Publishers Marketplace: Melanie Figueroa

I want to work with the kind of stories that both create and sustain life-long readers—books that make me sigh with contentment, learn something new, or take delight in twists I didn’t anticipate. I’m actively seeking to add high-concept commercial and general fiction, young adult novels with a strong voice and propulsive pacing, and heartfelt and humorous middle grade novels across genres to my list. While concept is key, I tend to lean literary in terms of execution.

I often fall for books that sit at the intersection of a variety of genres. I love mysteries, found families, sibling stories, haunted houses, buried secrets, disability and mental health rep, coming-of-age narratives, non-western cultures and mythologies (I took every cultural anthropology course I could in college, and believe I would have gone down that path in another life), animal/spirit companions, strong (and potentially unlikable) women, toxic relationships (especially friendships), high stakes adventures, family sagas, smart horror, and anything that makes me laugh and/or cry (preferably both). I’m not the best fit for women’s fiction or adult romance, though I love elements of both as b-plots. I'm also not looking for epic fantasy—I gravitate more toward grounded, contemporary fantasy.

I was born and raised in Southern California in a multicultural, blended family, so I have a soft spot for books that shine a spotlight on the nuances of family relationships and identity. And I’m especially looking for books that are inclusive and accurately reflect our world—I like characters who aren’t your typical lead and to be surprised by the unexpected.

WISHLIST

ADULT
-Upmarket and general fiction with elements of mystery & suspense and/or has an interesting structural hook
-Voicey literary fiction in the vein of Kevin Wilson's NOTHING TO SEE HERE or Raven Leilani's LUSTER
-Basically any commercial fiction that could sit on a shelf next to Blake Crouch or Michael Crichton—something that plays with horror, speculative, or STEM elements to start a conversation
-A coming-of-age story in the vein of Curtis Sittenfeld's PREP, which I read so many times my copy started falling apart
-Give me something beautifully-written, well-researched, and expansive, something that straddles the line between commercial and literary

Think: Celeste Ng’s EVERYTHING I NEVER TOLD YOU, Angie Kim’s MIRACLE CREEK, Riley Sager’s HOME BEFORE DARK, Brit Bennett’s THE VANISHING HALF, Madeline Miller’s CIRCE, Kate Atkinson's LIFE AFTER LIFE, and Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s MEXICAN GOTHIC. Some tried-and-true favorites are Barbara Kingsolver’s THE POISONWOOD BIBLE and Steinbeck's EAST OF EDEN.

YOUNG ADULT
-Stealing a phrase jointly coined by my colleagues Holly Root and Molly O'Neill—I want YA SFF or historical fiction that can be summed up as "feelings while running"
-Horror and thrillers that are a little twisty and dark (but full of hope, humor, and heart), with a strong structural hook and beautiful writing
-Voicey and feminist intersectional rom-coms and contemporary romances—some tropes I like are fake dating, lovers to enemies (I know, I’m the worst), forbidden love, love triangles, second chance, and oh no there’s only one bed!
-Emotionally resonant and high-concept contemporary realistic, like Jenni Hendrik’s and Ted Caplan’s UNPREGNANT and Camryn Garrett's FULL DISCLOSURE
-Anything speculative (ghosts, witches, monsters, you name it!), especially if it includes a time loop element, à la Groundhog Day or Hulu’s Palm Springs

Think: Tiffany Jackson’s GROWN, Courtney Summers’ SADIE, Megan Bannen's THE BIRD AND THE BLADE, Natasha Ngan's GIRLS OF PAPER AND FIRE, S.J. Kincaid's THE DIABOLIC, Jessica Lewis's BAD WITCH BURNING, Cameron Lund's THE BEST LAID PLANS, Yamile Saied Méndez’s FURIA, and Elise Bryant's HAPPILY EVER AFTERS.

MIDDLE GRADE
-Heartwarming and adventurous SFF, historical, and contemporary realistic fiction that doesn't shy away from difficult subjects (not for shock value, but because the reality of readers’ lived experiences are being respected—something that’s important to me across age categories)
-I especially love stories that manage to touch on timely topics without being didactic
-Anything in the vein of Jim Henson's THE DARK CRYSTAL or literally any of Hayao Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli films (seriously, I love them all and have watched them more times than I care to admit)

Think: Tae Keller’s WHEN YOU TRAP A TIGER, B.B. Alston’s AMARI AND THE NIGHT BROTHERS, Kelly Yang’s FRONT DESK, Lynne Kelly’s SONG FOR A WHALE, Veera Hiranandani's THE NIGHT DIARY, Robert Beatty's SERAFINA AND THE BLACK CLOAK, Kelly Barnhill's THE GIRL WHO DRANK THE MOON, and Alan Gratz's REFUGEE.

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