The following agents and editors are listed for Virtual PitchFest 2021. Please check back periodically as we will update the roster as more experts confirm.

2021 Agents/Editors/Producers:

AGENT
Bernadette Baker-Baughman
www.victoriasanders.com

Bio: Bernadette Baker-Baughman has completed a Master’s Degree in Writing at Portland State University, and spent several years in-house (first editorial, then marketing). She began agenting in 2005 and has worked with VSA since 2010.

Currently Looking For: She is drawn to strong storytelling in all genres, with a special interest in thrillers, contemporary novels, magical realism, young adult, and books for kids. She is also open to pop-culture, gift books, and memoir. She loves smart writing, high concept books, work with great emotional resonance, and humor. She is always looking for authors with a distinctive voice.

Not Looking For: N/A

Clients: She has represented a number of New York Times bestselling and award-winning writers and illustrators, including Leslye Walton, Faith Erin Hicks, Tony Cliff, Maris Wicks, Liv Constantine, and Carson Morton, to name a few.

AGENT
Rachel Beck, Liza Dawson Associates
www.lizadawsonassociates.com

Bio: Rachel Beck joined Liza Dawson Associates in 2020 after working at a boutique literary agency for four years. She has been in the publishing industry since 2009 and worked at Harlequin editing romance novels for nearly six years before transitioning her skills to the agent world in order to be an advocate and champion for authors.

Currently Looking For: Rachel believes that the right book can change or heal a life, and she wants to find those. But she’s also interested in lighter fiction that helps you escape or simply makes you laugh after a tough day. Or nonfiction that teaches you something about an obscure topic, thus opening up a new world. More specifically, she’s looking for: upmarket/book club women’s fiction (Emily Giffin, Jodi Picoult, Diane Chamberlain) that explores controversial/morally gray areas in a complex, sympathetic way; light-hearted millennial fiction or contemporary romance (Kristan Higgins) that makes you go from laughing to crying in an instant; character-driven, psychologically intense domestic suspense (B.A. Paris, Megan Abbott, Kaira Rouda) that feels fresh from page one, with characters who are mind-blowingly insane or extreme or fascinating; issue-driven/LGBTQ+ young adult (Courtney Summers, Amber Smith, Jennifer Niven, Robin Talley); and select nonfiction.

Not Looking For: Middle grade, picture books, epic/high fantasy, erotic romance, short stories or poetry.

Clients: Rea Frey, Georgina Cross, Patricia Johns, Sara Goodman Confino, Jen Wiggins, Erik Severinghaus, Cathy Cassani Adams, Britt Frank, Jerri Chisholm

EDITOR
Lexy Cassola, Penguin Random House
www.penguinrandomhouse.com

Bio: Lexy Cassola joined the Dutton imprint of Penguin Random House in early 2018 and is an assistant editor as well as assistant to the publisher. Prior to coming to Dutton, Lexy earned her M.A. at The New School for Social Research in Creative Publishing & Critical Journalism where she discovered her love for publishing. She is interested in true-to-life, relationship-driven upmarket and literary fiction, as well as sharp, character-driven suspense.

Currently Looking For: N/A

Not Looking For: N/A

Clients: N/A

AGENT
Robert G. Diforio, D4EO Literary Agency
www.d4eoliteraryagency.com

Bio: Bob has been in publishing for nearly 60 years. He graduated from Williams College in 1964 and joined Kable News Company [a distributor of books and magazines, including Berkley Books] as Eastern U.S. Book Supervisor, calling on the then network of ID’s, independent distributors.

From book rep to VP of books sales he joined New American Library in 1972 as VP, Sales Director. He spent 17 years at NAL helping launch the mass market paperback careers of Stephen King, Ken Follett, Robin Cook and Erica Jong rising to publisher and president of the company.

He led the management team in a leverage buy out of NAL, with Odyssey Partners, from Times Mirror in 1983. They subsequently purchased E. P. Dutton and sold the company to Pearson PLC to merger with Viking/Penguin.

Currently Looking For: N/A

Not Looking For: N/A

Clients: Three years later he left and formed D4EO Literary Agency where he has helped launch the writing careers of hundreds of author with sales of over 4,000 books. The agency – www.d4eoliteraryagency.com – now has 7 agents working with Bob from their home offices around the USA.

