Olivia Zavitson
My Manuscript Wish List®
- Primary focus on horror, romance, thriller, and sometimes grounded fantasy, sci fi, and cozy mysteries
- In Romance: Stories with horror or paranormal elements, anything that turns a common trope on its head, or has a funny tone. Also things that explore underrepresented perspectives: late bloomers, neurodivergence, etc.
- In Horror: I love things that are campy or tackle themes of religious trauma, toxic friendship, growing up in the South, and/or screwed up families. Also things that explore the performance of womanhood, or the horrors and absurdities of modern love and work. And if you can do any of these things while also being funny, you’ve got my attention!
- In cozy mystery: Stories that feature witchy or multimedia elements or follow characters in an unusual career industry.
- In thriller: Unlikable and unreliable narrators, dysfunctional families, and worlds or stories that feel expandable or returnable. I am open to both domestic and speculative thrillers at this time.
- In Sci Fi/Fantasy: Mostly looking for grounded stories that are our world, but with one key difference. In other words, if the story relies on a ton of worldbuilding, I am probably not the right editor for it!
- Across genres, I love stories that feature bad friends, coming of age themes, unlikable anxious messes of people or found families. Also anything set in the American south (I’m from Nashville and went to college in Memphis!).
- In general I love an off the wall hook that makes you go “Wait, what?” Fairies that are pro wrestlers, sorority sisters peddling a multi-level marketing scheme – anything with a quirky premise told with humor and heart will capture my attention.
Vital Info
Favorite sub-genres:
Character-Driven Horror, Complicated Relationships, Cozy Mystery, Cross-genre, Dark Female Friendships, Dark Humor, Dark topics with a light touch, Ensemble Casts, Epistolary, Fairytale Retellings, Family Drama, Fantasy Romance, Feminist Horror, Found Families, Hauntings, Horror Comedy, Magic Realism, New Adult, Occult Horror, Paranormal Romance, Paranormal Thriller, Retellings, Romantic Suspense, Soft Science Fiction, Southern Fiction, Urban Fantasy, body horror, campus novel, coming of age, diverse heroines, dramedy, friendship stories, high concept fiction, just... all the tropes, queer horror, quirky, weird fiction, witches
I’d like the next…
My favorites include…
- Books that I love: Too Good to be True by Carola Lovering, This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub, Bunny by Mona Awad, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, Yellowface by RF Kuang, Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix, Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Patricia Wants to Cuddle by Samantha Allen, The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling, In Five Years by Rebecca Serle, Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder, Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner, Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll, Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson, The Pisces by Melissa Broder, The Husbands by Holly Gramazio, Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips, The Only One Left by Riley Sager, Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe, Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
- Shows/Movies that I love: American Horror Story, Scream Queens, Girls, The Mindy Project, The Sex Lives of College Girls, Stranger Things, The Bachelor Franchise, Shameless, Euphoria, Knives Out, Saltburn, Severance, The Good Place, Sons of Anarchy, Desperate Housewives, Ready or Not, Helluva Boss
