Sheila Fernley
Storm Literary Agency
My Manuscript Wish List®
My Manuscript Wish List® Items
Sheila Fernley began her literary career as a young girl, writing and producing neighborhood plays, casting local kids as characters. Today, she writes and advocates for other kidlit writers.
Sheila is seeking authors and author illustrators, especially diverse and traditionally underrepresented voices, but first and foremost she looks for stellar writing. Stories with openings that make the reader wonder and compels them to read on. Stories that you can’t put down and want to read again and again.
Fun facts about me:
I am a picture book writer, under the pen name – Sheila Herrera.
I am a former special education teacher.
I love coffee and spend most Saturday mornings at a local coffee shop, catching up with a friend.
I enjoy making crafts and sewing, when time allows.
I never met a dog I didn’t like.
Submission Guidelines
Sheila is seeking authors and author illustrators, especially diverse and traditionally underrepresented voices, but first and foremost she looks for stellar writing. Stories with openings that make the reader wonder and compels them to read on. Stories that you can’t put down and want to read again and again.
When Sheila opens for queries in 2025, she will be seeking authors and author/illustrators—
- Picture books (fiction and nonfiction)
- MG (especially contemporary fiction, adventures, humor, fantasy – no dragons please)
- Diverse and underrepresented authors and author/illustrators
- Heartfelt or humorous stories
- Male protagonists
- No rhyming picture books
- No YA at this time
She is not a good fit for adult fiction and nonfiction, horror, dark themes, violent content, dragons, science fiction.
Sheila requests that authors only query her with one manuscript at a time. Please allow approximately two months for a query response and four months for a response for a full manuscript request. Queries are only accepted through QueryManager at https://querymanager.com/Sheila_Fernley. Snail mail and emailed submissions will not be considered.
Vital Info
Favorite sub-genres:
#ownvoices, Action-Adventure, Author-Illustrator, Author-Illustrators, BIPOC, Children's, Children's Nonfiction, Clever picture book, Contemporary Culture, Contemporary Fantasy, Educational, Fairytale Retellings, Fiction Picture Books, Humor, Illustrators and Author/Illustrators, Immigrant Voices, Latinx stories, MG, MG Action Adventure, MG Fantasy, MG adventure, MG contemporary, Middle Grade, Middle Grade Adventure, Middle Grade Contemporary, Middle Grade Fantasy, award-winners!, celebrity, character-focused stories, children's diversity, classic retellings, contemporary, contemporary MG, contemporary middle grade, diverse and own voices, diverse voices
I’d like the next…
THE THING ABOUT JELLYFISH
THE REMEMBER BALLOONS
RICKY, THE ROCK THAT COULDN’T ROLL
Surprise me! Some of my favorite stories are the ones I didn’t think I’d like.
My favorites include…
Some of her contemporary favorite reads include:
BIG, SWASHBY AND THE SEA, THE REMEMBER BALLOONS, THE THING ABOUT JELLYFISH, and DOLL BONES
Some of her classic favorite reads include:
CHARLOTTE’S WEB, CORDUROY, THE GIVING TREE, WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS
