Send a Query to Ashlee MacCallum at Howland Literary
Hello!
Thank you so much for trusting me with your work. I am truly honored you would consider me for representation. Before submitting your project, please read the information below. I am currently open to adult fiction.
MSWL (Adult Fiction – Commercial & Upmarket)
I’m seeking high-concept, voice-driven adult fiction with strong emotional stakes, a clear hook, and broad commercial appeal. I’m especially drawn to diverse and underrepresented voices, as well as stories that feel fresh, strange, or genre-bending while remaining highly readable.
Across all categories, I’m looking for:
- A clear, compelling, one-sentence pitch
- Strong, distinctive voice
- Diverse and underrepresented perspectives
- A touch of the unexpected, offbeat, or strange
- Stories that balance emotional depth with commercial appeal
Romance
- High-concept or instantly pitchable premise that is wildly unique
- Speculative elements and light paranormal
- Rare or subversive takes on familiar tropes
- Strong voice with emotional intensity and chemistry
- Bingeable pacing with breakout or series potential
Fantasy
Romantasy
- Romance-forward fantasy with a clear central relationship
- Accessible worldbuilding and strong pacing
- High-stakes emotional arcs and tension
- Morally gray love interests or power dynamics
- Series potential with a strong hook
Cozy Fantasy
- Warm, character-driven stories
- Found family, community, or healing-centered arcs
- Light magic or whimsical world elements
- Strong voice with charm and humor
- Escapist, comforting tone with a clear hook
Dark Fantasy
- Gritty, immersive worlds with high stakes
- Flawed, morally gray, or unlikeable protagonists
- Genre-blending (fantasy + horror, thriller, or literary elements)
- Dark, atmospheric tone with strong narrative drive
- Weird, edgy, or high-concept hooks
Mystery / Thriller
- Psychological or domestic suspense with a strong hook
- High-stakes premise that escalates quickly
- Unreliable narrators or morally complex characters
- Bingeable pacing with sharp twists
- Cozy mysteries with a unique setting, voice, or hook
Horror / Gothic / Paranormal
- Commercial or elevated horror, gothic, or paranormal stories with a clear, compelling hook
- Atmospheric, eerie, or unsettling storytelling—hauntings, decay, isolation, or a lingering sense that something isn’t right
- Psychological or social tension grounded in real fears, often intersecting with the uncanny or supernatural
- Voice-driven narratives with strong character perspective and emotional depth
- Stories that blend horror, gothic elements, or the paranormal with identity, relationships, grief, or memory
Women’s Fiction / Book Club Fiction
- High-concept emotional premise (clear, pitchable hook)
- Relationship-driven stories with strong character arcs
- Family, identity, and reinvention at the center
- Secrets, moral dilemmas, or layered interpersonal tension
- Diverse perspectives and culturally specific storytelling
Historical Fiction
- Fresh angle or underexplored historical moment
- Strong emotional throughline and character focus
- Dual timelines or narrative reveals that drive momentum
- Hidden histories or marginalized perspectives
- Book club appeal with a compelling central hook
Specific MSWL
- The gritty, power-driven storytelling and morally gray characters of Peaky Blinders and Sons of Anarchy, particularly in settings where loyalty, violence, and ambition collide
- The sharp social dynamics and slow-burning unraveling of privilege seen in The White Lotus—ensemble casts, contained settings, and tension that simmers beneath the surface
- Dark, gothic storytelling that interrogates monstrosity and creation
- Women who push too far, want too much, and refuse to be contained. Give me women who are messy, unlikable, impulsive, and unapologetically complex.
- Subversive myth retellings—especially Persephone—that lean dark, romantic, and emotionally charged
- Historical or historical-inspired settings used as a backdrop for high-stakes conflict, violence, and power—not quiet or nostalgic, but immersive and propulsive. I’d love something set during the Civil Rights Era.
- Layered, mystery-driven narratives with buried secrets and generational consequences, structurally tight and reveal-driven
- Isolated or insular settings (compounds, estates, retreats, small towns) where secrets fester, and tensions turn volatile
- Ghosts, hauntings, spirits, and eerie, unexplained elements with strong atmosphere and emotional stakes. I’m especially drawn to stories where the supernatural intersects with grief, memory, or buried secrets.
- Bubblegum horror! Bright, glossy, hyper-stylized horror with sharp edges—playful on the surface but dark underneath. I’m drawn to bold aesthetics and stories that balance fun, femininity, and danger.
- Campy horror that’s bold and self-aware with a sense of fun—over-the-top concepts, big characters, and a willingness to lean into the chaos while still delivering real stakes
- Power structures and hierarchy-driven worlds (crime families, cults, elite circles) where characters must navigate loyalty, betrayal, and survival
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