Kiana Nguyen

Donald Maass Literary Agency

My Manuscript Wish List®

As a queer Black and Vietnamese woman, Kiki is especially interested in seeing queer BIPOC characters featured in high concept commercial stories across Adult and Young Adult fiction. She represents science fiction, fantasy, romance, women’s fiction with a very special interest in horror, domestic suspense, psychological and speculative thrillers.

Kiki’s sweet spot is a fast paced plot lead by unforgettable opinionated characters who are forced to confront their demons in order to get themselves out of trouble, but she can’t deny being a sucker for the right emotionally driven introspective journey.

Above all, she is a better fit for the unlikable bad girl than the rule abiding overachiever.

Adult

Seeking shenanigans in “unconventional” settings and fields. Think Single White Female at an aquarium instead of legacy media corp or haunted 7-11 instead of haunted house.

WOMEN’S FICTION and UPMARKET FICTION

Solely interested in BIPOC and queer stories that highlight the lives of millennial queer folks of color within the modern world. This can be exhibited in contemporary, speculative, or other genres.

Think shows like:

Michaela Coel’s HBO series I MAY DESTROY YOU as the tonally vibrant genre-bending, voicey project I’m looking for.
Showtime’s WORK IN PROGRESS which centers co-creator Abby McEnany’s fictionalized self as a 46 year old self-identified fat, queer dyke which balances the levity of mental illness with comedic punch.

Let’s have fun, and get dark, get personal, while also showcasing BIPOC and queer lives outside of singular arcs of pain and suffering.

I want the after coming out, the messy, hilarious, poignant moments that make up the little pieces of our lives.

I want BIPOC lives within BIPOC communities in stories that don’t center navigating whiteness.

Young Adult

Interested in the slackers, miscreants, and misguided — the kids with ambitions outside of the Ivy League tract. Think Skins not Gilmore Girls. Or Heartbreak High not Never Have I Ever for the Netflix generation.

*Works best outside of school as a primary location. No private schools or magical academies.

CONTEMPORARY

I want it all: slice of life, coming-of-age, romance! Not a fan of rigid social hierarchies.

Think:

Call Your Boyfriend by Olivia A. Cole & Ashley Woodfolk, Thirsty by Jas Hammonds, This Is Me Trying by Racquel Marie, Hold Still by Nina LaCour

HORROR

Give me the sneaky, snarky, devious misfits terrorizing or being terrorized. I want all the drama, the angst, the impulse.

Mega-wishlist:

Book like the video game Oxenfree
a version of I Saw A TV Glow where the characters are actually stuck in a spell/supernatural prison they have to escape to get back to their real lives

Books Loved:

Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Jacob White, If We Survive This by Racquel Marie, There’s No Way I’d Die First by Lisa Springer, Girls Who Play Dead by Joelle Wellington, Come Out, Come Out by Natalie C. Parker, Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury, Twin Tides by Hien Nguyen, Old Wounds by Logan-Ashley Kisner, Rules for Vanishing by Alice Kate Marshall

THRILLER/MYSTERIES

Toxic friendships, relationships, situationships. Secrets that break friends and make friends. Hidden desires that threaten sisterhood.

Think:

Have You Seen This Girl by Nita Tyndall, Wander In The Dark by Jumata Emill, The Scammer by Tiffany D. Jackson, They’ll Never Catch Us by Jessica Goodman, Under This Red Rock by Mindy McGinnis, Darkly by Marisha Pessl

FANTASY

Fun facts about me:

I was a park ranger for the High Line for two seasons. I did an urban forestry Americorps service in NoCal. I died as a character in Shane Kuhn’s HOSTILE TAKEOVER.

Submissions should be emailed to https://QueryManager.com/KianaNguyen

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