Haley Casey

I’ve always had a special place in my soul for stories, but it was when I wrote my first chapter book in fifth grade that my true love of literature was realized! I graduated from The University of Kansas with a BA in creative writing and attended the Denver Publishing Institute before I began her full-time career at Ogden Publications, where I was an editor for four years. There, I worked with a variety of authors across multiple magazines, wrote over a dozen articles, edited audio for podcasts, and even styled cover photos—because as a multitasker, I needed anything that added creativity to my days. I interned at Metamorphosis Literary Agency and Creative Media Agency, Inc. before stepping into my role at CMA, where I’ve been since 2020.

For me, voice in manuscripts is paramount, and I’ll follow a good character anywhere, but otherwise my reading taste varies widely, so tell me what makes your manuscript different! I’m especially interested in genre blending, loose ends that are all tied up at the end, lyrical prose that makes me stop to reread sentences again and again, and characters that make me laugh, cry, and reevaluate what I think I know.

I’d like to represent:

Adult

In the adult space, I’m looking for rom-coms and paranormal romances full of banter, commercial contemporary fiction with speculative elements, female-led stories, haunted house horror novels, and well-plotted character studies.

• Women’s Fiction
  • My Sister the Serial Killer or The Bandit Queens
• Book Club Fiction—especially something high-concept that can be pitched in one sentence
  • Killers of a Certain Age or Portrait of a Thief
• Grounded Genre Fiction
  • Fantasy: Gods of Jade and Shadow or A Tempest of Tea
  • Science Fiction: Hammajang Luck, Welcome to Night Vale, or Snowpiercer
  • Paranormal & Horror: The Sun Down Motel, Hide, or Play Nice
• Romance
  • Contemporary
    • Delilah Green Doesn’t Care, Partners in Crime, Something Wild and Wonderful, or Get a Life, Chloe Brown
  • Paranormal
    • The Night Huntress series, Darkfever, or The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

Nonfiction

In adult and YA nonfiction, I want to see stories about universal but underrepresented experiences from authors with authority. I would especially be happy to see thoughtfully told true crime stories and nonfiction about food, nature, and sustainability.

• Narrative & Memoir
  • In The Dream House or Land Rich, Cash Poor
• True Crime
  • I’ll Be Gone in the Dark or Killers of the Flower Moon
• Cultural, LGBTQ+, and Women’s Issues
  • Hood Feminism, Prisoners of Geography, or All the Single Ladies
• Environmentalism, Gardening, & Sustainability
  • Braiding Sweetgrass or Weed Free Gardening
• Young Adult
  • All Boys Aren’t Blue or America Redux
• As a particular niche, I love food history, like The Billionaire’s Vinegar

Young Adult

I’m particularly interested in YA novels that fall into the genre space! Psychological or locked-room mysteries, romps and capers, treasure hunts, surprising retellings, unique formatting, funny contemporary fantasies, and original world-building are specific wish list words.

• Contemporary
  • Hello Girls, Thieves’ Gambit, or I Kissed Shara Wheeler
• Mystery & Horror
  • Looking for Smoke, The Honeys, or Needy Little Things
• Fantasy
  • Elatsoe, Little Thieves, Year of the Reaper, Pet, or What the River Knows
• Accessible Science Fiction
  • Iron Widow or Warcross
• Dystopian
  • Delirium, Uglies, or Scythe

Middle-Grade

In MG, I really want clever and meaningful paranormal and fantasy stories, especially those that celebrate characters’ differences and unique ways of seeing the world.

• Contemporary
  • From the Desk of Zoe Washington, King and the Dragonflies, or Dress Coded
• Fantasy
  • If Rick Riordan Presents would publish it, I’m interested!
  • Amari and the Night Brothers, Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston, or Gregor the Overlander
• Accessible Mystery, Paranormal, & Science Fiction
  • The Lockwood & Co. series or Ghost Squad

I’m keeping a particular focus on championing traditionally marginalized voices, including members of the LGBTQIA+ community, POC authors, and authors with disabilities. I love thoughtful and meaningful magical realism for any age group, nuanced character relationships, urban fantasy, clever fairytale retellings, and reimagined classics (such as Jane Austen, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland​, or The Count of Monte Cristo).

Please remember: I’m not the right fit for narrative nonfiction without broader social commentary, formulaic or political thrillers, romantasy that focuses on the instant romance over the world and character development, space operas or hard SFF, high fantasy novels, or dark/toxic romances.

Submission Guidelines

CMA can be reached through QueryManager! Please only query one member of our agency at a time, and follow each agent’s unique submission guidelines. You can find me at: https://querymanager.com/query/hcasey. 

I reply to all queries and requested material that I receive, but please allow me about 6 weeks to do so. 

Guidelines & Details

Consultations