Welcome to the Neighborhood

Something old, something new, something I built just for you.

Photo by Jacob Culp on Unsplash

Hey, so… it’s been a minute.

In my last newsletter, I talked about taking a break. And how important it is to refill the well. And then I did. From the newsletter, from agenting, even. Folks were surprised. I spent the last two and a half months going to the gym, volunteering at a library, and taking better care of myself.

And now I’m back, and excited to tell you what I’m doing next.

Say hello to Neighborhood Literary.

For writers, social media isn’t the place it once was. It’s hard to build a writing community in the way we used to. More and more, you’re seeing communities come together in smaller groups. On Discord. Building out a Slack. Creating in-person meetups. We’re moving towards an old school, community approach to how we connect with our creative peers.

Why can’t an agency do that too?

Based here in Philadelphia, Neighborhood Literary’s goal is to, of course, champion our clients… but also, foster and mentor the community of writers we surround ourselves with. The very people who build our career.

I believe that good neighbors make good books.

I want my agency to focus on being a good neighbor to the writers in my area, and as we grow, good neighbors in the regions we start to reach into. I’m lucky enough to have some colleagues who believe in that vision (you can learn about them here) as well as a bundle of events already outlined through the spring:

• Come learn about query letters at Head and the Hand this month.

• Chat about non-fiction book proposals at A Novel Idea in April.

• Join me and a bundle of writers for a write-in and brain pick at American Grammar in May.

These events are completely free, and we’ll only have more coming.

And yes, I’m open to queries again.

Visit the agency website, get to know the clients, the agents, our amazing assistant. Maybe apply for an internship in the fall.

The doors are open.

Come on in.

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Other tidbits worth sharing?

My dear friends Print Run are back from their podcast hiatus, and oh my goodness, each episode has been such a fantastic listen… and very in line with what I’m trying to do here.

I had a new short story published in

The Sunday Morning Transport

, “That’s Our Time.” It’s about a chrono-therapist who helps parents get their children unstuck in time… when they can’t let go of the fact that their kids are growing up.

I’m joining my buddy Shveta Thakrar at the Philadelphia Barnes & Noble this week to celebrate the release of Divining the Leaves, with no other than Claire LeGrand. Yes, I am having some big fanboy moments.

While I was still with my dear friends at P.S. Literary, a few projects were sold and announced, including a Frankenstein retelling from K. Ancrum and a fresh new Middle Grade trilogy from M.K. England. And please, everyone watch out for Kate Fussner’s new MG, 13 Ways to Say Goodbye.

Oh! And I announced my first standalone Middle Grade. Get in, we’re heading to space.

That’s all for now.

Go write good things.