prioritize stories with some tie to our real world. I love a hooky premise and a capitvating central character dynamic, romantic or otherwise! I'm the kind of mentor that you can win over with excellent prose or a unique voice. 

***

Extended MSWL + Some Favorites

Fiction Favorites

• Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel

• Upright Women Wanted, Sarah Gailey

• Stargirl, Jerry Spinelli

• The Spirit Bares Its Teeth, Andrew Joseph White

• Holes, Louis Sachar

• The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy

• Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Laini Taylor

• Annihilation, Jeff Vandermeer

• Walk Two Moons, Sharon Creech

Other Assorted Favorites

• Mary Oliver

• Palm Springs (2020)

• The Last of Us

• Mary Roach (nonfiction)

• Non-Covid Pandemic Narratives

Anti-MSWL

• Stories centering sexual assault

  • If it's a minor element or single scene, just give me a heads-up in your submission!

• Prescriptive literature, especially in middle grade

  • If you describe your book by saying "it teaches kids to..." or "readers will learn the importance of..." it's not for me

• Religious fiction

• Portal Fiction

• ACOTAR-style fae and faries

• Domineering male love interests

• Any use of generative AI (including moodboards)