Alexandra Grana [SOLD OUT OF PITCH APPOINTMENTS] is a literary agent with P.S. Literary.

Alex is a recent graduate of the University of Toledo College of Law. She has always loved writing and literature, having completed her B.A. in Professional Writing at Miami University, and is excited to dedicate herself to helping fellow writers pursue publication. When she isn’t reading, she can be found trying a new recipe in the kitchen or prepping for her next DnD session.

Alex’s favorite genres are fantasy and horror. She is a sucker for a good magic system, reimagined fairy tales, and poetic prose. Stories by marginalized writers are of particular interest to her.

Young Adult and Adult wishlist:

Fantasy and Magical Realism, second world or contemporary, that are inventive and atmospheric
Literary Horror featuring body horror, religious themes, and feral girl protagonists
Literary and Upmarket fiction with a speculative edge, the weirder the better
Speculative and Solarpunk Science Fiction exploring our relationship to our environments
Mysteries and Thrillers featuring experimental voices and complex characters
Historical fiction primarily focused on marginalized experiences, from queer and BIPOC perspectives to exploring class structures and anticolonialism
Evocative, lush gothic stories of all kinds

Middle Grade wishlist:

Scary stories that keep you up at night
Themes of self discovery and found family
Fantasies reminiscent of Spirited Away or inspired by folklore

Nonfiction wishlist:

Occult History/Mysteries
Narratives about religious deconstruction

Alex is not looking to acquire space operas, historical fiction about war, or procedural thrillers.

Books Alex Loves

Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica
Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson
Witchlings by Claribel A. Ortega
Small Spaces by Katherine Arden

Leslie Varney is a literary agent and co-president of Prentis Literary.

She specializes in adult speculative fiction — science fiction and fantasy — for adults, young adult, and middle grade. Leslie has also established herself as a specialist in genre-bending fiction, enthusiastically representing authors whose works defy easy classification.

“It was never my plan to learn to read. In fact, I resisted it with all my five-year-old might, which was fairly significant. My favorite times were when my dad would read to me and I was afraid that when I learned to read myself, those lovely times would end. But my dad’s plan was different and his will was equal to mine. After many knock-down battles, and lots of Dick and Jane, I reluctantly learned.”

“I grew up during the mid-70s on my family’s hippie farm, situated in a small middle-class town in the Hudson Valley. This would have made me unique in any case, but the fact that we had no television was downright bizarre. While all my friends were watching re-runs of the “Brady Bunch” (again), I was re-reading “A Wizard of Earthsea” (again). Or “Watership Down”, “A Wrinkle in Time”, “The Crystal Cave”, whatever was around. Luckily for me, there were always books around. And, since my dad’s favorite books tended to the fantasy and science fiction genres, my house was a fantastic playground of interesting ideas and wonderful stories. I was known as the weird kid who always had a book with her. If you couldn’t find me, I was probably hiding in Oz. Instead of doing my boring chores, I was Laura Ingalls Wilder, and her chores were exciting frontier adventures! There were no limits when it came to stories and there was always somewhere wonderful to visit.”

“I am pleased as punch that now I get to help authors bring new worlds, new ideas, and new magic to the literary world. I will always love the oral story-telling tradition, but my appreciation for the written work knows no bounds and I love being a part of bringing that passion to new readers. It turns out that my dad’s plan was better than mine after all.”