AGENT
Liza Fleissig, Liza Royce Agency, LLC
@lizaroyceagency (Twitter/Instagram)
www.lizaroyce.com  

Bio: Liza Fleissig, with her partner Ginger Harris-Dontzin, opened the Liza Royce Agency (LRA) in early 2011. A cross-platform company providing development, representation, and strategic career management for clients in all media, their goal is to represent clients in all stages of their careers, from the most established to those developing their craft, as well as debuts. Both former partners in NYC based litigation law firms, Liza and Ginger bring a combined 40 years of negotiating experience to the field. This background, along with connections rooted in publishing, movies and television, allowed them to focus and build on a referral based clientele.

Looking For: Liza loves a good thriller/suspense/mystery, women’s fiction, domestic suspense, and humor. She is also always on the lookout for marginalized voices and stories, but all strong voices and storytelling welcomed!

Not looking For: Although she never says never, at the moment she is not focusing on super high scifi/fantasy or political thrillers.

Current Authors: Robert Bailey II, Isabella Maldonado, Amy Impellizzeri, Danielle Wong, Walter Gragg, Estate of Marc Olden, among others.

AGENT
Renee C. Fountain, President
Gandolfo Helin & Fountain Literary Management
www.ghliterary.com

Bio: Renee C. Fountain is the president of Gandolfo Helin & Fountain Literary Management. A former television book scout, and publishing industry veteran, Ms. Fountain has more than 20 years of licensing, publishing and entertainment experience. Having worked for major publishing houses such as Harcourt and Simon & Schuster, Ms. Fountain had the great fortune of working with some of the best writers and illustrators in the publishing world.

Currently Looking For: All types of adult and YA fiction and non-fiction. I prefer thrillers, horror/dark fantasy, women’s fiction, humor, pop-culture, true crime, lifestyle, business, self-help, memoirs and other narrative/commercial non-fiction.

Not Looking For: Children’s Picture books/Middle Grade, short story collections, Poetry, Sci-Fi, Plot concepts based on: Bio-hazard, Viral Epidemics/Pandemics, terrorists of any kind, political/geopolitical themes, vampires, zombies, werewolves or witches.

Clients: Jonathan Fredrick Cash City, Hum Little Birdie and Bad Men Will Come (Audible Originals), Luke Romyn Ash (Audible Originals), Rebecca Fox Starr Beyond The Baby Blues and Baby Ever After (Rowan & Littlefield), Train Your Head & Your Body Will Follow, My 30 Day Reset Journal and Recess to Reset Kids Journal- Sandy Joy Weston (Skyhorse) Sarah Cain The 8th Circle and One By One (Crooked Lane) Danny Johnson, Last Road Home (Kensington), Michael Logan Hell’s Detective (Crooked Lane) Thommy Hutson Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy (Permuted Press), Elizabeth Heaney The Honor Was Mine (Grand Harbor).

AGENT
Lori Galvin, Aevitas Creative Management
www.aevitascreative.com

Bio: Lori Galvin was a book editor before joining Aevitas Creative Management as agent in 2015. Her book deals include Cambria Brockman’s debut thriller Tell Me Everything (Ballantine; Netflix has optioned film rights) and Holly Watt’s CWA Steel Dagger award-winning To the Lions (Dutton), and Wanda M. Morris’s All Her Little Secrets (William Morrow). Lori met and signed Wanda at Thrillerfest 2019!

Currently Looking For: Sophisticated thrillers and suspense, contemporary noir, gothic fiction, mystery/horror crossovers, speculative fiction, cozy culinary mysteries, and true crime. Adult and YA.

Not Looking For: Science fiction, romance, or children’s.

Clients: Cambria Brockman, Sara Goudarzi, Hannah Kirshner, Wanda M. Morris, Kwame Onwuachi, Sebastian J. Plata, and Sandy Pool.

AGENT
Becky Lejeune, Bond Literary Agency
www.bondliteraryagency.com

Bio: Becky LeJeune is an associate agent at Bond Literary Agency, a Denver-based agency run by Sandra Bond. Prior to joining the agency, Becky spent time working as a bookseller, a freelance cookbook editor, and an acquisitions editor for a small, regional press. She is a graduate of the Denver Publishing Institute.

