Emma Cole
MIRA Books
My Manuscript Wish List®
Editor for MIRA Books. I’m a huge fan of stories with speculative elements that don’t necessarily have to be explained, and I’m a sucker for books about yearning, where I am desperate for the characters to finally get their HEA (think This Is How You Lose the Time War or C.L. Polk’s Even Though I Knew the End). I love a good noir voice, and am always on the lookout for speculative takes on mystery romance (Twin Peaks meets The Big Sleep). If I’m not reading romance I’m reading horror and weird fiction: some recent faves include We Love You, Bunny, The Starving Saints, and The Salt Grows Heavy.
When I’m not reading, I’m watching classic films, especially horror romance.
Fun facts about me:
- Spelling bee school champion in 1987
- Gave my husband a cross-stitched version of the Jaws poster for his birthday
- Always (always!) has to look up how to spell “vacuum”
Submission Guidelines
Agented submissions can be sent directly to me. Preferably a full manuscript with synopsis and pitch, please!
Vital Info
Favorite sub-genres:
Adult Rom Com, BIPOC, Commercial adult fiction, Complicated Relationships, Contemporary Romance, Detective, Disability, Fantasy Romance, Found Families, Gothic, LGBTQ Romance, LGBTQ+, Layered Rom-Coms and Comedy of Manners with a cultural component, Multicultural Romance, Noir, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Drama, Romantic Thriller, Same-Sex Romance, SciFi Romance, Southern Gothic, character-focused fiction, dark fantasy, diverse, diverse and own voices, gothic romance, just... all the tropes, romantasy, slow burn romance
I’d like the next…
Characters from underrepresented groups, specifically Black, Indigenous, disabled, neurodivergent characters in all gender pairings, please!
Specific wish list items:
- Twin Peaks: Detective visits a small and creepy town full of secrets and strange characters, and finds love along the way. Honestly, this is my all-time favorite show and I think there is an amazing romance that could come from this kind of storytelling
- a Mulder/Scully type pairing of skeptic and true believer
- Modern noir
I also love all things gothic and horror, so am interested in seeing dark and horror romance as well.
My favorites include…
Suspense and Noir: Twin Peaks; Charade; The Big Sleep; Miller’s Crossing; Rebecca; Vertigo; Shovel Ready; Velvet Was the Night; Devil in a Blue Dress; The Thin Man
Weird fiction: Annihilation; What Kind of Mother; The Saint of Bright Doors; The Fisherman
Horror: Midnight Rooms; All the Hearts You Eat; Whalefall
