Jessie Devine

Right now I am only looking for YA submissions in fantasy, sci-fi, historical, and contemporary. My taste is eccentric. I want stuff that’s so weird, it works.

My favorite fantasy stories are alive in immersive, multi-layered worlds that feel real. They are fresh, breaking away from traditional Western tropes and archetypes.

Sci-fi should be narrowly focused for me. I want laser clarity, high technology, and a ticking clock. Also, my taste tends to run either super clean, futuristic chrome-and-glass OR super gritty, industrial dark-and-dirty.

I like historical that could be described as charming. Settings should be well-researched and powerful. I’m most interested in places and time periods that haven’t been done to death.

In contemporary, I’m interested in looking at anything from issue books to fluff pieces. Voice is the most important aspect for me. I’m especially interested in contemp YA featuring competition as a driving factor. An academic competition? A sports competition? A modeling/painting/snorkeling/knitting competition? What do you have?

Things I need across the board:

• active, morally complex characters
• a diverse cast of characters
• a distinct voice
• an emotional punch
• an immersive setting

Things I never want:

• stories about sexual assault
• tragic queer characters
• racist nonsense

Things I always like:

• forbidden romance
• sex positivity
• diversity

Some specific things on my MSWL right now:

• YA contemporary dance story with cutthroat competition a la DANCE ACADEMY
• YA ownvoices fantasy inspired by East Asian or Southeast Asian folklore
• YA fantasy or historical or historical fantasy set in the deep south, exploring Hoodoo
• YA contemporary multiple POV love triangle in which the two competing LIs pair off (preferably queerly, lol)

Finally, I want books by marginalized creators. I’m interested in stories with characters who are queer, disabled, POC, and/or any combination thereof. Ownvoices is great, but most importantly, I want to represent a diverse group of authors.

Submission Guidelines

Submissions should be emailed to devinequeries@gmail.com

Please query me at devinequeries(at)gmail(dot)com with “Query: Title of Book” in the subject line. Include a short query, synopsis, and first ten pages pasted into the body of the email.