Jessica Berg
Rosecliff Literary
My Manuscript Wish List®
My Manuscript Wish List® Items
Currently closed to queries (please check back for updates).
Wishlist:
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Women’s fiction with emotional intensity, book-club potential, and characters who reinvent themselves, navigate messy family dynamics, or grapple with secrets and legacy.
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Historical fiction that uncovers overlooked voices or reimagines familiar eras with fresh perspective (esp. wartime, espionage, cultural upheaval, or dual-timeline narratives).
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Drawn to female protagonists who are complex, ambitious, and unapologetically human.
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Always looking for lyrical yet accessible prose and stories that balance depth with wide commercial appeal.
Fun facts about me:
The fastest way to measure my week is by the lipstick tally on my desk: one tube means focused, five means chaos.
I can’t resist a story that promises conspiracies, cursed objects, or love affairs that should absolutely ruin everyone involved.
I believe road trip snacks are a personality test — and yes, I will judge you if you pick gummy bears over starchy snacks.
I hoard notebooks like they’re classified intel, but when it’s time to write, I still grab the back of a receipt.
Submission Guidelines
Submissions should be emailed to https://querymanager.com/query/jessicaberg
We welcome submissions via Query Tracker. Please include a query letter and a one-page synopsis. We do not require pages with the initial submission but if interested in your project, we request the full manuscript. We aim to respond within 12 weeks. Due to the nature of submissions we receive, we regret we cannot provide personalized feedback at this time due to the high volume of submissions we receive.
Vital Info
Favorite sub-genres:
Adult Horror, BIPOC Horror, BIPOC Mystery, Book Club, Character-Driven Horror, Commercial Women's Fiction, Commercial adult fiction, Commercial and Literary, Crime & Thriller, Crime Fiction, Domestic Fiction, Domestic Suspense, Domestic Suspense/Thriller, Feminist Horror, Gothic, Gothic Horror, Historical Fantasy, Historical Fantasy; Fantasy Grounded In Reality, Historical Fiction, Historical RomCom, Historical Women's Fiction, LGBTQ Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Literary Thriller, Military, Paranormal Romance, Upmarket Commercial Fiction, Upmarket Fiction, Upmarket Women's Fiction, book club fiction, commercial, commerical, commerical women's fiction, dark academia, high concept fiction, horror, nonfiction, upmarket/book club with female protagonist
I’d like the next…
I’m especially interested in women’s fiction and historical fiction — stories with heart that stir the mind, with characters who long, change, and carry weight. If you write intimate, emotionally resonant narratives, or bring history alive in unexpected ways, I want to read your work.
What’s catching my eye right now:
– Novels set in past eras (especially wartime, espionage, upheaval) where the personal intersects with larger historical forces.
– Dual or multi-timeline stories that show how the past informs the present — especially with women’s lives, choices, reinvention, and legacy at the center.
– Women protagonists who are complex, flawed, growing, sometimes in conflict — navigating identity, family, secrets, and power.
– Voice-driven work: lyrical but grounded, with vivid sensory detail, emotional immediacy, and moral tension.
– Upscale commercial potential: stories that can sit in a book-club’s hands or cross to broader audiences without losing depth or craft.
Whether it’s the secrets between sisters in wartime, the ripple effects of a choice made under pressure, or a story of resilience woven through history and memory — I’m looking for work that moves me, surprises me, and stays with me.
