I am building a list of commercial fiction looking for romance, romcoms and women’s fiction, YA/NA and adult fantasy (preferably with a strong central romance) and crime, thrillers and mysteries (no romance required). In all genres I am looking for escapism – I want to be drawn in by hooky pitches and compelling characters then swept away by page-turning drama, relationships and adventure.

In women’s fiction I gravitate towards the books dressed in brigh paperbacks – think Emily Henry, Elena Armas or Ali Hazelwood. I love a good trope – give me enemies to lovers, grumpy/sunshine, fake dating or a love triangle any day of the week – and want to find projects which take these tropes in new and exciting directions. I would also love to find a sweeping love story with an epic twist, be that a twist of magic or a twist in the plot (or both, like Rebecca Serle’s In Five Years) or with an original, compelling concept at its heart.

When it comes to fantasy, I want fun hooks, swooning romance, high stakes and strong female characters facing impossible decisions. Recent favourites include Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, Trial of the Sun Queen by Nisha J Tuli and Carissa Broadbent’s The Serpent and the Wings of Night. 

In crime fiction, my favourite writers include Ruth Ware, Lisa Jewell and Lucy Foley. I am looking for fast-paced standalone thrillers, original and gripping whodunnits, locked room mysteries and dark-edged psychological suspense. I love working through the mechanics of a good murder plot and want novels which do this from ambitious and creative new angles, like Gillian McAllister’s Wrong Place Wrong Time or Keigo Higashino’s The Devotion of Suspect X.

I studied English Literature at the University of Bristol and joined David Higham Associates in 2017 after a spell working in marketing and events. As well as building my own list, I work with our Managing Director Lizzy Kremer and help to run DHA’s Open Days for Under-Represented Writers.