Literary Agent Interview: Justina Ireland and Query Critique Giveaway

Today I’m thrilled to have agent Justina Ireland here. She’s a junior literary agent at Handspun Literary Agency. 

Hi Justina! Thanks so much for joining us. 

About Justina: 

1. Tell us how you became an agent, how long you’ve been one, and what you’ve been doing as an agent. 

I started agenting beginning of 2026, but I’ve been a published author since 2013 when my first book came out. I’ve worked in a number of different parts of publishing as an author and have had a number of agents that were less than stellar, especially as a queer Black woman. I wanted to give authors the kind of honest, dedicated representation they deserve. Luckily, the fine folks at Handspun gave me a chance. 

About the Agency: 

2. Share a bit about your agency and what it offers to its authors. 

Handspun Literary Agency is a boutique agency led by Courtney Miller-Callihan who has been in the business for two decades (!) a feat for anyone familiar with publishing. There are only five of us and we meet twice weekly, which means authors represented by anyone there don’t just get the benefit of one person’s experience they get everyone’s, with Courtney of course being the most knowledgeable. 

The best thing about being repped by Handspun is our commitment to diversity and inclusion, especially at a time when more and more people are content to let equity fall by the wayside. And I think a look at our author list bears out Handspun’s commitment to doing better. I’m proud to be an agent there! 

What She’s Looking For: 

3. What age groups do you represent—picture books, MG, and/or YA? What genres do you represent, and what are you looking for in submissions for these genres? 

I represent MG and YA and adult speculative fiction, which means science fiction, fantasy, and horror and any intersections thereof. 

4.  Is there anything you would be especially excited to seeing in the genres you are interested in? 

Anything that feels fresh and fun. I’m especially looking for horror across the board and I love when it crosses with other genres like science fiction or fantasy. 

I also love fantasy that revolves around common people living their lives. It’s 2026. Give me your messy, Democratic worlds and revolutions. If your main character is secretly royalty, that’s probably not for me. 

For science fiction I love a smart premise that’s based on real science but feels magical. I also love space fantasy, especially if it’s doing things that are different from what we’ve seen in the past. Cozy SFF is always welcome, just remember it still needs stakes and a plot. 

For horror I’m really enjoying the spate of femme focused horror. Queer horror is always something I’m interested in, along with horror that focuses on marginalized groups. Haunted house? Meh. Haunted house owned by A Black family in a narrative that unpacks generational trauma? Tell me more. 

Folk horror is also great and I love when writers build off of their experiences. 

I’m also looking for work that’s well executed. I want writers to take their time and send me their best work. There’s no expiration date on a dream, so take your time! I know I rushed into querying when I was starting out and it was a very frustrating experience. Save yourself some grief. Only query when the manuscript is the absolute best you can make it. 

What She Isn’t Looking For: 

5. What types of submissions are you not interested in? 

I do not represent straight contemporary anything or romance focused SFF/H. A romantic subplot is fine, as long as it doesn’t hijack the narrative. Any project with a central romance as the driving force will not be for me, but you can look at the other agents at Handspun. 

I also do not like portal fantasy (this includes isekai, sorry) or anthropomorphic animals as the main character. Talking animals as a whole are a bit of a hard sell for me, but I can overlook them as secondary characters if the storytelling is good enough. 

Anything that feels like DnD based storytelling is going to be a hard no from me. I’m also not a fan of fantasy that relies on upholding a monarchy. 

For sci-fi, I’m not a fan of human colonization, even if overturning it is the crux of the plot. There are a million more interesting things that can happen in space other than oppressing aliens. Let’s explore that. Also not a fan of alien invasions. 

I’m a hard sell on time travel and the multiverse, so query with caution. 

Also a big nope on any horror that focuses on serial killers. I vastly prefer otherworldly monsters. 

And watch those word counts. A bloated word count is usually a good sign that a book needs a good edit or isn’t focused. 

Agent Philosophy: 

6. What is your philosophy as an agent both in terms of the authors you want to work with and the books you want to represent? 

I want to represent writers for their career, not just a single project. And I just want to represent people who love stories as much as I do. 

Editorial Agent: 

7. Are you an editorial agent? If so, what is your process like when you’re working with your authors before submitting to editors? 

