Hannah Fergesen

Updated 6/1/21

**Please note: I am currently closed to queries. When I re-open to queries again, I will be looking for the below:

In Adult I want:

Speculative Fiction – Specifically, I’d love to see the following:

Intelligent second world fantasy (PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE, TRAITOR BARU CORMORANT, etc)

grounded narratives with speculative elements (think New Weird or magical realism, not urban fantasy – THE CITY WE BECAME, THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE, etc)

horror (THE SOUTHERN BOOK CLUB GUIDE, HEAD FULL OF GHOSTS, etc),

science fiction (THE VANISHED BIRDS,  A MEMORY CALLED EMPIRE,etc),

thrillers/suspense that flirt with horror.

In everything, I love found families, LGBTQ+ characters, and clever world-building, and elements of horror in all genres. In all genres, I’m looking for elevated/upmarket prose and elevated and/or high concepts. I love things that are off-kilter yet magnetic; GIDEON THE NINTH was a favorite this year.

Upmarket Fiction – Think elevated prose with a high concept hook and book club fiction. I especially love ensembles and concepts millennial readers will sink their teeth into. SUCH A FUN AGE, PLAIN BAD HEROINES, etc. Speculative elements ala SHARKS IN THE TIME OF SAVIORS, THE WATER DANCER, or STATION ELEVEN? Even better.

I would also like to have some fun this year! Romance, suspense, fantasy, etc – If you have a compulsively readable book with a super fun premise and cast of characters, send it along! DIAL A FOR AUNTIES, THE HATING GAME, or THE HOUSE ON THE CERULEAN SEA are all great examples of what I’d love to see in those genres.

In the YA and MG categories I am continuing to look for:

A good, twisty mystery or suspense that could become a series.  I loved the Charlotte Holmes books, and if anyone has the novel-version of BRICK, please send it to me.  I am still dying for it.

Magical Realism

Speculative/New Weird (consider THE VALLEY AND THE FLOOD by Rebecca Mahoney as a great reference for what I’m looking for here)

Queer/BIPOC-focused Rom Coms (I want seriously fun, sweet cinnamon rolls with extremely shippable characters) and unique contemporary (not fantasy) retellings of older works (ala Shakespeare, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, etc)

Graphic Novels – in both YA and MG I am very excited about finding graphic novels in all genres

Non Fiction: In MG I want interesting biographies and STEM-related topics made fun. YA, I want memoir by young or teen writers, especially if your story relates to girls breaking through barriers, activism and politics. In Adult I want unique cookbooks/cookbook hybrids (recipes interspersed with essays, for example), memoirs by women with unique stories of entrepreneurship, books on pop culture and fandom, true crime, contemporary and historical, and anything with a witchy angle (think astrology or tarot).

A scary YA vampire story! Take note: I do NOT want your run-of-the-mill paranormal romance (see above re: things I don’t want). If your book has more in common with the horror of Lost Boys alongside themes like acceptance, fitting in, or dealing with grief, for example, then it’s for me!

***I am especially focused on finding stories by underrepresented creators! KT Literary as a whole is invested in promoting and supporting underrepresented writers and their stories***

**Please note I like to see the first three pages of your manuscript along with your query! When citing my manuscriptwishlist, please understand the difference between citing what I represent, and what I’m asking for here. If you have a specific project that fits what I’ve mentioned here, then great! If you’re sending me a YA Contemporary or a YA fantasy in general, please don’t cite this wishlist in your query.

**Pronouns are She/They, salutation Mx.

And finally, here are things I’m NOT the right agent for: