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| Author Kristin Vayden is represented by ArtHouse Literary |
ArtHouse
Literary Agency
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Latoya Smith from LCS Literary and Felice Laverne from Art + Deco have launched a new agency, ArtHouse Literary Agency, which will "acquire talent across genres in the adult and young adult markets while proudly standing at the forefront of our cultural shift." In addition, they have two associate agents: Shauna Turnmire and Danielle Colburn. None of the four agents seems to have nuch of client list yet, so they're all in need of new authors.
Shauna Turnmire graduated with her masters in Arts Management from
Columbia College Chicago. She is currently back home in Orlando and is excited to
help authors develop their stories and be their biggest cheerleaders.
Shauna is looking for New Adult
Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy, and Historical Fiction, including books that give
a particular glimpse into the Holocaust and the French
Revolution. Favorites in this genre: The Tattooist of Auschwitz by
Heather Morris and Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly
Shauna
is often drawn to stories that are a little strange, and especially ones that
use speculative or fantastic elements in beautiful, original ways. Across the
board, she’s looking for an inclusive cast of characters, across gender, sexual
orientation, race, religion, and mental health spectrums. Of course, if any
manuscript that is submitted to Shauna makes her see the world through a new
perspective (i.e. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi)
then this is an extra plus plus!
Shauna
is mostly looking for YA and New Adult fantasy with major character
development. She loves to see fantastical and unique worlds but needs to see
the characters overcoming challenges and learning about themselves. If there is
an epic or dark romance interspersed, even better! She loves reading about
strong, badass women as well in all genres! Favorites in this genre: Throne
of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, Hibiscus
Daughters Series by Lana Popovic
Shauna
is also looking for contemporary or commercial romance. She is extremely
interested in books that delve into complicated relationships and don’t have a
pretty bowtie ending. Shauna has a background in the music industry and loves
stories centered around bands writing music. Favorites in this genre: Daisy
Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Stolen by Lucy
Christopher, The Hating Game by Sally Thorne.
She
would love to see anything centered around Irish or Celtic history and
lore/mythology.
Query Shauna through the agency’s submissions page here.
Danielle Colburn is actively building her list of authors. She
graduated from Smith College with a B.A. in English Language & Literature
and History, and she also completed previous internships at Candlewick
Press and the Quarto Group.
A fan
of SFF and historical fiction, Danielle is currently looking for manuscripts
that feature layered world building and conflict or which place LGBT+
characters and narratives in the spotlight.
Danielle
is fascinated by science fiction/fantasy that breaks the mold and pushes the
speculative genre past what is to what could be, à
la Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth and This is How You
Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. She is looking for
dark thrillers, brainy mysteries, and select literary/upmarket fiction. She’s
interested in both genre and highbrow fiction that can provide complex, fully
realized characters and an addictive narrative and, like everyone else, especially
wants stories with leads from underrepresented communities. Sapphic or
otherwise LGBTQIA+ characters will always turn her head, but any story with
compelling conflict and a distinctive central voice is welcome.
Danielle
can easily get lost in historical fiction that questions dominant historical
narratives while focusing on marginalized perspectives, such as Sarah Waters’ Fingersmith
(and its film counterpart, The Handmaiden). Women-centric stories of
any kind – especially well-researched feminist or queer retellings, like
Madeline Miller’s Circe and Song of Achilles – are after her own
heart. She gravitates towards speculative fiction that draws inspiration from
fresh sources, particularly non-medieval or non-European history, such as R. F.
Kuang’s The Poppy War. Layered world building that focuses on
postcolonial tensions or the impact of empire, with a keen understanding of
structural oppression in our own world, is also a huge plus for Danielle. She’s
a fan of cross-over/hybrid books as well, seeking manuscripts that can
skillfully combine genres in new and fascinating ways to strengthen the story.
Query Danielle through the agency’s submissions page here.