I think I am, but it honestly depends on the writer and what they need. I’m here to guide and assist, not foist my vision upon a work. So my notes are always “take what works, leave what doesn’t” in philosophy. That being said, I probably would not sign or stick with a writer who feels their words cannot be edited or revised. I’m not sure what service I can provide to someone who believes they know it all. 

Before submitting to editors I do think a round of revisions is a good thing, just pointing out the things I’m seeing and where the manuscript could be stronger. And ultimately I’m only going to take on/submit projects that I think can sell. 

Query Methods and Submission Guidelines: (Always verify before submitting) 

8. How should authors query you and what do you want to see with the query letter? 

https://handspunlit.com/about-submit/ 

For queries I like the general three paragraph query format (easily searchable). The query should tell me: who, what, when, where, why, and the stakes. It should also tell me category and genre, or at least a writer’s best guess. A read alike is also nice just to give me the idea of what the writer is aiming for, and to demonstrate they’ve done at least a little reading in the space they want to create in. 

Example: In a small, war torn country Little Red Riding Hood must take a basket of goodies to her poor, sick grandmother. But Red has never left the safety of her town and there is a wolf in the woods devouring young girls. If Red doesn’t make the trip her favorite grandmother will die and Red’s mother will fall into a deep depression. Does she have what it takes to get through the woods, or will she become just another tasty snack? 

Red’s Journey is a 35,000 word MG Horror perfect for fans of Kathern Arden’s Small Spaces 

I always read the sample pages but I’ve learned that queries that are too long or never really describe the manuscript are usually rejections for me. The same problem usually exists in the pages. 

9.  Do you have any specific dislikes in query letters or the first pages submitted to you? 

Tell me about the story. The actual story, not broad themes and your inspiration. Writers also shouldn’t feel the need to write paragraphs of praise of my past work.  I don’t need flattery. I need a story I can’t put down. 

Oh, and getting my name correct is always a plus. It’s J-U-S-T-I-N-A. Being called Christina/Christine/Justine/Justin makes it clear you probably didn’t read my guidelines. This is your career. I want people who are going to treat it as seriously as I will. 

Response Time: 

10. What’s your response time to queries and requests for more pages of a manuscript? 

It varies. Queries always take a back seat to actual client work. Six to eight weeks seems to be where I’m currently landing. 

Self-Published and Small Press Authors: 

11.  Are you open to representing authors who have self-published or been published by smaller presses? What advice do you have for them if they want to try to find an agent to represent them? 

Yes, but only for new projects. My advice is always and forever the same for most questions: 

1. Write something new.
2. Research the agents you think might be a good fit.
3. Follow general query guidance.
4. Realize that rejections happen for lots of reasons. Be flexible. 

Rinse. Repeat. 

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Justina! 

Giveaway Details 

Justina is generously offering a query critique to one lucky winner. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment through July 18th. If you do not want to enter the contest, that’s okay. Just let me know in the comments. If I do not have your email (I can no longer get it from your Google Profile), you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest. Please be sure I have your email address.

If you follow me on Twitter or Bluesky or mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. This is an international giveaway. 

Have any experience with this agent? See something that needs updating? Please leave a comment or email me at natalieiaguirre7@gmail.com 

Note: These agent profiles and interviews presently focus on agents who accept children's fiction. Please take the time to verify anything you might use here before querying an agent. The information found here is subject to change.

Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops 

Monday, July 13th, I have an interview with Amy Tern and a giveaway of her MG Sneaks 

Thursday, July 16th, I’m participating in the Sip Sip Hooray Giveaway Hop 

Monday, July 20th, I have an interview with Emma Otherguy and a giveaway of her MG Adventure in the City of Stories 

Wednesday, July 22nd, I have an agent spotlight interview with Sam Farkas and a query critique giveaway 

Saturday, August 1st, I’m participating in the Apple a Day Giveaway Hop 

Wednesday, August 5th, I have an interview with Lindsey Olsson and a giveaway of her YA To Drown a Witch and my IWSG post 

Monday, August 10th, I have an agent spotlight interview with Riley Jay Davis and a query critique giveaway 

Sunday, August 16th, I’m participating in the Old School Giveaway Hop 

I hope to see you on Monday!