Currently Looking For: Becky is interested in YA and adult submissions in the following genres: horror, mystery/suspense/thriller, historical fiction, sci fi, fantasy, and general fiction. She enjoys plot driven narratives with unique settings, strong world building, and well-developed characters.

Not Looking For: Romance, non-fiction, poetry, or screenplays.

Clients: Emily Layne, Alex Livingston, Julie Reiters, Nancy Stohlman, Kelsey Down, and Rachel Feder, amongst others.

AGENT
Sandy Lu, Book Wyrm Literary  Literary Agency
www.bookwyrmlit.com

Bio: Sandy Lu founded Book Wyrm Literary Agency in 2020 after working as a literary agent for more than a decade at the L. Perkins Agency.
Sandy holds BAs in psychology and sociology from Queens College, with minors in music, business, and Japanese. Prior to becoming an agent, she attended the Ph.D. Program in Social and Personality Psychology at the CUNY Graduate Center and worked as a business/operations manager in the theater industry. Born and raised in Taiwan, she is a native Mandarin speaker.

Sandy’s areas of study and work experience greatly inform her interest in submissions. She is seeking stories that will draw her in with a unique voice, make her miss her bedtime with a thrilling plot, and characters that will stay with her long after she turns the last page. Bonus points if you can make her laugh out loud or unable to hold back tears. Sandy especially loves historical fiction and anything dark, twisted, or with a supernatural bent. She also favors unreliable narrators and serpentine plots that will keep her guessing till the end. She especially wants to find a great spy novel set in early 20th century China.

Currently Looking For: Fiction: mystery, thriller, suspense, horror, science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, upmarket women’s fiction, and YA. Non-fiction: narrative nonfiction, history, biography, science, business, psychology, pop culture, and food writing.

Not Looking For: Picture books, graphic novels, religions/spirituality, politics/current affairs, sports, parenting, how-to/self-help, poetry, or screenplays.

Clients: M. H. Boroson, B.J. Graf, Heather Levy, Elizabeth Lewes, Jeneva Rose, and Randall Silvis.

AGENT
Eric Myers, Myers Literary Management
www.myersliterary.com

Bio: Eric Myers founded his own agency, Myers Literary Management, in 2017 after working as an agent for several companies including Dystel, Goderich, and Bourret, LLC and The Spieler Agency. He entered agenting through the back door–as an author himself, having written Uncle Mame: The Life of Patrick Dennis (St. Martin’s Press, 2000) and co-authored two other books. His journalism has appeared in The New York Times and Time Out.

Currently Looking For: Young Adult, Thrillers, Pop Culture, Historical Fiction, and some memoir, but only if the author already has a strong platform.

Not Looking For: Literary fiction, poetry, mysteries, unless the thriller aspect is very strong.

Clients: Jack Barsky, Bryan Batt, Alonso Duralde, Kathleen Kalb, Lydia Kang, Derek Taylor Kent, August Norman, Justus Rosenberg, Kim Stagliano, Anne Thompson, Robert Hofler, David Neilsen, Beverley McLachlin, and many more. He is pleased to have discovered Simon Gervais (HUNT THEM DOWN, THE THIN BLACK LINE, and the upcoming THE LAST PROTECTOR) at Thrillerfest.

AGENT
Paula Munier, Talcott Notch Literary Agency
www.talcottnotch.net
www.paulamunier.com

Bio: Paula Munier is a literary agent and USA TODAY bestselling author whose roots in the crime writing community run deep. As Senior Literary Agent and Director of Storytelling for Talcott Notch Literary, she specializes in crime fiction, representing many great crime writers, including Cate Holahan, James R. Benn, and Brendan DuBois, among others. She’s always looking for traditional mysteries, high-concept thrillers, noir, and more. She’s the author of the Mercy Carr series: A Borrowing of Bones won the Dogwise Book of the Year Award and was nominated for the Mary Higgins Clark Award; Blind Search also won a DWAA award. The Hiding Place, the latest in the series, debuted March 30, 2021.

Paula’s also written three popular books on writing, the bestselling Plot Perfect, The Writer’s Guide to Beginnings, and Writing with Quiet Hands, as well as Happier Every Day and the memoir Fixing Freddie. She’s an active member of MWA, SinC, and ITW. She served as president of the New England chapter of MWA for four terms and has served on the committee for the New England Crime Bake for more than a decade. She lives in New England with her family, three rescue dogs, and a rescue cat.

