All We Want For Christmas
Mushens Entertainment is open to submissions and actively looking to sign new clients, so we’ve asked our agents to talk us through what they’re hoping to see in our submissions inbox in the new year.
Juliet is looking for…
I’m quite fascinated by the psychology of angel-of-death type killers, so something in the crime/psychological genre about them would be great. I’m endlessly drawn to novels about cults, polygamy, polygamous cults… you get the picture. I’d also love to find some subversive, feminist horror a la Bunny by Mona Awad. Generally though, I quite like being surprised! Often the books I sign are totally unexpected!
Liza is looking for…
Historical fiction: I love stories that use minor characters from history and make them the main character. I want female voices to shine through and bring new ideas to light. In particular, I want Guinevere’s perspective of King Arthur’s court! I want to see retellings of British myths and legends from female perspectives. Give me the hidden figures in history whose voices need to be told. If you have one of these stories, send it my way!
Fantasy: I love urban fantasy and grounded fantasy. I am less dragons and swords, and more faeries, vampires, and werewolves. Think A Discovery of Witches rather than Lord of the Rings. Romantasy is high on my list of things I want to see. I love a good adventure, but I am also a sucker for a romantic storyline as well.
Romcoms: I want really smart romcoms that play around with tropes and bring something fresh to the genre. If someone sent me something along the lines of The Idea of You but set in the world of Forumla 1 I would sign it immediately!
Non-Fiction: I love professional-confessionals that challenge industries. Part of me thinks that confessions of a Deliveroo driver or something along those lines would be fantastic. I also love smart history such as Hallie Rubenhold’s The Five, or Elizabeth Boyle’s Fierce Appetites, and The Story of Art Without Men by Katy Hessel. Bring me ideas that break the mould and push our understanding of history in a different direction. I love to rethink things and view experiences from a different light.
Rachel is looking for…
Top of my wish list at the minute is a funny and sharp serial-killer novel in the vein of HOW TO KILL YOUR FAMILY or YOU. They are so hard to pull off, but when done well, they are my catnip! I would also love to find a book about cults, as THE GIRLS by Emma Cline is one of my all-time favourite novels. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I’m always on the hunt for a really beautifully written mythological retelling – this could use any ancient world setting or civilisation from the Greeks to Celts to the Egyptians, but the ancient setting is key!
Kiya is looking for…
A modern love story – I enjoy books which change the way we think about the traditional concept of a love story, especially if they explore dynamics beyond just the romantic, or offer a fresh take on the classic love stories we know and love. Like Liza, I love a smart romcom, and anything which explores friendship or ‘unconventional’ love stories. My recent favourites are Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (my favourite read of 2022!) and Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield.
Queer narratives – My enthusiasm for queer stories spans across all genres, but I’d especially love to see some contemporary queer narratives that feel really fun and immersive, with a little bit of a mystery, in the vein of Other People’s Clothes by Calla Henkel, The Seven Wives of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, or I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston.
Historical fiction – I studied history at university and am a huge history nerd, so – like everyone else in the agency – I would love to see some historical fiction in my inbox! I’m open to writing which is commercial, literary, or something that feels like the best of both. My favourites include Devotion by Hannah Kent, Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell, The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton, Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood, Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, and The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins.
Darker stories – in all their forms! I enjoy anything with a darker side to it – if it could sit alongside Shirley Jackson, I’ll probably love it. I’m drawn to the dark academia settings of The Secret History and Babel (I also love a campus novel!), and the hooky, psychological darkness of Gillian Flynn and My Dark Vanessa. I love dark humour in the vein of My Sister the Serial Killer, How To Kill Your Family, Bunny, and the writing of Ottessa Moshfegh.