Matthew Valdez

Fun facts about me:

• I’ve been a loyal Lady Gaga fan since 2008 and have seen her in concert 8 times in 5 different states.
• I’ve been playing both Genshin Impact AND Honkai: Star Rail since launch
• I have 2 dogs, Bentley and Bella, and 1 cat, Leia (who goes by Kitty).

Kindly send your query letter and the first 10 pages of your manuscript in the body of the email, along with your author website if you have one (not a deal-breaker if you don’t). Note that my response time is currently elevated due to being a full-time graduate student and a full-time teacher; Please allow around 6 weeks for a response and note that no critiques or feedback are included in passes.

Communication is very important to me, so please know that absolutely all queries will be read by me and will receive a response. I do not ghost authors, so if you submitted before the above date under “query status” and you haven’t heard back from me, please nudge.

I currently don’t accept pitches via social media, phone, snail-mail, or any other platform other than email.

Queries should be sent to ma**********@*************ry.com with the subject “QUERY – MANUSCRIPT TITLE”.

SPRING 2026 MSWL: (Updated 1/15/26)

Adult:

• Fantasy
  • All subgenres including: Romantasy, High/Epic, Cozy, Dark, Historical, Folklore Retellings, Dark Academia, Portal.
  • I am desperately looking for LGBTQ+ and marginalized MCs in fantasy!
  • Some recent favorites: THE HURRICANE WARS by Thea Guanzon, IN THE VEINS OF THE DROWNING by Kalie Cassidy

• Horror
  • Paranormal, Demonic Possession, Historical, Folklore, Dark Academia, and Gothic.
  • LGBTQ+ and marginalized MCs are a plus! 
  • Some recent favorites: INCIDENTS AROUND THE HOUSE by Josh Malerman, DIAVOLA by Jennifer Marie Thorne

• Romance 
  • Contemporary, New Adult, Dark Romance, Paranormal, Romantic Comedy, Romantasy, Holiday, Sports
  • LGBTQ+ preferred, but all are welcome!
  • Spice at any level is welcome!
  • Recent favorites: BOOK LOVERS by Emily Henry, THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE KISSMAS by Sara Raasch

• Commercial / Upmarket / Book Club / Literary Fiction
  • Recent favorites: STATION ELEVEN by Emily St. John Mandel, ATMOSPHERE or literally anything by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Young Adult:

• Fantasy
  • All subgenres including: Fantasy Romance, High, Cozy, Dark, Historical, Folklore Retellings, Dark Academia, Portal.
  • I am desperately looking for LGBTQ+ and marginalized MCs in YA fantasy!
  • I am open to high concept YA Science Fiction
  • Some recent favorites: LEGEND OF THE WHITE SNAKE by Sher Lee, THE PRISON HEALER by Lynette Noni, CROWN OF FEATHERS by Nicki Pau Preto

• Romance
  • Contemporary, Paranormal, Romantic Comedy
  • LGBTQ+ and marginalized MCs are a plus!
  • Some recent favorites: DARK HEARTS by James L. Sutter, THE LONG RUN by James Acker, WHAT IS THIS FEELING? by Robby Weber

• Contemporary

Things I would LOVE to see in my inbox:

• Greek Myth. I’m a sucker for Greek God shenanigans. Adult or YA. (Think Lore Olympus, Song of Achilles, Elektra, Ariadne, etc.)
• A unique combination of genres that take place in a fantasy world with the focus NOT being on the fantasy world. Think a murder mystery set in a city in the clouds or a horror story taking place in an undersea village. 
• I would LOVE to see dark academia that takes place in foreign lands. Surely there are cool colleges and universities across the globe? Japan? Zimbabwe? Australia? China?
• Retellings: Myth, folktales, to Shakespeare; I want them all! I am particularly interested in myths and retellings from all parts of the world, especially ones we don’t normally see in media.
• Baking! Particularly an LGBTQ+ Romance with Great British Bake Off vibes.
• LGBTQ+ Sports Romance / RomComs, with a particular interest in Baseball or F1.
• Horror similar to INCIDENTS AROUND THE HOUSE by Josh Malerman. This book had me turning the lights on at night for weeks. If you have a manuscript that will freak me OUT… I want to see it.
• LGBTQ+ Romance that features characters that are famous. IF THIS GETS OUT, KISS & TELL, DARK HEARTS, are all favorites! Would love to see some similar New Adult projects. 
• Historical novels: I am particularly interested in historical novels that center on a specific person’s history with alternating time lines. I’m looking for projects that make me forget these characters are fictional. I absolutely loved THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO, DID YOU HEAR ABOUT KITTY KARR, THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ASTRID BRICARD, THE FAVORITES, and DAISY JONES AND THE SIX.
  • Please note: I am closed to historical fiction at this time. However if your manuscript fits the above criteria, please submit!

I am not the best person for:

• Manuscripts longer than 120,000 words or shorter than 50,000 words.
• Stories told in verse
• Slasher / Serial killer
• Superheroes
• Zombies
• Shifters
• Fae
• Science-Fiction (I’m extremely picky with Sci-Fi, so I’m closing to it for now)
• War / Military (I like wars as seen in The Lord of the Rings, not Black Hawk Down)
• Politics
• Urban Fantasy (I’m not particularly interested in magic in our real world at the current moment- this could change in the future!)

I am currently NOT accepting:

• Nonfiction
• Memoir
• Middle Grade
• Children’s Picture/Chapter
• Poetry
• Short Story / Novella
• Screenplays
• Material for the Inspirational / Religious Market