Currently Looking For: N/A

Not Looking For: N/A

Clients: USA Today bestselling author Cate Holahan (One Little Secret), Lefty winner and Agatha nominee Alexia Gordon (the Gethsemane Brown series), Agatha nominee Bruce Robert Coffin (the Detective Byron series), James R. Benn (the Billy Boyle WWII mystery series), Cynthia Riggs (the Victoria Trumbull Martha’s Vineyard mysteries), Thriller and multiple Pushcart Prize nominee Richard Thomas (Breaker), Tony Hillerman Award winner Carol Potenza (the Nicky Matthews series), Roger Johns (the Wallace Hartman series), and many more.

AGENT
Lynnette Novak, The Seymour Agency
Twitter: @Lynnette_Novak 
www.theseymouragency.com 

Bio: Prior to joining The Seymour Agency, Lynnette spent seventeen years freelance editing. She worked with new writers, advanced writers, as well as New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors. Lynnette earned a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Manitoba, where she specialized in English and French. She excelled in Advanced Creative Writing in university and studied writing for children and teens through the Institute of Children’s Literature. She was a Pitch Wars mentor in 2015 and 2016. Both her mentees acquired an agent. Lynnette has since closed her editing business and is excited to bring her passion for the written word to agenting.

Currently Looking For: She loves dark and suspenseful, mysterious twists, unique worlds, light and funny, a good love story, and lots of voice. (Always looking for own voices, diversity, and LGBTQ+!!!)

• In adult fiction: thrillers, psychological suspense, horror, contemporary romance, romantic comedy, and mysteries (traditional, amateur sleuth, and cozy).

• In young adult fiction: thrillers, psychological suspense, horror, contemporary, mysteries, fantasy, and sci-fi.

• In middle grade fiction: contemporary, horror, fantasy, sci-fi, action/adventure, mystery, and humor.

• In children’s fiction: picture books (non-rhyming preferred).

Not Looking For: N/A.

Clients: Lynnette Novak is an agent at The Seymour Agency and is currently building her client list.

EDITOR
Chantelle Aimee Osman, Agora Books
www.polisbooks.com

Bio: Chantelle Aimée Osman is the editor of Agora, an imprint of Polis Books. Agora focuses on crime fiction with unique social and cultural themes. Titles from Agora’s debut list have been nominated for Edgar, Anthony, Lefty, Macavity and Strand Critics awards. The former Editor-in-Chief of RT Book Reviews Magazine and a freelance editor for over 10 years, she is also an instructor at the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing, Authors at Large and LitReactor. Chantelle is the author of the non-fiction series on writing The Quick and Dirty Guides To… and has also published numerous works of short fiction in addition to serving as editor for several anthologies. She was named a Publishers Weekly Rising Star honoree in 2020. Find her online at chantelleaimee.com and on Twitter @SuspenseSiren.

Currently Looking For: Agora focuses on crime novels that delve into the most important issues of our time—exploring society, economy, politics, culture, race, and gender in unique and different ways—from a roster of diverse authors from varying backgrounds.

Not Looking For: Non-Fiction, Poetry, or anything outside of the above categories.

Authors: John Vercher, Patricia Smith, Tori Eldridge, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Gabino Inglesias, Johnny Shaw, Cynthia Pelayo, Eloísa Díaz, Josh Stallings, Sung J. Woo, Amita Murray, Carolyne Topdjian, Andrea J. Johnson, RV Raman, and Gary Phillips.

AGENT
Gina Panettieri, Talcott Notch Literary Services
www.talcottnotch.net

Bio: Gina Panettieri is Founder of the Milford, Ct-based Talcott Notch Literary, a three-member literary agency seeking the freshest voices in adult and juvenile fiction and nonfiction. Some of her more prominent recent sales includes the WSJ-bestselling War Shadows by Andrews & Wilson (Thomas & Mercer), the Hillerman Prize-winning The Homeplace by Kevin Wolf (St. Martin’s Press), and her auction of Talcott Notch’s own Paula Munier’s A Borrowing of Bones in a six-figure sale to Minotaur, debuting in September.

