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!

 

Literary Agent Interview: GiannaMarie Dobson

Today I’m thrilled to have agent GiannaMarie Dobson here. She’s an associate literary agent at Neighborhood Literary. 

Status Update on 7/15/2026: GiannaMarie has left Neighborhood Literary. She's not an associate literary agent at Azantian Literary. Please check the agency website to find out about her submission status and how to query her.

Hi­ GiannaMarie! Thanks so much for joining us. 

About GiannaMarie: 

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

I always wanted to work in publishing! I spent 5 years interning, working freelance in publishing, and networking before I made the jump up to agent in June 2025 when I joined Neighborhood. By the time this interview is posted, it’ll be about a year! I’ve spent that year learning as much as I possibly can from my bosses, my colleagues, and my peers; meeting as many editors as possible; and building my client list very slowly and deliberately. 

About the Agency: 

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

Neighborhood is a boutique literary agency led by Eric Smith and Rebecca Podos, who are some of the kindest people in publishing! Eric’s vision is very community-focused, and he runs events both virtually and IRL in Philadelphia to offer resources and help demystify publishing. Additionally, all the agents on our team are very focused on finding and uplifting diverse voices. 

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? 

In kidlit, I’m looking for MG and YA novels of all genres. In adult, I’m looking for SFFH and romance. Across all my genres and age categories, my priority is to find books about disability, featuring disabled characters, or written by disabled authors. 

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

Inside the umbrella of disability, I’m very focused on finding intersectional disability stories too, especially queer and BIPOC. If you’re a disabled author of color and write in my categories, please query me! More specifically: 

In MG, my heart lies with serious stories about the unique circumstances of being disabled when you’re a child, like Aniana Del Mar Jumps In, Iveliz Explains It All, and Hear Me by Kerry O’Malley Cerra. The first time I read Aniana, I was listening to the audiobook, and I had to keep pausing because it was so intense I wanted to throw my phone across the room! Please make me upset! Up until recently, the only intense disability stories were objectifying and written for the abled gaze, so I’m so excited that these other books are starting to pop up, ones that are written from an authentic disability perspective and reflect the very real hard parts of disability that have so far been invisible to the mainstream––Aniana wrestles with cultural moralizing of chronic illness and generational trauma; Iveliz centers a grieving child who experiences hallucinations and struggles to care for her grandmother with memory loss; Hear Me is about parental rights and the violence of inflicting unwanted healthcare on a child who legally has no medical autonomy. On the more fun side, I would also love to see a Percy Jackson-esque story where disabled kids get to be heroes and go on adventures but have disabilities that realistically limit them––Vanya and the Wild Hunt is a great example of what I mean by this, reinventing the familiar (magic school) through a disability lens!   

In YA and adult, I’m especially eager for some disability SFFH. I am dying for disability horror that interrogates ableism/sanism as the source of the horror (rather than disability itself), and I’m always, always, always dying for disabled dragons, dragon riders, and anything like that. Please send me Eragon-but-he-stays-disabled or How to Train Your Dragon where the disabilities are relevant and respectfully portrayed––please no more magicures or supercrips! We need to carve out a space for ourselves in sweeping, epic fantasy! 

I’m also perpetually looking for disability romance––badly enough that I’ve opened up to adult romance specifically for this purpose. If you’re an author with a romance like Sick Kids in Love, Kissing Kosher, or It’s All in Your Head in your back pocket, I need to see it! I love disability-focused romance in particular because a close examination of disability requires a story—and potential couple—to break down what intimacy means for them, and build a relationship around unique characters’ needs, desires, and vulnerabilities, rather than defaulting to more familiar allo, hetero relationship beats and structures. 

Lastly, I would just love to see a broader variety of disabled authors in my inbox! When I say I’m looking for neurodivergence and disability, I mean it in the broadest possible sense––I am actively looking for projects that deal with other neurodivergences, especially more stigmatized mental illnesses and brain injury. So far, my inbox has trended very heavily towards autism and ADHD––and please know, I’m autistic and I’ve signed two incredible autistic authors already!––and I would love to mix it up and get some more physical disabilities, mobility impairments, chronic illness, and chronic pain! 

 If any of that sounds like you, I have a thorough MSWL here: https://manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/giannamarie-dobson/. 

