The Suite 500 Triumvirate

I have a confession to make.  Keeping up with a blog, reading manuscripts, and trying to make some sort of a dent in my ever growing TBR pile has taken a toll on my social life (and by that I mean the time I spend watching Veronica Mars reruns and twittering).

And there are a lot of brilliant people in Suite 500 that just so happen to have a lot worth listening to.  So with some arm twisting (sorry about that, by the way), we decided to form a triumvirate (not of the Star Wars or the LKH variety).

So here it is.  The new About Us:

Meredith Barnes is assistant to the inimitable Janet Reid at FinePrint Literary Management and is currently not acquiring clients. She is acquiring a good editorial eye, an appreciation for scotch, and good flower arrangement skills (I’m hopeless—let’s hope Janet forgets). She loves brash, daring, imperfect characters who manage to remain completely loveable. Some favorites are Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell, Jeff Somers’ Avery Cates series, and, oh yeah, those Suzanne Collins books. One of her favorite things about her job is getting to see the next lovable, larger-than-life characters come alive—and getting to meet their brilliant creators.

Joanna Stampfel-Volpe has been with Nancy Coffey Literary for two years. She represents children's and adult books, fiction and non-fiction.

Joanna's specific interests are: non-fiction for kids and teens, chapter books to YA novels, adult romance (historical, paranormal), fantasy (urban fantasy, steampunk), up-market fiction (dark, literary, horror, women's fic, commercial thrillers, historical, magical realism, speculative fic), and commercial non-fiction (pop culture, environmental, foodie).

*She is also interested in graphic novels for kids/teens, or novels with a high graphic element.

Right now she is NOT looking to acquire: picture books, cozies, cookbooks, academic nonfiction, epic fantasy for adults, hi-science fiction for adults, poetry, collections/short stories, screenplays, true crime, corporate/legal thrillers, adult contemporary romance.

When she's not reading (which is almost never), she enjoys cooking, watching movies, playing video games, and hanging with her husband and her Chihuahua, PeeWee.

"From children's to adult the most important part of a manuscript to me is the voice. The characters really need to come alive for me on the page whether it's a fast-paced adventure for kids, a beautiful, family-drama for women, or a dark, horror for teen boys. I often look for more character-driven stories rather than strictly plot-driven (although plot is important, obviously). So I guess my taste in children's, YA and adult is the same: strong voice, no matter what it's about."

Joanna accepts email and hard copy queries - please see her Submission Guidelines for further information on how to query her. And make sure to check out the Events Schedule for conferences she'll be attending this year!

Suzie Townsend started at FinePrint Literary Management as an intern and is now actively looking for fiction and non-fiction: specifically Middle Grade and YA novels (all subgenres, but particularly literary projects), adult romance (historical and paranormal), and fantasy (urban fantasy, science fiction, steampunk, epic fantasy).

Recent sales include Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers (Tor, September 2010), All These Lives by Sarah Wylie (FSG, winter 2012), Valkyrie Rising by Ingrid Paulson (Harper, winter 2012), Sea Rose Red by Cat Hellisen (FSG, spring 2012), Zombie Tag by Hannah Moskowitz (Roaring Brook, fall 2011), and Tempest by Julie Cross (St. Martin’s Press, forthcoming).

She’s interested in strong characters and voice driven stories: she’s particularly keen on strong female protagonists, complex plot lines with underlying political, moral, or philosophical issues, and stories which break out of the typical tropes of their genre. Some of her favorites are When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead, How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff, The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, Anne Bishop’s Black Jewels series, and Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel series.

She drinks too much diet orange soda, has a Starbucks problem (those soy chai lattes are addictive), and lives in Brooklyn with her two dogs, Slevin and Fate, who know that chewing on shoes is okay but chewing on books is not.