Currently Looking For: Fiction – mystery, thrillers, suspense, psychological suspense, upmarket women’s fiction, action-adventure and historical fiction; nonfiction – memoir, true crime, history, career, cookbooks, medicine and fitness, travel, parenting, self-help, coffee table books, juvenile fiction and nonfiction for middle-grade and young adult, particularly books that address timely and topical issues.

Not Looking For: Poetry, short story collections by new writers, novellas, and textbooks.

Authors: Jeffrey Wilson and Brian Andrews, Scott Deitche, Dr. Seth Meyers, Drew Eric Whitman, Paula Munier, Kevin Wolf, A.E. Rought, Sara O’Shaughnessy, Peter Tupper, and Rick Morris.

AGENT
Michelle Richter, Fuse Literary
www.fuseliterary.com

Bio: Michelle Richter is a Senior Agent at Fuse Literary, which she joined from St. Martin’s Press. She is also an adjunct professor at Pace University’s M.S. in Publishing program, of which she is an alum. Crime fiction is her true love, from police procedurals to domestic suspense to thriller. And don’t forget the heists and con artists. She’s rarely found a British or Scandinavian crime show she couldn’t get wrapped up in. Recent favorite authors include Ruth Ware, S.A. Cosby, P.J. Vernon, Halley Sutton, and David Heska Wanbli Weiden.

Currently Looking For: Suspense, thriller, amateur sleuth, traditional mystery, police procedural, YA thriller/suspense, commercial women’s fiction, book club reads. She loves family secrets, sister/friend stories, lots of twists, and unreliable narrators. LGBTQ and BIPOC voices are very welcome.

Not Looking For: Military or espionage thrillers, science fiction/fantasy, poetry, middle-grade, memoir.

Clients: E.A. Aymar, E.A.Barres, Kellye Garrett, Jennifer Gold, Tara Laskowski and Carl Vonderau.

AGENT
Katharine Sands, Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency
www.sarahjanefreymann.com

Bio: A literary agent with the Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency, Katharine Sands has worked with a varied list of authors who publish a diverse array of books. She is the agent provocateur of, “Making the Perfect Pitch: How to Catch a Literary Agent’s Eye”, a collection of pitching wisdom from leading literary agents. She has been a guest expert on writing and publishing for Poets and Writers, The American Society of Journalists and Authors, New York University, and the New York State Council on the Arts. Recently contributed “Grey is the New Black” to Fifty Writers on Fifty Shades of Grey, a nonfiction look at the cultural phenom of the bestselling novel.

Currently Looking For: When reading fiction Katharine wants to be compelled and propelled by urgent storytelling, and hooked by characters.

Not Looking For: N/A.

Clients: Dr. Shawn Tassone, Dr. Kathryn Landherr, David Topus, Arden Leigh, Donna Ballman, Lia Romeo, Barbara Barnett, Helen Lee, Andy Partridge, Dr. Bonnie Eaker Weil, Laura Levin and John O’ Hara, Marvin Woods, Dr. Brenda Brasher, Sue Woodman, Dr. Nancy Groce, among others.

EDITOR
Alexandra Sehulster, St. Martin’s Group
www.stmartins.com

Bio: Alexandra started her career at Macmillan in the sales department, where she learned the beauty of an elevator pitch, how to position a book, and how to best reach the target audience. After three years in sales, she found her home at St. Martin’s Group as an editor, committed to championing dynamic authors and publishing books that shatter expectations.

Alexandra edits both adult and young adult commercial fiction, and looks for that “can’t-put-it-down” kind of read. She loves thriller/suspense/horror, especially works that are psychological in nature and explore a toxic element of our society through dark, suspenseful, compelling tropes. In addition, she gravitates towards deeply-emotional novels that explore love and romance, the bonds of family, novels that comment on the millennial experience, horror elements that toe the line between normal and paranormal, and retellings of all kinds. As always, bonus points for anything that has a locked room element or is an enemies-to-lovers romance. For all her areas of acquisition, diverse voices and experiences are essential, and novels that uplift women and are intersectional are a must. Alexandra lives in Connecticut with a husband who reads approximately two books a year, and a toddler who skips right to THE END. She loves them very much in spite of this.

Currently Looking For: N/A.

Not Looking For: N/A.

