PPWC Report: Agent Laurie McLean

Personal Stuff: I'm happy to report a Pikes Peak Writer's Conference experience that was all I'd hoped and desired. I've returned home re-energized and recharged for writing--and I have a pile of new writing information to process and play with. Also came home with two awesome books on writing craft and a novel by one of my new favorite fantasy writers, Carol Berg. She lives right here in Colorado. Why hadn't I read her wonderful books before? I raced through Transformation in two days. Wow. Now for the agent stuff....

Laurie McLean: Laurie works with the Larsen Pomada Literary Agency (http://www.larsenpomada.com/) in sunny San Francisco. She reps adult genre fiction (the books with labels in the bookstore,) middle grade fiction, and young adult fiction. She does NOT represent picture books or chapter books.

What has she seen too much of?

• Query letters that say "This is the next Harry Potter/Lord of the Rings"


• Chick lit (It's hard to sell right now.)


• Books about 2012, its significance as the end of the Mayan calendar, and the end of the world


• Traditional old-guy-in-the-castle vampires

What is she not seeing that she'd like to see?

• Truly different westerns. She always sees the same story with slightly different characters and settings. Wants a new story for a historical western.


• Urban fantasy without vampires or werewolves (but probably not zombies, because they have no emotional range)


• Western romance


• Paranormal romance


• Dark fantasy--something psychologically spooky and scary (no splatterpunk, no serial killers)


• Cyberpunk


• YA romance (but NOT Gossip Girl)


• YA historical fiction that transcends the era--needs to speak to today's teens. (Note: this is a soft market, so your YA historical really has to stand out!)

Tomorrow: "Take-homes" from Laurie's Read-and-Critique session.

:) Cheryl