felice laverne (Currenly Closed to queries)
FOUNDER, SENIOR AGENT
Felice’s publishing career has always been rooted in championing bold voices and writers from marginalized communities. After obtaining her bachelor’s degree in English, Creative Writing, from Georgia State University, she started her career at About Words Agency directly after college where she worked as an agent until leaving to complete her master’s degree in Publishing at Kingston University in London, England. There, Felice specialized in Diversity & Inclusion in Publishing, which drove her career-long passion for marginalized voices the world had never heard before. After years of then partnering with major houses as a book editor and ghostwriter, including having edited phenomenal big-name books such as Zerlina Maxwell’s The End of White Politics (Hachette) and Paola Ramos’ Finding Latinx: In Search of the Voices Redefining Latino Identity (Vintage), among so many others, she is now back to her roots as a literary agent with a growing list of bold titles.
MSWL:
Felice focuses on contemporary and futuristic literary, upmarket, and commercial fiction. She is looking for fiction that explores the subtleties and complexities of language, while still being firmly rooted in modern or futuristic living. She is intrigued by books that introduce readers to a new world, make us think differently about one we already know, or tap into the cultural climate. With this in mind, she’s eager to find bold voices from the African, Asian and Latin diasporas that explore these cultures deeply, asking questions of how they interact with, are affected by, and impact the rest of the world. She loves speculative fiction, and a book that offers sharp social commentary interwoven brilliantly throughout the narrative will keep her up all night reading.
She’s looking for select nonfiction with a unique viewpoint by journalists, influencers and authors with a well-developed media platform in the areas of interior design, social commentary on marginalized cultures, positive psychology and self-help with a commercial voice, and pop culture essay collections. She does not accept queries for unsolicited nonfiction.
Felice has a soft spot for dark academia fiction and brainy novels set on college campuses that feature BIPoC characters (Catherine House; The Truants); dark, moody Southern atmospheres like in Sharp Objects; clever ‘whodunits’ set on estates (The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, Knives Out, West Heart Kill); literary fiction written around characters of color (The Emperor of Ocean Park, A Little Life); contemporary Southern Gothic fiction (Pew); Gothic Magical Realism (Sorrowland); and novels about the interiority of cult life and what happens to us on the other side of it (Gather the Daughters). She would love to work with novels that put its characters in a pressure cooker and see how they’ll react, like in Leave the World Behind, as well as novels featuring multicultural Millennials and Zoomers in high-powered workplace situations; fictionalized behind-the-scenes looks at reality TV and social media; sharp social commentary on social media and digitalization (The Circle and The Every); phantasmagoric literary fiction; dystopia, and witty and satirical upmarket women’s fiction that reveals a nasty side to a major industry (i.e. fashion, film, etc.) as in The Other Black Girl or The Devil Wears Prada. She’d also love to find books that speak to the unspoken or largely undiscussed facets of motherhood, like The Push, and those that feature speculative fiction settings where people may live and love whomever they please like Hanya Yanagihara’s To Paradise.
What She Doesn’t Want: Historical Fiction, Children’s Books, YA/MG and New Adult Fiction, Erotica, SciFi, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Poetry, Short Story Collections, Police Procedurals, Stories about Road Trips
CARLEEN GEISLER, ASSOCIATE AGENT
Carleen comes from a background in technical writing and content marketing. When she found the world of publishing, she fell in love and dove in head first: starting her own author career as well as an internship at ArtHouse. She works on both sides with equal passion, and loves to help authors discover their "why" and curate their careers.
MSWL
For fiction, Carleen is looking for adult contemporary stories across genres. She loves suspense, especially if it comes with a dose of weird (think GOOD RICH PEOPLE by Eliza Jane Brazier or BUNNY by Mona Awad), and dark stories are her typical go-to. She is okay with mild speculative elements if they are close to real-world or very grounded. She loves the strange and whimsical, as well as the dark and dreadful. She likes romance, but prefers it to be part of a "bigger picture" story (think THE ARC by Tory Henwood Hoen), or at least that it has a great b-plot. She is especially interested in stories told from the voices of women, LGBTQIA+, and other marginalized communities. She loves morally grey characters, or stories where no one is really good in the end, and craves finding something that breaks the norm of a trope in a satisfying way. She prefers shorter stories over long ones (still within novel standards though, please!) and is happy to consider manuscripts that bend or combine genres.
For non-fiction, Carleen is interested in topics along the lines of spirituality, intuition, natural living, community, culture, food, and agriculture.
What she doesn't want: Excessive gore (she has a weak stomach!), crime thrillers/police procedurals, fantasy, sci-fi, historical, children's books.