Clients: She’s had the pleasure of working with many incredible authors, including New York Times bestselling author Darynda Jones, New York Times bestselling author Emma Lord, award-winning author Alice Blanchard, and celebrated authors Camilla Sten and Jessica Strawser, among others.

AGENT
Alec Shane, Writers House, LLC
www.writershouse.com

Bio: Alec majored in English at Brown University, a degree he put to immediate use by moving to Los Angeles after graduation to become a professional stunt man. Realizing that he prefers books to breakaway glass, he moved to New York City in 2008 to pursue a career in publishing. Alec quickly found a home at Writers House Literary Agency, where he quickly began building his own list. He is still aggressively looking for new talent across a wide variety of genres.

Currently Looking For: Horror, thriller, mystery, noir, grounded sci-fi, YA and middle grade “boy” fiction, and beautifully written historical fiction. In nonfiction: humor, biography, history, pop science, and all things sports.

Not Looking For: Romance (paranormal or otherwise), politics (fiction or nonfiction), women’s fiction, picture books, high fantasy, and science fiction featuring aliens/intergalactic warfare.

Clients: Casey Barrett, Hank Early, Stona Fitch, Ronald Kidd, Mystery Writers of America (MWA), Jack Murphy, Christopher Price, among others.

AGENT
Victoria Skurnick, Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary Agency
www.lgrliterary.com

Bio: Victoria Skurnick is with the Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary Agency, and represents both fiction and nonfiction. Among the books she has represented are Turn of Mind, Mr. Churchill’s Secretary, Jar of Hearts, Bad Things Happen, The Unexpected President, Anonymous Sources, and The Dangerous Book for Dogs.

Victoria has been with LGR for 14 years; before joining the agency, she was editor-in-chief of The Book-of-the-Month Club, Senior Editor at St. Martin’s Press and Pocket Books, and Advertising Director of Holt. She is also the co-author of seven novels published under the name Cynthia Victor.

Currently Looking For: Literary fiction, thrillers, narrative nonfiction, history, politics and pop culture. But she is open to just about every kind of book.

Not Looking For: Science fiction, fantasy, or romance.

Clients: Victoria’s client list includes Susan Elia MacNeal, Jennifer Hillier, Mariah Fredericks, Alice LaPlante, Harry Dolan, and Kermit Roosevelt among others.

AGENT
Marlene Stringer, The Stringer Literary Agency
www.stringerlit.com

Bio: Marlene Stringer founded The Stringer Literary Agency LLC in 2008. Prior to that time she spent almost eight years with Barbara Bova Literary Agency. As a full-service literary agency based in Naples, Florida, StringerLit represents a wide range of commercial fiction. In thrillers, she is looking for all subgenres, from domestic/suburban suspense through military thriller and all variations of crime fiction. For details and submission, visit the website at stringerlit.com. Mother of four and grandmother of two, Marlene’s hobbies include beach walking, birdwatching, and reading non-fiction.

Currently Looking For: All types of adult thrillers, suspense, and mystery, including crime, domestic, historical, espionage, financial, techno, psychological, and military.

Not Looking For: Children’s, Inspirational, comedy, erotica, poetry, or non-fiction.

Clients: Brief list – Charlie Donlea, Emily Bleeker, Tessa Wegert, Charlie N. Holmberg, Emily R. King, Emily Cavanagh, Anna Bradley, Luanne G. Smith, and Suzanne Johnson.

AGENT
John Talbot, Talbot Fortune Agency
www.talbotfortuneagency.com

Bio: John is a literary agent with twenty-five plus years of commercial book publishing experience. Prior to becoming an agent he was a Senior Editor at Putnam Berkley, where he had the honor of working with such global bestsellers as Tom Clancy, W.E.B. Griffin, and Jack Higgins. He edited dozens of national bestsellers and several New York Times Notable Books. He began his editorial career at Simon & Schuster.

Currently Looking For: Thrillers, domestic suspense, suspense with Western themes and settings, crime novels, and mysteries with series and bestselling potential. I look particularly for authenticity, a strong and engaging voice, good pacing, and, most of all, a singular protagonist who grabs my attention from page one.