Loytoya C. Smith began her career as an admin assistant to New York Times bestselling
author Teri Woods at Teri Woods publishing. In 2006, she got her first
full-time publishing job after graduating at Kensington, then moved to Grand
Central Publishing, an imprint of Hachette. She moved to Samhain Publishing as
Executive Editor and acquired short and long form romance and erotica.
Latoya is looking for projects
in both the fiction and nonfiction categories. For fiction, she absolutely
loves a good women’s fiction story, chock full of relatable characters, plot
twists, and of course, a compelling voice. She is also open to LGBTQ stories,
fast-paced thrillers, suspense, and horror. Romance is her first love, so she’s
always on the hunt for a good story, driven by love, but with strong emotional
conflicts. She prefers the following subgenres in the romance category:
contemporary, romantic comedy, romantic suspense, cowboys, and sweet romance.
Latoya is also looking for
young adult fiction across the spectrum.
For nonfiction, an established
platform is a must! She is open to the following subgenres: Memoir,
How-to/Advice and Relationships, Health and Wellness, Politics/Current
Events/Social Justice, Sports, Pop-culture, Business/Entrepreneurship.
Query Latoya through the agency’s submissions page here.
Felice Laverne earned 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.
For fiction, Felice focuses on
contemporary literary, upmarket, commercial fiction and select fantasy novels.
Fiction that explores the subtleties and complexities of language, while still
being firmly rooted in modern or futuristic living – whether character or
plot-driven.
Felice is also looking for
select nonfiction with a unique viewpoint by authors with a well-developed
media platform, particularly in the areas of foodie culture/cookbooks, incisive
commentary on marginalized cultures and pop culture essay collections.
Bottom line: Felice is looking
for art on a page and fresh perspectives, writing that says “NO!” to clichés
and formulaic tropes, and you can wow her with writing that offers an energetic
voice and a deep sense of place.
Felice
has a soft spot for brainy novels set on college campuses à la The
Secret History by Donna Tartt, The Dreamers by Karen
Thompson Walker and Loner by Teddy Wayne; clever whodunits set
on estates like The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart
Turton and the 2019 film Knives Out; highbrow fiction written
around characters of color such as The Emperor of Ocean Park by
Stephen L. Carter and A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara;
contemporary Southern Gothic fiction such as Catherine Lacey’s Pew;
novels featuring multicultural Millennials in high-powered workplace
situations; 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
Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger.
She is
intrigued by novels that can introduce readers to a new world, make us think
differently about one we already know or tap into the cultural climate. Like
everyone, Felice is interested in finding and uplifting writers from
marginalized communities, particularly writers of color.
Query Felice through the agency’s submissions page here.
 |
| Literary agent Gordon Warnock |
If you’re interested in meeting an agent and in
getting published, don’t miss our online How to Get Published workshop
Saturday, Aug 14, with literary agent Gordon Warnock of Fuse Literary
(see here).
August workshops
In-Person: How to Write Great
Characters, Saturday, Aug 21. Details here.
September ~ Weekly classes
Online: Welcome to Creative Writing, 10 weeks of
discovering your creative side, Tuesday afternoons, Sept 28 – Dec 7, 2021
{no class Oct 26}. Details here.
Online: Writing Personal Stories, 9 weeks of
creativity and companionship, Monday afternoons, Sept 27 – Dec 13 {no
class Oct 11 or Oct 26}. Details here.
In-Person: Writing Personal Stories, 9 weeks of
creativity and companionship, Wednesday evenings, Sept 29 – Nov 24, in
Burlington. Details here.
Online: Intensive Creative Writing, a
challenging course to help you grow as a writer.
Offered online at two different times: Thursday afternoons, Sept 23
– Dec 16, 2021 {no class Oct 21}, and Friday mornings, Sept 17 – Dec
10, 2021 {no class Oct 22}. Details here.
Writing retreat:
Lake Joseph in Muskoka: Sherwood Inn Writing Retreat: this elegant little resort in the heart of the Muskoka’s will be the
site for our fall retreat. Friday, Oct 22 – Monday, Oct 25.
Details here.
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