Esty Loveing-Downes, ASSOCIATE AGENT
Esty holds a BFA in creative writing from Ringling College of Art + Design and is currently an MFA candidate in fiction at Queens University of Charlotte. Aside from serving as a daily editor for the Southern Review of Books, she joined the teams at Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency and Tobias Literary Agency before joining the ArtHouse Literary Agency team and becoming an Associate Literary Agent. Esty is looking for romance, upmarket fiction, YA, genre-blending sci-fi, picture books, and select nonfiction and literary fiction.
MSWL
In romance and YA, Esty is looking for tropes like enemies-to-lovers, fake dating, and grumpy-sunshine like THE FLATSHARE or BEACH READ, or marriage-of-convenience stories like THE UNHONEYMOONERS. She’d love to see a fresh take on PRIDE & PREJUDICE, EMMA, or ANNE OF GREEN GABLES. If you’ve got contemporary stories with dual POVs and impossible love like THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR, or a classic retellings like THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS that include high stakes, plot tension, and compelling soulmate vibes—send those her way, too.
In upmarket, Esty is looking for titles with women in STEM like LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY, updated classics like Ann Napolitano’s Little Women retelling, HELLO, BEAUTIFUL, and wlw knockouts with queer representation like THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO. She’s also looking for genre-blending sci-fi or speculative fiction like THE NIGHT CIRCUS, magical realism like Carmen Maria Machado’s HER BODY AND OTHER PARTIES, or nonlinear, poetic work like THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR. She’d also love to see “romantasy” with strong leads like A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES and CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE, fae stories with romance tropes like THE CRUEL PRINCE, character-driven journeys like THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE, or the fairy tale vibes of SPINNING SILVER.
In picture books, send heartwarming titles with a BIPOC focus like EYES THAT KISS IN THE CORNERS and creative, imagination-friendly projects like DRAGONS LOVE TACOS.
In nonfiction, she’s looking for insightful social commentary like that of Ijeoma Oluo, Brené Brown, and Mikki Kendall.
Esty would also like to see literary fiction with artful realism like THE RABBIT HUTCH and TOMORROW AND TOMORROW AND TOMORROW, the heart wrenching yearning of NORMAL PEOPLE, characters challenging society like OUR MISSING HEARTS, or books like THE INCENDIARIES and SEVERANCE that examine marginalized characters, injustice, or religion. Characters examining systems of oppression through twisty plots in books like THE NICKEL BOYS, SALVAGE THE BONES, and INTERIOR CHINATOWN are welcome, and mythological retellings like Madeline Miller’s CIRCE, especially those set outside of Europe. This is a home for fresh retellings, fairy tales, and artful, rebellious prose. For a better look at the kind of titles Esty gravitates towards, scroll her Pinterest board here.
What She Doesn’t Want: horror, thrillers, erotica, police/legal procedurals, mysteries, anything ageist/ableist/racist/misogynistic, or anything where queer people die in the end.
Miriam Cortinovis, ASSOCIATE AGENT
Born and raised in Italy, Miriam (they/she) moved to Chicago as a teenager and has since earned a BA in Creative Writing and an MA in Writing & Publishing from DePaul University. After an excellent internship at Aevitas Creative Management, for which she also freelance read, she landed at ArtHouse Literary as an intern. They became Associate Agent through intense months of professional growth and supported learning. When not reading or writing SFF fiction of their own, Miriam enjoys playing videogames with their partner and scheming on Dungeons & Dragons with her friends. Their MSWL is inspired by all these speculative passions on top of their non-binary, bisexual, and chronically ill identity.
MSWL
In general, Miriam is eagerly looking for everything and anything speculative across most age ranges (Adult, Young Adult, and Upper Middle Grade).
For Fantasy, Miriam seeks intersectional diverse stories that make of magic—whatever its definition—an instrument of identity and/or social discovery. They want portal trilogies like A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC, D&D-inspired adventures like TIL DEATH DO US BARD, alluring paranormal glimpses like TOGETHER WE ROT, and the triumphal return of urban fantasy through the likes of LEGENDBORN. They would love epic tales set in worlds similar yet different from ours like THE JASMINE THRONE, coming-of-age powerhouses like WITCHLINGS & PERCY JACKSON, riveting academia plots like CURIOUS TIDES, and retellings that deviate from the Western canon—with a special interest in medieval romance & the Arthurian cycle. Above all, Miriam is on the frontlines of championing queer perspectives, especially trans, non-binary, and asexual voices, through all human facets: rage, joy, healing, and messy glory. Think, HELL FOLLOWED WITH US and VESUVIUS.