Not Looking For: N/A

Clients: Brad Taylor, Mike Maden, Boyd Morrison, Ted Bell, Josh Hood, Ellie Alexander, Cleo Coyle, LynDee Walker, Kevin O’Brien, Rick Campbell, “Real Book Spy” Ryan Steck, Jeff Ayers, Austin Camacho, and Morrow debut author and Agentfest signee Taylor Moore.

AGENT
Kelly Thomas, Serendipity Literary Agency
www.serendipitylit.com

Bio: Kelly Thomas brings 15 years of sales and business expertise to the literary world as a champion for writers. Kelly is a certified copy editor who has a Bachelor’s degree in English (Literature) from Pace University. Prior to joining Serendipity, she provided manuscript analysis for the D4EO literary agency. Kelly is a published poet with publications in ‘Tales for the Disenchanted’ (2008) and ‘Penumbra Art & Literature’ (2015). She serves as a freelance editor and ghost writer in her free time.

Kelly is a ferocious reader, lover of books, and has a passion for writing.  Indeed a writer at heart, no matter the form (essays, articles, blogs, poems, short stories, marketing literature, resumes, or manuscripts), she will quickly put pen to page.   Kelly is building her client roster and is actively seeking the next bestselling author!

Currently Looking For: Kelly is most interested in nonfiction (narrative nonfiction, memoirs, true crime), and adult fiction (psychological thrillers, mysteries, crime, horror, suspense, and dark comedies). She enjoys fast-paced, plot-driven fiction with twists, turns, and jaw dropping moments. She is drawn to stories about leadership, overcoming adversity, and beating the odds. Stories that are told from a unique psychological vantage point are always of interest. The truth is often stranger than fiction, so Kelly is actively looking for the next great true crime manuscript in the vein of Ann Rule with a murderous and methodical plot. She loves multi-layered protagonists who struggle between what is right and wrong and anti-heroes who are villainous but endearing at the same time. Some of her favorite books that perfectly master this include Dexter, American Psycho, Fight Club, Psycho, Interview With a Vampire, My Sister The Serial Killer.

Not Looking For: N/A

Clients: N/A

AGENT
Ann Leslie Tuttle, Dystel, Goderich, and Bourret LLC
www.dystel.com

Bio: Ann Leslie Tuttle joined DG&B in 2017 after working for 20 years at Harlequin Books, now a division of HarperCollins, where she acquired and edited an extensive list of bestselling titles in women’s fiction. She received her B.A. degree from the College of William and Mary and an M.A. from the University of Virginia. Finding talented authors (established and debut) and growing a writer’s career have always been Ann Leslie’s passion. Ann Leslie lives in New York City with her husband and young daughter, who is just discovering the magic of books and writing.

Currently Looking For: Actively seeking thrillers, psychological suspense, mysteries, romance, literary fiction and Middle Grade. Stories set in the South and Southern Gothics especially captivate me as do other fictional works that convey a strong sense of place.

Not Looking For: Dystopian, New Adult, Young Adult, Science Fiction, Paranormal or Horror.

Clients: USA Today bestselling author Tara Taylor Quinn; PW bestselling authors Debbie Herbert and Jenna Kernan, and national bestselling authors Nancy Robards Thompson and Rhyannon Byrd.

AGENT
Nikki Terpilowski, Holloway Literary
www.HollowayLiteraryAgency.com

Bio: Nikki established Holloway Literary in 2011 after working in marketing communications as a writer and editor. Nikki is the senior agent at Holloway Literary and also handles all negotiations for the agency’s film deals. She loves all types of fiction, but is particularly interested in finding interesting mysteries, fresh Southern voices, ethnically and culturally diverse fiction and culinary non-fiction.  When she’s not working or wrangling her three sons, she enjoys traveling to the beach, mountains and all historical sites in between.

Currently Looking For: Romance (contemporary, historical, sweet, POC), Women’s fiction, YA (especially science fiction and fantasy), Historical fiction, Mysteries (cozy, traditional, contemporary, historical), Thrillers (military, political, espionage, domestic suspense), Literary fiction, Southern fiction, Nonfiction (culinary, heirloom skills, mindfulness, lifestyle, American south). Particularly interested in southern USA voices.

Not Looking For: Stories that focus on chronic illness or dying, Erotica, Graphic horror (light elements of horror are acceptable), Stories with graphic sex scenes, Police procedurals, Stories in which children are abused, Stories that explore sexual abuse and its effects, Stories in which racism or discrimination are the focus (unless it is historical non-fiction), Fiction set in the 60,s, 70’s, 80’s or 90’s.