What She Isn’t Looking For: 

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

Right now, I’m not looking for picture books, graphic novels, novels in verse, or nonfiction. I’ll give almost anything a shot if it’s through a disability lens, but I’m not interested in considering “inspirational” disability stories, stories centering able-bodied caregivers or siblings, or stories leaning on disability tropes (like amnesia, a last-minute psychosis reveal, or the supercrip) without deconstructing the harm they cause.   

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? 

My goal as an agent is to get more disability stories on shelves—art has a profound capacity to educate, humanize, destigmatize, and change the culture. As someone active in both the publishing industry and disability community, I’ve noticed that these two worlds don’t overlap much—the knowledge, culture, and history of the disability community rarely makes it into mainstream art, even art that centers disability. Thankfully, this has begun to change in the last 10-ish years, but there’s a lot farther to go! Disability is vast and complicated, but the authors and books I’m especially eager for are ones that understand it as a political category. 

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 am! I love editing. With the authors I’ve signed so far, I’ve given my most important editorial thoughts on the offer call, and then followed up with a detailed edit letter. Character and voice are the most important things to me, and I rarely want to edit those––but if those are solid and draw me in, anything else can be fixed! My edits usually focus on bringing out the wonderful parts of the manuscript and tweaking plot and worldbuilding to enhance the themes. 

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? 

QueryManager! What I ask for is a standard query and then the first 10 pages of your manuscript. 

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

I have an accessibility note on my form, but other than that, I really recommend r/PubTips as a query resource. The community there is very active and will help you get your query into shape! 

Response Time: 

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

I set aside one day a week to clear my query inbox. Currently, that’s Monday, so it should be under a week for a query response. I usually read partials and manuscripts within a week as well, too. If it’s taking longer than that, there’s a 99% chance I thought your project would be a better fit for one of my colleagues at Neighborhood and handed it off to them, so it’s in their queue! 

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? 

Most of the time, it’s all about framing. If you’ve got a poor sales history for your selfpub or small press book, drawing attention to that may lead industry professionals to believe that your books weren’t very good or that you weren’t a very savvy businessperson. On the other hand, if you’re very successful in either space, a lot of agents will be eager to partner with you! Regardless, write the strongest book and the strongest query you can––you can figure out the best strategy for the next step of your career once an agent falls in love with your work. 

Clients: 

12. Who are some of the authors you represent? 

My client list is very small at the moment, and all yet to debut! 

Interviews and Guest Posts: 

13. Please share the links to any interviews, guest posts, and podcasts you think would be helpful to writers interested in querying you. 

I was interviewed in the November/December 2025 issue of Writer’s Digest, but I’m not sure that that’s available anywhere online! 

Links and Contact Info:

 

14. Please share how writers should contact you to submit a query and your links on the Web. 

I only accept queries through QueryManager. My form is linked here: https://querytracker.net/query/3926 

Find me on Bluesky at https://bsky.app/profile/giannamarie.bsky.social! That’s where I announce that I’m opening/closing to queries and where I participate in pitch events. 

Additional Advice: 

15. Is there any other advice you’d like to share with aspiring authors that we haven’t covered? 

Make use of free resources and communities online—there’s so much excellent information out there and generous people who will help you! 

Thanks for sharing all your advice, GiannaMarie! 

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, June 29th, I’m participating in the Sparkle Time Giveaway Hop 

Monday, July 1st, I’m participating in the Sparkle Time Giveaway Hop 

Wednesday, July 3rd, I have an interview with Amanda Connolly and a giveaway of her YA romantasy The Lure of Wolves and Whispers and my IWSG post 

Monday, July 9th, I have an agent spotlight interview with Justina Ireland Handspun and query critique giveaway 

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 

I hope to see you on Monday!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Literary Agent Interview: Madelyn Knecht and Query Critique Giveaway

Today I’m thrilled to have agent Madelyn Knecht here. She’s an associate literary agent at Storm Literary Agency. 

Status Update: Madelyn is open to queries the first week of each month. 

Hi­ Madelyn! Thanks so much for joining us. 

