Introducing Maria Whelan: What I’m Looking For

“Variety is the spice of life” is something I like to live by. That is partly why I wanted to get into publishing, where no project is the same, and each author has a unique story behind their story. The adage is partly why after 10 blissful years living in New York, I thought it was time to move to London. I had visited London plenty of times, and watched many episodes of “Fleabag,” “Too Much,” “Killing Eve, “Sherlock, and “I May Destroy You” but it was hard to imagine how life would unfold once I arrived.

 Before packing up my cherished books (so many books) and sending them across the sea, I had done a lot of research into the publishing landscape in the UK and Mushens Entertainment kept coming up in conversation. Agents both in the US and the UK spoke so highly of the team at Mushens and after doing a deep dive into the agency, and reading this very blog, I felt compelled to write. With a polished CV and a lot of good fortune, I joined the team. Moving to a new country can be daunting, but landing a job at such a renowned and impressive company quelled a lot of my fears.

Now that I have started at Mushens, I am eager to continue building my list of clients who write books that not only entertain but highlight truths about the human condition that are sometimes overlooked, in unique and unexpected ways, somewhat like “Never Let Me Go” by Kazuo Ishiguro or “The Book of Goose” by Yiyun Li. I believe my experience working in foreign rights as well as living in a few different places has instilled a love for books that allow readers to do some armchair travel, such as “Pachinko” by Min Jin Lee and “Homegoing” by Yaa Gyasi. Since my move, I’ve been drawn to books where the sense of place is just as important as the characters, somewhat like “The Night Circus” buy Erin Morgenstern and “Mexican Gothic” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

Like many, I like to read books about complicated families, like “Real Americans” by Rachel Khong and “Everything I Never Told You” by Celeste Ng. These novels make my family look pretty boring in comparison! When life gets a bit heavy, I am a sucker for books that are truly madcap and fantastical, such as “Nothing To See Here” by Kevin Wilson and “The Pisces” by Melissa Broder. I am always happy to see books that are written from a perspective we don’t often see, such as “Hunchback” by Saou Ichikawa and “Trying to Grow” by Firdaus Kanga.

 I am actively on the hunt for a novel featuring cowboys or where the wilderness is in focus. I am terrified of the Loch Ness Monster but would love to conquer my fears and find a book where Nessie is a character. I hope to find more books that make me laugh! Lastly, hailing from Ireland, I would love to champion more Irish writers as well!

 You can read more about submitting to Maria on her Agent page.