Sarah Gerton

New Leaf Literary & Media

My Manuscript Wish List®

I’m building a list of YA, MG, and adult fiction, with an eye especially toward fantasy and horror. Fantasy is my first love, and I always appreciate unique, vivid settings that draw on all the senses. I enjoy a frame story or meta twist like in THE HAZEL WOOD or BABEL, and I’d love an animal book that’s more epic than cutesy–think SILVERWING or MRS. FRISBY AND THE RATS OF NIMH.

Across categories, I love books that are on the darker, weirder side, that straddle genres and take big swings, and that make me care about the characters; I gravitate toward unforgettable characters and striking prose. Humor is so subjective, but when a book’s sense of humor resonates with mine, I will adore it forever!

Across age groups, I’m super interested in horror–but more than just scaring me, it has to make me either laugh (MY SISTER THE SERIAL KILLER) or weep (SHE IS A HAUNTING by Trang Tran). I prefer stories that are more life-affirming vs. nihilistic, and enjoy zombies / ghosts / creatures more than killers / slashers / psychological horror. And I love horror set in historical and/or non-Western settings, such as THE SILENCE OF BONES, Hulu’s Prey, or THE DIVINERS.

In fantasy, I tend to prefer grounded fantasy over epic, and have been really enjoying cozy fantasy lately (or cozy vibes even if the overall story doesn’t fit in that subgenre). I would love to see romantasy that is queer and/or subverts gender roles. I resonate best with sci-fi when it is a “five minutes into the future” concept, or where it overlaps with another genre, i.e. science fantasy or sci-fi horror.

On the kidlit side, I’d love to find something with the imaginative scope of Roald Dahl minus the misanthropy. My favorite book of Dahl’s growing up was DANNY THE CHAMPION OF THE WORLD, in which a boy and his dad sneak onto a rich guy’s estate to poach pheasants. I’m drawn to stories that deal with class/money issues: in MG, I like stories about kids with jobs, like Kelly Yang’s FRONT DESK; or on the YA side, stories featuring working-class teens like DONE DIRT CHEAP or THE INHERITANCE GAMES.

Fun facts about me:

I’m a big podcast person–usually have one playing in the background all day if I’m working remotely.
I play trombone in a queer marching band.
I crochet (some), knit (a little) and am kind of a nerd about textiles and sustainable fashion.
I love whales, though I’ve never seen one IRL.