About Madelyn: 

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

 

After a few years of beta reading, I started freelance editing around 2021 and became a RevPit editor the same year. Working with query letters in our own form of the “slush pile” lured me towards agenting, so I applied to a few agencies as an intern. I wasn’t sure if I was going to get any responses. Thankfully I did, and was able to work with Storm Literary Agency under Heather Cashman as an intern. I fell in love with the process and finding books that I wanted to champion, and soon moved up to assistant. I knew I wanted to be an agent, though, and it wasn’t long until I moved up with the help of Heather and Vicki. I’ve now been an agent for four months and it’s already been a whirlwind. 

About the Agency: 

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

Storm Literary Agency is a boutique literary agency that offers incredible support for authors throughout their writing careers. We have a robust foreign rights department and always thrive to give our clients the best opportunities they deserve. 

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? 

Primarily Young Adult and Adult, although I’ll take a look at the occasional Middle Grade. In everything, I prefer some sort of speculative twist. I really want a strong voice, a fast pace, and beautiful writing. 

I do not represent picture books. 

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

I would really, really love something like Windbreaker (the anime) but in MG or YA. I would also love something along the lines of The Last Hour Between Worlds—a mystery with a speculative twist. 

But I’d really love to be surprised. 

What She Isn’t Looking For: 

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

I’m not interested in hard or military SciFi, Westerns, straight contemporary romance (without any layers or speculative aspect) or anything with talking animals. 

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 books with heart, and authors who are both excited about writing and serious about their careers. I want books that make a lasting impact, and find their readers—especially young readers—right when they need it. 

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? 

With my editor background, I’m very editorial and hands-on. I’m looking for authors who are open to being collaborative and eager to make their book the best version of itself. My goal is to take what the author’s already done and make sure it makes as big an impact as possible. The authors have the talent. I’m here to help polish it. 

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? 

I only consider query letters through QueryManager. I’m looking for a clear hook and characters who stand to lose things. I want more than the end of the world. I want personal stakes. I want to know why I should care about what’s happening to this character. 

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

I’m not a fan of rhetorical questions or query letters written from the perspective of the character (i.e., in first person). Also, please don’t be self-deprecating in your letter. Implying that I’ll reject the query without reading it won’t do you any favors. If you’re not confident in your own work, why would I be? 

Response Time: 

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

I try to get back to authors quickly, because as a writer who’s been in the trenches myself, I know waiting is the worst. At the moment, you can expect about 30 days or less as a response time. If it’s longer than that, you’ve likely landed in my maybe pile. 

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? 

I am! I recommend having sales data ready for if it’s requested (which may only be at the stage where an agent is considering an offer) and to make sure authors know which rights they’ve retained. This is especially true if they’ve published with a smaller press. 

Clients: 

12. Who are some of the authors you represent? 

I currently represent James S. Gilbert (https://www.stormliteraryagency.com/james-s-gilbert.html) 

Interviews and Guest Posts: 

13. Please share the links to any interviews, guest posts, and podcasts you think would be helpful to writers interested in querying you. 

N/A 

Links and Contact Info: 

14. Please share how writers should contact you to submit a query and your links on the Web. 

Query: https://querytracker.net/query/Madelyn_Knecht

Full Wish List: https://www.stormliteraryagency.com/madelyn-knecht.html

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/madelynknecht.bsky.social 

Additional Advice: 

15. Is there any other advice you’d like to share with aspiring authors that we haven’t covered? 

If you’ve queried only one book and received nothing but rejections, it could be a case of the market not being ready. But if you’ve queried multiple books and you’re still getting rejections, I recommend finding beta readers or editors to see whether it’s the market or something in your writing. Voice is hard to nail down, and can be the difference between getting an agent and not. And developing your voice as a writer (every writer has one!) is a matter of practice. 

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Madelyn! 

Giveaway Details 

­Madelyn 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 June 27th. 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 

Tuesday, June 16th, I’m participating in the Dad-o-Mite Giveaway Hop  

Monday, June 22nd, I'm hosting a giveaway of Laekan Zea Kemp's MG The Chimosas Only Book Club 

Monday, July 1st, I’m participating in the Sparkle Time Giveaway Hop 

Wednesday, July 3rd, I have an interview with Amanda Connolly and a giveaway of her YA romantasy The Lure of Wolves and Whispers and my IWSG post 

Monday, July 9th, I have an agent spotlight interview with Justina Ireland Handspun and query critique giveaway 

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

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

I hope to see you on Tuesday!