Kat is passionate about the editorial side of agenting and is keen to work with authors that she can help grow and develop. She also handles audio rights for the agency.
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From MG through to YA, and across genres, I’m very character-led –you can give me all the crazy plot points in the world, but they need to be happening to a well-drawn character for me to connect to your story!
In middle grade, I love anything with an epic adventure where friendships are made along the way. Give me the ragtag band of comrades on a secret mission of Rooftoppers, the determined girl and her furry friend exploring Greenwild or, a personal favourite, kid detectives! Heists, murder, intrigue…I grew up addicted to Anthony Horowitz’s Diamond Brothers and I’d love to see some middle-grade books that have that perfect balance of humour and genuine mystery, in the vein of The Swifts and Montgomery Bonbon. I’d also be interested in contemporary adventures closer to home, like The Boy in the Suit or any of Nathanael Lessore’s books – fiction that treats life’s challenges with empathy and humour.
I’m also desperate to find something in that post-Lottie Brooks space for tween girls – contemporary, voicey books like the Louise Rennisons and Meg Cabots that I grew up on.
In YA, I’m particularly drawn to perfectly imperfect heroes who feel flawed and real, who you can’t help but root for even as they make mistakes. Some characters who embody this would be Rune in The Crimson Moth, Pip in A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and Dolores in A Grave Inheritance. Atmosphere and setting is also huge for me, whether that’s getting lost in the winding corridors of a gothic boarding school, the nail-biting atmosphere of a life-or-death trial, or a hyper competitive spy academy.
I’m also drawn to darker YA – a horror with a speculative edge exploring the dark side of girlhood in the vein of Louise O’Neill or Holly Bourne would be perfect for me. I loved how Treacle Town and Glasgow Boys played with dialect, and I’d be keen to find a book in that space by an Irish author.
On the opposite end of that spectrum, I’d love a romance that gives me all the feels in the Lynn Painter space – think Emily Henry for a YA audience.
I’m currently closed to text-only picture book submissions.
Kat would like you to send a covering letter, a one page synopsis and the first three chapters (Max 5000 words) of your manuscript in a single word document. For picture books, please submit a covering letter and up to three completed texts.
