I gravitate towards stories about identity, family relationships, and travel. I’m looking to uplift underrepresented voices in publishing. In children’s literature, I am actively looking for PB, MG, YA & Graphic Novels. I am also open to adult and non-fiction submissions.
I’ll try and update this page when something changes or I’m focusing on something specific. For now, here are some things I love and would like to find.
Across all genres & age groups, I’m looking for:
- Stories about identity, specifically first-gen stories or immigrant experiences.
- Stories about self-love with coming-of-age themes. (I believe we are always coming of age, regardless of age!)
- Stories about family relationships, messy/dysfunctional families or found families.
- Stories about sibling relationships or cousin relationships, specifically navigating adult sibling relationships or cousin relationships with cultural differences. (i.e. first-gen themes)
- Stories about travel, where the book is set outside the U.S. or even traveling to the U.S. (Non-travel related books set outside the U.S. count!)
- Stories with messy characters who are trying their best.
- Stories with characters who are curious about therapy or where mental health is advocated for.
- Stories about badass women doing badass things.
- Stories about cultures that are rarely explored.
I run the official book club for Find A Lovely Life @findalovelybook. You can get a sense of the type of books I like to leisurely read there. I’m also a contributing writer at Latina Media Co. where I cover TV Shows and Movies. You can get a sense of my taste in film and TV there. I tweet things I would love to see so make sure you’re following me.
Specifics but not limits:
Here are a few things I would love for each category I represent. That doesn’t mean the door is closed for your project!
In Non-Fiction, I would love…
- In-depth topics that challenge society’s status quo like in Girls & Sex: Navigating the Complicated New Landscape by Peggy Orenstein
- A first-gen perspective like In the Country We Love: My Family Divided by Diane Gurerrero
- Travel memoirs like Jasmine and Fire: A Bittersweet Year in Beirut by Salma Abdelnour
In Adult, I would love…
- Literary stories that question the American dream like Imbolo Mbue’s Behold The Dreamers
- Messy, contemporary self-love journeys like Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
- Stories with espionage and diverse female characters like American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson
- A romance that explores eloping or a fun Vegas book like Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers
- A dystopian-contemporary world that explores climate change and class structure like All City by Alex DiFrancesco
In Young Adult, I would love…
- Time travel adventure books like The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig
- Historical books with satire like The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
- Travel stories that have identity themes like As Far As You’ll Take Me by Phil Stamper
- A creepy, haunting story with siblings like in Here There Are Monsters by Amelinda Bérubé
In Graphic Novels, I would love…
- Being emotionally blindsided by unexpected characters like in Sheets by Brenna Thummler
- Something fast-paced with a mystery element like I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest
- A coming-of-age story that blends cultural folklore like The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen
In Middle Grade, I would love…
- A novel in verse like Jasmine Warga’s Other Words For Home
- A story with a sense of adventure like The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez by Adrianna Cuevas
- Unique voice with a museum element like in Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi
In Picture Books, I would love…
- Lyrical books that promote reading like The Storybook Knight by Helen Docherty
- Interactive books with humor like Max Greenfield’s I Don’t Want To Read This Book
- Books that show community and bring memories to life like in My Papí Has a Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero
- Books that promote self-discovery like Jean Reidy’s What Would You Do in a Book About You?
I got into agenting with a mission to help uplift underrepresented voices in publishing, specifically within the Latinx community. If you identify as (but not limited to) a person of color (BIPOC), Latinx/e/a/o, Asian, Middle Eastern, LGBTQ+, neurodivergent, or have a disability, please send your query my way!
monica rodriguez / loveleemonicaa 