Kristen Terrette
Martin Literary & Media Management
My Manuscript Wish List®
I am honored to be a literary manager with Martin Literary and Media Management. I’m excited to build my list.
A little background: I have a BA in Early Childhood Education and MA in Theology and Religious Studies which led me into children’s ministry for many years. Eventually, my lifelong love of books and authors drew me back to my original dream of entering the publishing world. I’m a multi-published author and freelance writer. I’ve held such positions as the Blog Manager for a national women’s ministry and the Social Media Manager for a publishing house. All these components landed me a spot in the coveted Writers House Intern Program. There, I received valuable hands-on agenting and publishing experience which I bring into this position.
I have long been a voice for diversity. I’ve written extensively on topics of racial reconciliation and unity and am a facilitator of groups around these topics in my church. In all my focused genres, I welcome books with BIPOC, AAPI, or disabled main characters and diverse friendships. I believe books change people in all the best ways and that every child should see themselves in the pages.
My General #MSWL incudes:
Young Adult (All subgenres except Sci-fi): My background in writing YA and extensive reading in this genre has given me a great love and understanding of it. Grab my attention within the first couple of pages. Send me books with first loves, unique friendships, interesting and/or challenging family dynamics, and hard-hitting subject matter (race relations, suicide, abuse, divorce, etc.) but leave me with a satisfying (not necessarily happy!) ending.
Crime Thrillers/Suspense/Mystery: I love a good thriller with a woman main character, so send me the smart, tough, and brave lady crime solvers. I love serial killers. I love small town and big cities. I love relatable and quirky characters. If I can’t figure out what’s going to happen next or what the ending will be, you’ve gotten my attention.
Horror: Creep me out. Make me scared to read the story at night.
Romance: I am currently open to all subgenres of this category. Surprise me.
New Adult: I love college stories! And humorous young twenties. Send me these!
Women’s Fiction/Historical Fiction: I am picky in my tastes here. I tend to lean to lyrical stories in these genres, but I’m open to all. I LOVE diverse stories in this area! I love new structures, interesting and surprising POVs. Send me all and I’ll take a look.
Faith-Based Fiction and Nonfiction: I love a good redemption or forgiveness story, a historically accurate saga, a clean and beautiful, yet realistic love story, or a memoir that has me crying and laughing within the span of a few pages. Surprise me with the beauty of God’s grace. I also love bible studies and devotionals. 🙂
True Crime (Nonfiction): I’m obsessed with true crime. If you’ve got a story, tell me about it…
Illustrators: I am open to seeing your artwork! Query me with your portfolio!
Fantasy: My tastes definitely lean toward romance here (Romantsy), but I do love me some Lord of the Rings (the soundtrack was played at my wedding!), so I’m open to seeing most submissions here. I tend to get bored with the whole court intrigue storyline, or princess needing to save the realm. But give me a Aragorn and Legolas, and I’ll read happily.
Non-fiction: Send me memoirs, culture, celebrity, parenting, and psychology books. If you have an tintesting idea, send it. My tastes vary greatly here. (Please have a strong platform and/or authority to speak on the subject if you are sending me a NF submission.)
I am not a good fit for Science Fiction (even in MG or YA), books with any political agenda, extremely foul-mouthed characters, or gratuitous sex scenes.
What I’m taking a break on:
Middle Grade (All subgenres except Sci-fi): I heart Middle Grade! But, I need to take a break on MG submissions for now.
Picture Books: Picture books are an important part of establishing a love for literature at an early age. However, I need to take a break on PBs for the moment.
Fun facts about me:
My sweet dog is named Rey in honor of the Star Wars character but I don’t really know much about Star Wars…
I love to jog so I can eat Oreos.
I fall asleep editing or reading EVERY night.
I’m a YA and Romance author myself. 🙂
Submission Guidelines
Submissions should be emailed to https://QueryManager.com/KristenTerrette
Please Query me via QueryManager with query letter, manuscript details, short bio, and the first pages of you manuscript.
https://QueryManager.com/KristenTerrette
Vital Info
Favorite sub-genres:
#ownvoices, BIPOC, Christian, Contemporary Romance, Low Fantasy, Magic Realism, Multicultural, Religion, Supernatural Elements, YA Contemporary, contemporary MG, diverse voices, faith-based stories, slow burn, sports stories
I’d like the next…
I’d love to see the next Michael Crichton, Ronald Dahl, or Jacqueline Woodson. Books that don’t always fit tightly into a genre with a little magic, a little spookiness, a little heart. I love feeling all the emotions when I read a story. I’ve also realized that I’m not as drawn to typical commercial reads as I thought! The stories I’m loving are different and stand out in my query box from many of the same themes.
I’m also drawn to female protags who don’t need to be saved. Sometimes a hero can still come and make the butterflies flutter, as I love a touch of romance, but the protag must be strong and courageous. Think Lagertha from Vikings, Georgia from Ginny & Georgia, or Villanelle or Eve from Killing Eve. Don’t send me weak female characters, please. And wit- true, off the cuff wittiness- goes a long way in my book.
Other than those… send me the next Get Along Gang, Labyrinth, Congo, World War Z, Vampire Diaries, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, My-So-Called-Life, Forrest Gump, Wonder, Kindred, or The Chosen.
Other book/author faves (besides my clients!) are (right now): Holly Jackson, Karen McManus, John Green, Nicola Yoon, Jenny Han, Kimberly Jones, Adrienne Young, Lisa Wingate, Erin Bartels, Courtney Stevens, Diana Urban, Sarah J. Maas, C.S. Lewis, Jacqueline Woodson, Nic Stone, Ibram X. Kendi, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Katherine Applegate and a million more…
Other current TV/Movie faves are: Maxton Hall, Reservation Dogs, The Lincoln Lawyer, Jesus Revolution, The Summer I Turned Pretty, Killer Cases, Very Scary People, Trinkets, Stranger Things, The Last Kingdom, Yellowjackets, Wolf Pack, Tell Me Lies, The Sister, The Brothers Sun, Beef, Reacher, The Chosen, The Haunting of Bly Manor, The Haunting of Hill House, The Fall of the House of Usher, Me and Walter Boys, and Based on a True Story, Wolf Like Me, Yellowstone, Presumed Innocent, Harban Coben’s stories made into movies, and Dark Winds.
My favorites include…
Books: Wishtree, Matilda, Jellicoe Road, Ramona, Hidden Places, Wonder, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Sky in the Deep, The Lord of the Rings, If You Come Softly, We Were Kings, We Hope for Better Things, The Last Sin Eater, Experiencing God, and lots of Picture Books!
TV Shows: Maxton Hall, The Last Kingdom, My-So-Called-Life, The Chosen, Coroner, Ginny and Georgia, Vikings, Forensic Files, Vampire Diaries, Game of Thrones (minus the series ending), Seinfeld, Yellowstone, & I’m sure there are many more!
Movies: Hook, Matilda, Forrest Gump, Moonlight and Valentino, Hope Floats, Princess Bride, Willow, Predator, Love Actually, The Family Stone, Cold Mountain, The Quiet Place, and probably a million more I can’t think of right now…
