Trinica Sampson-Vera
New Leaf Literary & Media
My Manuscript Wish List®
Trinica’s Manuscript Wishlist
- In all projects, I am prioritizing #OwnVoices. I am eagerly seeking stories by authors who have historically been marginalized. I would especially love more projects by authors of color, trans and nonbinary authors, authors with disabilities, and neurodiverse authors.
- Speculative fiction (especially horror, cozy-to-high fantasy, and anything that blends genres)
- Romance and romcoms with a speculative twist (especially featuring #OwnVoices queer relationships)
- I love the dynamic of someone who feels monstrous (literally or metaphorically)/unlovable and the person who’s devoted to them anyway!
- Horror-romance/romantic horror. When it comes to horror, I prefer an elevated take that has something to say about the world.
- NA campus stories (especially dark academia)
- Caribbean (especially Trinidad & Tobago) characters/settings (#OwnVoices only, please!)
- Reality TV premises with a strong hook
- Unreliable narrators
- Stories that support women’s wrongs
- Found family
- Messy, doomed, heartbreakingly passionate tragic romances featuring people who make each other worse (aka lovers to enemies with the intensity of Louis/Lestat/Armand in AMC’s Interview with the Vampire)
- Anything that reads like fanfiction!
Hyper-Specific MSWL
- Cannibalism romance! Love as consumption, however you interpret that!
- I’m picky about contemporary romance, but I would really love a queer cowhand romance!
- Queer F1 romance! I’m also interested in something that has the feel of F1 but incorporates a speculative element
- Sapphic Phantom of the Opera
- A/B/O dynamics
Anti-MSWL
- Picture books
- Chapter books/early readers
- Law enforcement protagonists
- Animal protagonists
- Mental illness/disability used as a shock/horror factor
- There are very few instances in which I’ll be excited to read POC POV characters written by authors who don’t share that identity.
Fun facts about me:
- I play online Survivor (like the CBS show!) and live reality games . . . and I’ve won three times!
- I’m in a Dungeons & Dragons campaign that is going on seven years (I’m partial to druids).
- My name comes from Trinidad and California, where each of my parents was born.
- I’ve cooked my way through two cookbooks and am always looking for new recipes to try!
Submissions should be emailed to querymanager.com/trinicasampsonvera



Fiction:
Action/Adventure, BIPOC Literature, Bookclub, Caribbean Literature, Children's, Commercial, Contemporary, CyberPunk, Fantasy, Gothic, Horror, LGBTQ, Magical Realism, Mystery, New Adult, Romance, Romcom, Science Fiction, Speculative, Steampunk, Thriller, Women’s Fiction, Young Adult
Favorite sub-genres:
#ownvoices, Adventure, Contemporary Romance, Cozy Fantasy, High Fantasy, LGBTQIAP, Magical Realism, Speculative Fiction, Urban Fantasy, contemporary, light Sci-Fi
I’d like the next…
MG
The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton
Maya and the Rising Dark by Rena Barron
Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
Young Wizards by Diane Duane
The Immortals by Tamora Pierce
Septimus Heap by Angie Sage
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
YA
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper
We Are Okay by Nina LaCour
Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater
The Books of Pellinor by Alison Croggon
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud
Tithe by Holly Black
Adult
Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner
The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Wild Seed by Octavia Butler
Deep End by Ali Hazelwood
My favorites include…
TV/Movies: The Last of Us, Heartstopper, Hannibal, Our Flag Means Death, Black Mirror, The Dragon Prince, The Bear, Interview with the Vampire, Orphan Black, The Good Place, Arcane, Yellowjackets, Sinners
Videogames:Â The Last of Us, Mass Effect, Celeste, Spiritfarer, Stardew Valley, Firewatch