I joined the Linda Chester Literary Agency after practicing corporate law at a major New York firm. A lifelong reader and perennial Janklow & Nesbit summer intern, I am extraordinarily happy to be back in the literary fold.

I'm a promiscuous reader whose interests span a huge range of genres, the common element being a superlative and engaging narrative voice. In non-fiction, my tastes run the gamut from narrative non-fiction, to spicy memoir, to anything and everything having to do with pop culture. (To give you an inkling, aside from the usual suspects, I think that Wired and Outside magazines are publishing some stellar pop-culture journalistic pieces at the moment). In literary fiction, a wonderful book can be anything from a bildungsroman beautifully told to a quirky exploration of subculture. I love to read a family saga that defies convention or a classic love story with an original and compelling bent. As for mysteries and thrillers, terrify me with your dashing plot and gritty scenes.

At the moment, I am craving perfect book-club fiction, the kind of wonderful story that keeps you in bed all day Sunday with a book (think Tom Perrotta, Pat Conroy, Alice Hoffman, Ann Patchett), I am also particularly interested in page-turning and well-researched historical fiction (think Michel Faber and Sarah Waters), the novel which perfectly blends literary and commercial from a female perspective (think Curtis Sittenfeld's PREP, Melissa Banks' THE GIRL'S GUIDE TO HUNTING AND FISHING, and Meghan Daum's THE QUALITY OF LIFE REPORT), anything mysteriously smart which takes place in a contained environment like a small town, a boarding school or at college (think Donna Tartt and Marisha Pessl), and non-fiction with such good narrative that you think you are reading fiction (think Erik Larson, John Berendt, and Karen Abbott's SIN IN THE SECOND CITY).

For twenty years, the Linda Chester Literary Agency has represented a wide variety of adult literary and commercial/quality fiction, as well as an array of non-fiction projects in areas that include science, health, business, finance, current events, history, popular culture, humor, psychology, spirituality, fine and performing arts, memoir, and biography. We place dramatic rights for our projects and work in tandem with the major film agencies.

If you've written something to keep me awake all night, please see the submissions information below.

- Darynda Jones's FIRST GRAVE ON THE RIGHT and two subsequent novels about a private investigator who moonlights as a grim reaper, in a pre-empt, to Jennifer Enderlin at St. Martin's.

-Christopher Farnsworth's BLOOD OATH, centering on a vampire sworn to protect the U.S. president against supernatural threat, in a pre-empt, in a major three-book deal to Rachel Kahan at Putnam.

-Marissa Lippert's THE CHEATER'S DIET, a smart, fresh and fun one-stop resource to providing readers with a healthy, indulgent, greener take on weight loss and shopping for, preparing and cooking utterly enjoyable food, to Amy Hertz at Dutton.

-Jillian Lauren's SOME GIRLS, a memoir of identity, adoption, tattooing and the author's two years spent in Prince Jefri of Brunei's Harem, and her debut novel PRETTY, to Signe Pike at Plume.

- Elle's HUNTING SEASON, a witty and irreverent dating guide using the rules of deer hunting to land a buck, to Katherine Nintzel at Avon A.

- Erica Eisdorfer's debut neo-Victorian novel THE WET NURSE'S TALE, in the tradition of Michel Faber and Sarah Waters, to Rachel Kahan at Putnam.

-Debut novelist Nicole Dickson's CASTING OFF to Claire Zion at NAL in a pre-empt.

-Marta Acosta's NANCY'S THEORY OF STYLE, in a two book deal, again to Maggie Crawford at Pocket.

-J. Sydney Jones' THE EMPTY MIRROR, the first in a series of Vienna historical thrillers, in a two book deal, to Thomas Dunne at Thomas Dunne Books.

University of Virginia School of Law, JD
University of Michigan, BA

Association of Authors' Representatives
Member of the New York State Bar

*I am actively seeking submissions*

I will only respond to submissions which follow the guidelines below:

-Please send a query letter which includes a biography listing your writing and life credentials to submissions@lindachester.com. In the body of that email, please also include the first 10 pages of the manuscript if it's fiction.
-Submissions sent to personal agency email addresses will not be reviewed.
-Due to the overwhelming number of queries we receive, we can no longer respond to every one. If I am interested in your work, I will respond to you in any amount of time from four minutes to four weeks.
-Snail mail submissions will not be reviewed.