Amanda Carbonell
Belcastro Literary Agency
My Manuscript Wish List®
I’m really looking to be immersed in an author’s story. I want to be deeply connected to your character’s thoughts, feelings, reactions, and movements. I’m looking for strong worldbuilding and solid pacing throughout.
Above all else, I am looking to have a diverse list. My goal is to uplift marginalized voices allowing for children, teens, and adults to see themselves within the pages of your stories. ALL marginalized communities, especially Latinx are highly encouraged to submit!
Please Note: I am currently closed to Picture Books & Chapter Books at this time.Middle Grade
Contemporary: I would love to see the humor, hijinx, as well as stress that comes along with being in middle school. I would like to see/experience school dances, first crushes, friendships, friendship breakups, and all the other ups and downs of tween-hood. I would also like to see any sort of clubs or competitions in school. I’m thinking the vein of a more modern Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life, Dork Diaries, etc.
Fantasy: I’m open to any sort of fantasy in the middle grade realm. I would also love to see any sort of twisted fairytales or cool mythology in this category. I’m also a big fan of witches and other sorts of magic in this category.
Adventure: I love adventure stories with a lot of movement and quests. I would love something focusing around outsmarting an all powerful creature and finding ways to destroy them.
I’m not the best fit for heavy Sci-Fi
Young Adult
(Odd Asks): Drama/Theater kids, Spanish club, bowling clubs, D & D clubs, gamers, and anything else that may fall within this category.
Horror: send me all the horror! I am fine with body horror – just give me a heads-up! Don’t Let the Forest In, Your Blood My Bones, Within these Wicked Walls, The Spirit Bares its Teeth, White Smoke, You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight, The Forest, Your Lonely Nights Are Over, I Feed Her to the Beast, and the Beast is Me.
Fantasy: I’m looking for different elements within the fantasy realm – evil gods, messed up magic systems, different magical creatures, different folklore and mythology that can be intertwined with fantastical elements please. Not a major fan of elves or fairies being at the focus/center of the story but don’t mind them as side characters.
Literary Fiction: I am open to any sort of literary fiction – especially ones that focus on modern issues.
Genre mashups/blending with horror, romance, light fantasy, etc.
New Adult/Adult
- Any on-page physical abuse to a child (unless this is rooted in your characters trauma). If it is related to a case in a thriller novel that isn’t too graphic in detail, fine. I basically just do not want to read anything graphically detailing abuse happening to a child.
- Anything from the perspective of a child predator (these are absolutely not for me)
- Any story where a main character animal dies, my heart can’t take it (especially if it’s a dog, it’s always a dog). A sacrificial lamb sort of thing for a cult-like book? I’m fine. Animal carcass (preferably not a dog)? Also fine. I just don’t want to relive Atreyu & Artax or Old Yeller.
- Spy, mob/mafia, or cop-related stories, they’re just not for me.
- Heavy Sci-Fi
- MOST Speculative Fiction/Paranormal especially vampires & brujas (I get a lot of flack for this; I am A HUGE FAN of spec-fic & paranormal, which is why I also write it, lol, I never want my two worlds to cross). I am fine with some speculative elements.
Reasons for my Anti-MSWL:
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- Not wanting to read about abuse to a child: I have an almost 2-year-old son and ever since having him, I’ve been very sensitive to those topics and don’t care to read them because of this for my own mental health and because it’s too close to home.
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- Not in the perspective of a child predator: the reason for this should now be a bit obvious if you read the first bullet.
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- No dog deaths/main character animal deaths? I am a big animal lover, I have 2 dogs of my own and that’s pretty much it.
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- Spy/mob/cop stories or heavy Sci-Fi space opera type of books, they are just not my cup of tea and you want an agent who LOVES the genres your write in.
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- Vampires/Witches/Paranormal books? I write in this genre myself and don’t want the two to cross. I am fine with speculative/paranormal elements but there are certain things that I cannot take because I have many projects in the works.
Fun facts about me:
I’ve seen Gilmore Girls at least 60 times, all 153 episodes.
I have two dogs – one English yellow lab and one German Shepherd mix I rescued from a kill shelter in New Mexico.
I am also an author.
I’m married and we have a son that my husband named after a Viking king.
I’m terrible at Math 🙂
Submission Guidelines
Please send any queries to my query link: https://QueryManager.com/3570
I ask for your query letter, synopsis, and first chapter.
Please do not query multiple agents at Belcastro Literary Agency, when one of our agents pass, please feel free to query another you feel may be a good fit!
Wishing you SO much luck!
Vital Info
Favorite sub-genres:
#Dis, #ownvoices, Adult Horror, Adult Rom Com, Adult Romantasy, BIPOC, BIPOC Fantasy, BIPOC Horror, Chick Lit, Commercial MG, Commercial YA, Commercial adult fiction, Commercial and Literary, Contemporary Fantasy, Contemporary YA, Contemporary Young Adult, Cozy Fantasy, Fantasy Romance, Fantasy YA, Found Families, Funny MG, Gothic Fantasy, Gothic Horror, Horror Comedy, Humor, Humor YA, LGBT YA, LGBTQ Contemporary, LGBTQ Romance, LGBTQ+, LGBTQ+ Fantasy, LGBTQ+ rom coms, LGBTQIA, LGBTQIAP, Latinx Fantasy, Latinx Horror, Latinx stories, Literary Crossover, Literary Fantasy, Literary Fiction, Literary Horror, Literary MG, Literary Middle Grade, Literary YA, Literary YA & MG, Literary YA/MG, Low Fantasy, MG Fantasy, MG Horror, MG adventure, MG contemporary, MG/YA, Magic, Romantic Comedy, YA Contemporary, YA Contemporary Romance, YA Contemporary Romance with layers, YA Crossover, YA Fantasy, YA Rom-Coms, YA Romance, YA Romantasy, YA fantasy/light sci-fi, YA horror, coming of age, commercial, commercial middle grade, contemporary MG, contemporary middle grade, crossover adult, dark academia, diverse and own voices, friendship, romantasy, romantic New Adult
I’d like the next…
My favorites include…
Gilmore Girls
Buffy
Shameless
Cobra Kai
Real Housewives (guilty pleasure)
Jersey Shore (guilty pleasure)
Wanda Vision
Twilight Zone (old & new)
Books:
Don’t Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews
Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver
I Feed Her to the Beast & the Beast is Me by Jamison Shea
Sing Me to Sleep by Gabi Burton
Tender Beasts by Liselle Sambury
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
My list is very long so I’ll keep it to this for now
Movies:
The Outsiders
Stand By Me
Queen of the Damned
In the Army Now
Hunger Games series
All Marvel
