Tommy Dean

Tommy Dean is an Associate Agent at Rosecliff Literary, specializing in mystery, suspense, thrillers, crime fiction, and upmarket fiction with a sharp edge. He is drawn to high-stakes narratives, complex characters, and stories that refuse to be put down.

Crime novels with anti-hero main characters will always get him, as will mystery novels that keep him guessing. He’s always interested in clear stakes, surprise endings, and stories that make him forget the outside world. Plus points for supercharged sensory experiences, characters yearning to understand their pasts and find a glimmer of hope. Give him your characters with secrets, past loves, past crimes, and past mistakes that lead to unique stories.

An award-winning writer and editor, Tommy is the editor of Fractured Lit and Uncharted Magazine and the author of multiple flash fiction collections. His work has been recognized in Best Microfiction, Best Small Fiction, and The Lascaux Prize. With years of experience spotting standout stories, refining them, and championing their success, he brings a keen editorial eye and a deep understanding of what makes fiction compelling.

As an agent, Tommy is focused on building careers, amplifying unforgettable voices, and getting page-turning stories into the right hands.

I love stories fueled by gossip and lies that hold families together and tear them apart. I love it when past crimes bubble to the surface. I love stories set in small towns, rural locations, and the Midwest. Stories of blue-collar workers, and the generations that eschew this work to go to college, to live in a city, to forget where they came from, only to be yanked back to the provincial settings of their youth. 

If you’re pitching literary fiction, I want deep emotional resonance, with characters who come to life through their actions and responses to the world around them. I’m searching for stories that investigate the mysteries of being human; the sorrow and the joy of connecting to the diverse population. I want your best sentences and your sharpest language, with specific and unique characters, I can imagine coming to life. 

For Non-Fiction, I’m looking for true crime in the vein of Murderland or Killers of the Flower Moon. I want non-fiction that reads with the tension and pace of fiction. I want to feel like I’m on the stage of the story with the characters, to feel like I’m also living this moment in time. Think scene, conflict, antagonists, and a main character who, though they might be unlikable, is deeply interesting! 

You can now find me on Query Manager.

I’m not interested in:

Young Adult

Sci-Fi Thrillers

Fantasy

Hard Science Fiction

Nazi related historical fiction

Romance

Romantsy

You can now find me on Query Manager.

Submission Guidelines

Submissions should be emailed to tommy@rosecliffliterary.com

Send all queries through Query Manager.

Please include a query letter and a one-page synopsis.

Paragraph 1: Introduction. Please include metadata such as word count, title, genre, and comps.

Paragraph 2/3: Back copy blurb that includes important stakes, plot and action, and the hook. Focus on your main character!

Paragraph 4: Your bio, including some background information and writing experience/success.

Please attach the first 10 pages of your novel. If interested in your project, we will request the full manuscript.

We aim to respond within 12 weeks.

Due to the nature of submissions we receive, we regret we cannot provide personalized feedback at this time due to the high volume of submissions we receive.

Please send queries here.

Guidelines & Details