Tamara Kawar

I’m building a diverse list of authors and illustrators. Generally, I’m drawn to stories with strong emotional cores and character arcs, and ones that place relationships of all kinds at the fore. As of February 2023, I’m looking for:

Graphic Novels

• MG, YA, and adult
• Open to all genres, fiction & nonfiction, with confident visual storytelling
• Anything like: The Witch Boy, Frizzy, Himawari House, Laura Dean, The Arab of the Future, Gender Queer
• Author-Illustrators only; I’m not taking on script-only projects at this time

Romance

• Adult & YA
• Contemporary, rom-com, fantasy (romantasy), and historical
• Particularly interested in LGBTQ+ and BIPOC characters
• Stories steeped in fanfic & K-drama sensibilities always a plus
• For adult, anything like: Casey McQuiston, Cat Sebastian, Courtney Milan, Alex Rowland, Freya Marske
• For YA, anything like: Sonora Reyes, Lyla Lee, F.T. Lukens, Jason June, Tobly McSmith, Alice Oseman
• I’m not the best fit for: paranormal; stories lacking diversity

Fantasy

• Adult & YA
• Immersive, smart worldbuilding and trope subversions preferred
• Romantic subplots aren’t required, but I do love them
• For adult: High fantasy to low fantasy, I’m into all kinds as long as it’s character-driven
• Anything like: Piranesi, The Jasmine Throne, The Hands of the Emperor, The House in the Cerulean Sea, She Who Became the Sun
• Am desperately looking for a great fantasy mystery like: The Witness for the Dead and The Last Smile in Sunder City
• For YA: Grounded contemporary fantasy or historical fantasy only at this time
• Anything like: These Violent Delights, Legendborn, Cemetery Boys
• I’m not the best fit for: “chosen one” narratives, especially in YA

Science Fiction

• Adult only (for now)
• Space opera, post-apocalyptic, grounded speculative, and everything else
• Am particularly interested in stories that explore identity, empire & colonization
• Anything like: Ancillary Justice, Gideon the Ninth, A Memory Called Empire, Station Eleven, Goliath, The Fifth Season, The Vorkosigan Saga, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
• I’m not the best fit for: straightforward military sci-fi

Horror

• Adult & YA
• Contemporary, historical, gothic (would especially love gothic in a non-Western setting)
• Particularly seeking queer, trans, & feminist horror, ghost stories with socio-political commentary
• For adult, anything like: The Book Eaters, The Only Good Indians, What Moves the Dead, The Monster of Elendhaven, Mexican Gothic
• For YA, anything like: She is a Haunting, Wilder Girls
• I’m not the best fit for: slasher; horror that perpetuates ableist and racist tropes

Historical

• YA only (for now)
• Please only send queer stories and/or history from underrepresented viewpoints
• Speculative elements always welcome
• Anything like: Last Night at the Telegraph Club, The Weight of Our Sky, As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow

General Fiction

• Bookclub/upmarket fiction with commercial premise and beautiful prose
• Character-driven stories about family and relationships, especially from BIPOC perspectives
• Queer coming of age stories
• International stories

I’m also looking for:

• Select nonfiction for YA & MG
• Select MG fiction
• Illustrated nonfiction

**Across all categories, I’m looking to champion marginalized voices and perspectives**

Submission Guidelines

Please send your query to: querymanager.com/tkawar

I respond to all queries, although response times can vary. Please note that I do not accept queries via email.

Guidelines & Details