Clients: Internationally bestselling domestic suspense author, Kimberly Belle, internationally bestselling contemporary romance author, Katie Oliver and USA Today bestselling cozy mystery author, Catherine Bruns. Kimberly Belle’s Three Days Missing is currently optioned to Two Jacks Productions, her bestselling novel The Marriage Lie is in development at ABC Studios and Rea Frey’s Not Her Daughter is in development with Argent Pictures.

AGENT
Lisa Erbach Vance, Aaron Priest Literary Agency
www.aaronpriest.com

Bio: Lisa Erbach Vance represents numerous bestselling authors at the Aaron Priest Literary Agency, which she joined in 1993 as Director of Foreign Rights. Shortly thereafter, she began representing her own clients. Prior to joining the agency, she was a Management Trainee at Random House, Inc. and a foreign rights associate at Crown Publishers. Lisa was raised outside of Chicago; she has a degree in English Literature from Northwestern University.

Currently Looking For: Propulsive, emotionally engaging thrillers–contemporary or historical, domestic or international; especially works featuring female characters and/or diverse narrative voices that speak to the human condition and the world today. Moody psychological suspense. Romantic suspense. Any work that will take me on a surprising journey deep into another culture or subculture. I have a wide range of interests in the area of suspense, so I’m reluctant to put limits on what I’ll consider, but a strong premise and distinctive narrative voice are musts.

Not Looking For: Science fiction, fantasy, or horror. Procedural and terrorist-centric plots are a longshot.

Clients: Harlan Coben, Gregg Hurwitz, Alex Finlay, Gayle Lynds, Glen Erik Hamilton, Anthony Franze, B.J. Daniels, Matt Beynon Rees, G.M. Ford and Charlotte and Aaron Elkins, among others.

AGENT
Jennifer Weis, Ross Yoon Agency
www.rossyoon.com

Bio: Jennifer is a Senior Literary Agent at the Ross Yoon Agency. In 2019, she left St. Martin’s Press, where she was Executive Editor for 30 years, to move to the other side of the desk. With bestsellers from her editor days including B.A. Paris’ Behind Closed Doors and the nationally bestselling Baby Teeth, as well as critical successes like Climate Of Hope by Michael Bloomberg, and upcoming agented books including Happy Not Perfect by Poppy Jamie, The Girl And The Bombardier by Susan Tate Ankeny, and Recovery From Lyme Disease by Dr. Dan Kinderlehrer, Jennifer brings to the table editorial guidance and development as well as an advanced understanding and knowledge of the inner workings of publishing houses and the publishing landscape today. Jennifer represents both fiction and nonfiction writers, identifying the stars of tomorrow and helping to place them at publishers where they can attract attention, shine, and grow.

Currently Looking For: – In fiction, she is seeking high-concept, cleverly plotted bookclub fiction of all categories, including psychological and domestic suspense, women’s fiction, and selected young adult, series and stand-alone. To grab her attention, a novel has got to have a hook, a compelling plot and a distinctive voice that brings the reader right in.
– In nonfiction, she is looking for new voices and authors preferably with a platform. Areas of specialty include but are not limited to health, psychology, memoir, current events and narrative nonfiction of special interest to women.

Not Looking For: N/A

Clients: N/A

AGENT
Terrie Wolf, AKA Literary Management
www.akalm.net

Bio: Terrie is CEO of AKA Literary LLC, a Colorado-based agency established in 2010. A full member of AAR (Association of Authors’ Representatives), she has sold rights in more than 40 countries and represents an exciting group of authors who are at all stages of the writing journey, and an eclectic and unforgettable list of commercial fiction and nonfiction. With a background that spans nearly 30 years in publishing, international media, and large-scale events, this Emmy award-winning former broadcast special projects producer is also an accomplished speaker and frequent conference attendee.

Currently Looking For: N/A

Not Looking For: N/A

Clients: Terrie’s clients include Margaret Mizushima, C.C. Harrison, Jeff Nesbit, Maria Shriver, Toni Brattin, Bill Coors, and Celine Jacobson, among others. Please visit AKALM.net for more information.