In fantasy, she is looking for unique magic systems, strong characters, and stories inspired by myth or folklore, particularly outside the Western canon.

Marina loves romantic fantasy, especially in the vein of Juliet Marillier, Prime’s MY LADY JANE, and EMPIRE OF SAND by Tasha Suri.

While she's open to Romantasy, these submissions need to stand out against the saturated market.

THE SIX DEATH’S OF THE SAINT by Alix E. Harrow is Marina’s holy grail story and it’s only 30 pages. If you have written the novel-length equivalent (cue lady knights and narrative twists), send it her way!

Published Favorites

• ONE DARK WINDOW by Rachel Gillig

• THE CITY OF BRASS by S.A. Chakraborty

• FABLE by Adrienne Young

• SILVER IN THE WOOD by Emily Tesh

• FOR SHE IS WRATH by Emily Varga

• A RIVER ENCHANTED by Rebecca Ross

She’d love horror in the vein of an A24 film like MIDSOMMAR or AFTERSUN (but make it horror, of course!). She also loves folk horror! Marina isn’t a fan of ghosts, but she does love fungi and a very cerebral, under-your-skin experience—where something is very wrong, but you just can’t put your finger on it…

Published Favorites

• THE ONLY GOOD INDIANS by Stephen Graham Jones

• OUR WIVES UNDER THE SEA by Julia Armfield

• WHAT MOVES THE DEAD by T Kingfisher

• MEXICAN GOTHIC by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

In the adult fiction space, Marina is looking for upmarket stories and narratives that push the boundaries of genre and form.

Published Favorites

• WHALE FALL by Elizabeth O’Connor

• SUMMERWATER by Sarah Moss

• LANNY by Max Porter

In YA, she would love a voice-y, meaningful coming of age story like DARIUS THE GREAT IS NOT OKAY by Adib Khorram.

Published Favorites

• THE ATLAS OF US by Kristin Dwyer

• RADIO SILENCE by Alice Oseman

• FIREKEEPER’S DAUGHTER by Angeline Boulley

When it comes to Mystery and Thriller, she appreciates atmospheric stories with unreliable narrators that skew psychological or cerebral. She’s drawn to everything from Lucy Foley to Jane Harper to, very specifically, WILD DARK SHORE by Charlotte McConaghy.

Published Favorites

• THE UNMAKING OF JUNE FARROW by Adrienne Young

• MIDNIGHT IS THE DARKEST HOUR by Ashley Winstead

• WILD DARK SHORE by Charlotte McConaghy

For romance, she seeks stories with heart and something big to say, or unconventional takes on the genre. Whether it's a tender romance, an explosive enemies-to-lovers dynamic, or an underrated friends-to-lovers tale, she values characters with rich and dynamic backstories. She’d particularly like a romance in the vein of NOBODY WANTS THIS. (She’s also dreaming of the perfect 9-1-1-inspired Buck & Eddie romance. If you have that, send it her way!)

Published Favorites

• GET A LIFE CHLOE BROWN by Talia Hibbert

• SORRY, BRO by Taleen Voskuni

• TODAY, TONIGHT, TOMORROW by Rachel Lynn Solomon

• SEVEN DAYS IN JUNE by Tia Williams

On the non-fiction side, she is interested in Self-Help, spiritual, and the occult, especially those focusing on manifestation. She’s also very keen to find poignant nature memoirs and other nature-based non-fiction. Marina has her heart set on finding books about surfing.

Published Favorites

• BRAIDING SWEETGRASS by Robin Wall Kimmerer

• THE LAND IN OUR BONES by Layla K. Feghali

• SPYING ON WHALES by Nick Pyenson

• THE MISSING PAGES: A Modern Life of a Medieval Manuscript from Genocide to Justice by Heghnar Zeitlian Watenpaugh