New beginnings

Welcome to the harbor!

I have news! The last few months since I set up this newsletter have had a lot of changes. Really—so many. I’m very happy to be on the other side of them and feeling more settled now—and to have some exciting updates to share!

Personal stuff

I moved! In June, my spouse and I sold our house and moved states (again). We are now back in beautiful upstate New York and as of this month, finally have our own place again (renting in a cute little neighborhood). I am very happy to be back in a place I’ve loved for a long time.

There’s still much to figure out—including work, since I quit teaching in June (for good? who knows)—but for now, I’ve been enjoying being a full time writer* in between the chaos of not one, but two moves in as many months.

*unemployed but trying to make the most of it

Writing projects

In July, I decided to attempt a genre I’ve wanted to try out for awhile: contemporary romance. On July 1st (it was coincidence, I swear—no intentional connection to Camp NaNoWriMo) I started drafting a sapphic rom com featuring a wedding gone wrong, swing dancing (another passion of mine), a chaotic bisexual protagonist, a twist on fake dating, and a lot of musical references.

The first draft is sitting at 50k, and I’m having a great time! What I end up doing with this one remains to be seen—I’m considering self pub or small presses if it doesn’t go on sub—but wherever it ends up, I’m glad I took the shot. After writing with the aim of trad pub for many years, honestly, I got exhausted from strategizing and trying to predict the market. It’s been really nice to work on something that feels like it’s just for fun—even though I would, of course, love for this one to be published as well.

I’m aiming to be done with the first draft in the next few weeks, so I can turn my attention to the next exciting thing…

Querying and representation

And finally, my biggest announcement: I have a new agent! I am absolutely thrilled to say that I am now represented by Maddy Belton at the Madeleine Milburn agency!

So, how did we get here? In June, after months of doubt, I left my first agent and started querying… again. I didn’t take this decision lightly—I have queried almost every year starting in 2014 (yes, that long ago) and with the querying landscape only getting more difficult, I was far from eager to do it again. But it had to be done. I was lucky enough to end up in a group chat with a number of other formerly agented writers who were back in the trenches and am super grateful for having their support along the way.

(In case you’re wondering, yes, leaving your first agent is unfortunately pretty common—though take heart, I’ve been assured by multiple authors on their second or third agent that it’s usually a much better fit, and I am confident that I am also in much better hands now!)

I am happy to say that this round of querying was by far my shortest and least demoralizing (though a few days in I was looking up cover artist pricing and thinking about the logistics of self publishing, so… that’s probably a good indication of my mental state). Query stats: my numbers are a bit confusing because I sent out queries for more than one book, but in total I queried 75 agents (and was ghosted by over 20 of those). I was querying for 54 days before accepting an offer of representation.

I am very excited to work with Maddy, and I can’t wait to get this book into the hands of editors! If a fantasy rom com with disability rep, a mostly queer cast, and a dash of court politics sounds up your alley, hopefully I’ll have more good news for you in 2024!

Book recommendation(s) of the month

Because inside me are two wolves with very different literary tastes, here are two very different book recommendations featuring upcoming releases I absolutely loved.

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph white is a gory, violent YA historical horror with an autistic trans main character. It’s much darker than my usual reading fare, but holy hell is it an intense and powerful ride. The book releases in the US September 5th.

Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner is a sapphic adult contemporary romance set among the US women’s soccer team. It’s sweet, steamy, and fun, and I absolutely loved both the main characters. It also has undiagnosed ADHD and autism rep! This is probably my favorite romance read this year, and it’s 100% the only reason I’m paying any attention to the Women’s World Cup. The book releases in the US September 19.

Until next time, may you have smooth sailing and a safe harbor awaiting you!

Best,

Marina