[via website] She is eager to further build her client list in fiction, both children and adult. She reads widely and enjoys all fiction genres, but is especially seeking bookclub fiction with light speculative elements, female detective stories, whimsical middle-grade, and young adult that explores identity and culture.

She does not represent non-fiction (including memoir), picture books, or self-published novels (although she will consider your next project).

Has anyone seen an updated update (!) on when she might reopen to queries? I know she was thinking March 2021 but wondering if there's an updated target timeline.

EQ: 1/4/2020
ER: 2/12/2021
YA horror 76k
DVpit

Very nice form rejection, but it does look there there was some added personalization at the end because she said "Keep going with it. I do think you have a fresh vision with lots of potential. I wish you the best of luck" and that's a comment I haven't quite seen in others.

YA Coming-of-Age, 91k words
Sent: 09/28/2020
Personalized Rejection (listed as "form") 10/15/2020

It feels wrong to classify this one as a "form rejection" because it was actually a super kind personal rejection (but there's no option for that on querytracker). She said I have a lot of potential and that I'm a skilled writer, but she felt the opening pages were too intense for her, which is really fair because it is a bit of an intense novel. I was holding my breath for this one, but even though she rejected it, she made me feel happy and encouraged to keep querying, so I appreciate that a ton!

PR: 8/19
R: 11/23

Personalized feedback, which included suggestions/ideas on what to change--which is unfortunate only because I had implemented similar suggestions since querying her, which were made by another agent. Too bad I hadn't sent her my revisions. I would definitely re-query. She said a lot of nice and encouraging things too.

Form Query 9/16
Partial request 9/28 sent same day

Encouraging, helpful step aside 11/23

YA Mystery 60k

EQ 9/25
11/16 passed query to another agent who might be a "better match"

EQ: 30 Sep 2020
ER: 16 Nov 2020

Really helpful, personalised rejection. She seems lovely.

EQ: 8/20/20
ER: 11/10/20
Adult Paranormal Suspense, 94K

Very nice, personalized rejection. She said I had an interesting concept, but she's generally not a fan of ghost POV's. (Mental note, everyone.) I'm bummed, as she was my top pick (and I enjoyed being in the "maybe pile" for so long). However, I appreciate the personal response.

FQ: 8/11/2020
MG paranormal
Withdrawing to participate in Pitch Wars (Nov. 7)

OMG at covid and California fires! I hope she is recovering. :-(

EQ: 09/27/2020
ER: 10/21/2020

YA Contemporary Romance, 79k

I’m crushed that I won’t get to work with Mary! To all those who submitted a little while ago and are still waiting, keep the hope - I inferred from her rejection letter that she has a maybe pile.

EQ: 09/24
ER: 10/20

Mary is hands-down one of the nicest agents out there. You can tell she really cares about writers. Even in a rejection, she is so encouraging.

@ NHWriter_bipoc_she_her and @SugarMagnolia I've had a query out with her since 8/11. I'm assuming it's in a maybe pile she hasn't gotten back to yet. Earlier in the fall, she posted something on twitter about having COVID and being affected by the wildfires in CA, and for authors to expect longer than usual response times. So I'm assuming I was put in a maybe pile that she just hasn't had to time to fully go through yet. I've queried her with other projects and always gotten responses.

@NHWriter_bipoc_she_her: There are several possibilities. A lot of agents use maybe piles, so maybe the agent read your submission and wants to think more about it. When an agent uses QueryManager, queries don't usually get lost. Either way, have a look at the agent's regular response times on the agency website. If you're still under, just wait. If you're over, you can always send them a nudge (mention you've queried them before but you waited so and so long and didn't hear from them and wanted to see if the query got lost).