Gianna Lakenauth

I like big feelings and I cannot lie . . . joke aside, I LOVE feelings—swoony, achy, happy . . . . all of it. I want stories that I can get lost in, cinematic stories with lush, transportive settings and prose, and stories with a singular, unparalleled voice. Overall, I am looking for fantasy, speculative, and horror, and commercial concepts with killer sentences.

I am building my list with a focus on young adult and middle-grade, with very select picture books and graphic novels.

Overall themes I like: siblings, messy teens, pining, grand loves, witches, vampires, folklore, funny and quirky middle-grade characters, friendship, intersectional, dystopian.

Specific representations: Caribbean, mixed-race, Hindu, Muslim, interfaith, Hispanic, big families, Queens or Brooklyn setting, immigrant, first/second generation immigrant, eldest daughter.

Young Adult

Gothic:

I love gothic imagery and settings, and beautiful, moody prose. I would love to see a gothic romance with an international setting (Caribbean) or something set in the south.

Horror:

Speculative horror that plays on societal fears and puts a satirical spin on tropes in the vein of They Cloned Tyrone / Parasite. Smart, evocative horror / thriller, steeped in lore that explores family dynamics. Stories with deep emotional journeys like She’s a Haunting and The Haunting of Hill House.

Fantasy

I LOVE fantasy! I love fantasy where the character undergoes an emotional, as well as a physical journey. Fantasies with lush, detailed world building and beautiful writing. I am a sucker for romance in fantasy as well—two of my favorite authors in this space are Stephenie Garber and Elizabeth Lim.

Speculative:

Growing up, I loved series like Twilight by Stephanie Meyers or The Mediator series by Meg Cabot. Shows like Sabrina or Riverdale on CW. These sit squarely in the contemporary world, but they all have a speculative, paranormal twist. I would love to acquire YA like this: filled with angsty teens with unusual abilities who have to navigate regular high school things like SATs, chemistry, crushes. And also, the pining. Let’s not forget about the insane amount of pining in all of these examples!

Slice of life contemporary:

Gorgeously written stories that are cinematic like THE HALF OF IT (on Netflix) and stories that capture the bittersweet feeling of growing up—of being a kid on the verge of becoming an adult. Stories that capture a pivotal moment in a character’s life, that change / cement who they are.

Middle-grade

I love contemporary stories with a speculative twist in this space (Holes; When You Trap A Tiger). Contemporary stories with a lot of emotional resonance (Kelly Yang, Meg Medina). Would love to see witches, ghosts, other paranormal elements. Fairytale inspired, whimsy setting or concept. Fantasy.  I am also a fan of humor in this category.

Picture books:

Emphasizing that I am being very selective here. More inclined to take on something really funny or quirky or something really evocative, beautifully written.

**Not a good fit for sci-fi or books that deal heavily with suicide and/or rape.**

Submission Guidelines

At this time I am only open to agented submissions.