For Science Fiction, Miriam is eager to have their brains teased and blown. While not keen on hard sci-fi, they relentlessly chase the necromantic high of GIDEON THE NINTH. They would also love space shenanigans à la TREASURE PLANET and JUNKER SEVEN. On earth or otherwise, Miriam awaits dystopian novels that fearlessly interrogate and exaggerate modern society with the timeless insight of THE HUNGER GAMES, the cutting genius of PARABLE OF THE SOWER, and the ruthlessness of HBO’s WESTWORLD.
Similarly—for Horror, Thriller, Gothic, and Historical, they would love to champion manuscripts that utilize the speculative to challenge, endanger, and transform the psyche anew. Less splatter, more mind metamorphosis. To note that Miriam isn’t looking for historical novels set during or after WWI-WWII unless told from a non-Western perspective.
Miriam takes an interest in Young Adult Contemporary novels that draw on their fascination with American high school from immigrant perspectives and with summer camps/adventures, in the veins of YOU SHOULD SEE ME IN A CROWN. They’re also looking for queer YA Horror & Thriller the likes of HOW TO FIND A MISSING GIRL and HOLLOW.
For everything listed above, they’re also highly interested in novellas.
What they don’t want: Poetry (including novel in verses). Picture/Chapter Books. Trade Nonfiction. Contemporary Mafia Fiction. Contemporary Adult Romance. Erotica. Werewolves.
Hailey Stephens, ASSOCIATE AGENT
Hailey Stephens is an avid reader, writer, and editor with a bachelor's degree in English-Writing from Illinois Wesleyan University, as well as a master's in Writing and Publishing from DePaul University. She is especially interested in uplifting diverse artists from rural communities that may be overlooked by such a metropolis-based industry.
While Hailey's reading tastes include almost everything (she currently favors romance, literary fiction, and creative memoirs), her writing is focused on both creative nonfiction and psychological/supernatural horror. When not reading or writing, Hailey enjoys exploring her many hobbies. She's a baker, hiker, puzzler, gamer (board games, card games, D&D, video games-she's open to it all!), cross-stitcher, and so much more.
MSWL
In general, Hailey is only looking for Adult novels, but she will selectively take on Middle Grade books if the manuscript will inspire a passion for reading the way books like FABLEHAVEN by Brandon Mull, PERCY JACKSON by Rick Riordan, SKELETON CREEK by Patrick Carman, and PRINCESS ACADEMY by Shannon Hale did for young Hailey. She would also love to champion authors from rural areas, especially authors from BIPOC, LGBTQ+, neurodivergent, and/or any other community that tends to be overlooked in rural areas. (This doesn't mean the manuscript itself has to be based in a rural setting, although she always appreciates a good rural horror.)
For Literary, Upmarket, and Contemporary fiction, Hailey wants vivid stories that pull the reader in right away, immersing them in the work the author has created. The voice should be earnest and make readers feel intertwined with the characters. She would love to champion works that are as devastatingly honest and impactful as ROOTLESS by Krystle Zara Appiah, THE BLUEST EYE by Toni Morrison, and THE WEDDING PEOPLE by Alison Espach all are.
For thriller and horror, she wants stories that linger in the corners of the mind, with characters that feel like they're in the room with the reader (for better or worse). Hailey is always chasing the high left behind from reading HOUSE OF LEAVES by Mark Z. Danielewski. She aspires to feel as involved in the narrative as she did while reading Mary Shelley's FRANKENSTEIN. She wants manuscripts that get hearts and minds racing, but they should not ever include gratuitous violence or gore.
Hailey will also selectively take on Adult Romance, and is hopeful there are still love story tropes out there that can be discovered or re-explored in a way that redefines the genre.
In nonfiction, she is looking for both trade and literary proposals. She is especially interested in memoirs that play with the concept of time and structure like THE FACE series published by Restless Books, EVIDENCE OF V by Sheila O’Connor, and DEAR MEMORY by Victoria Chang. She would also be very interested in cookbooks of all kinds.
Hailey is always looking for a great love (in any sense of the word) story, but what she really needs in a manuscript is content that changes the minds and lives of its readers in unexpected ways. While the stories she represents do not necessarily need to have a happy ending, she is focused on finding manuscripts that inspire positive community and discussion for years to come. (In other words, a book with strong potential to cultivate a thriving fandom!)
What she doesn’t want: Poetry, Picture Books, Children's Books, Erotica/Romances where being "spicy" is one of the main draws, Historical Fiction, YA Fiction, Legal Procedurals, Fantasy