As both a writer and an editor, Allegra brings a well-rounded perspective to author-agent relationships and prioritizes championing diverse voices. They have a degree in architecture with a minor in creative writing from Princeton University and have worked at Princeton University Press, Cornell University Press, and the University Press of Colorado shepherding books into the world.
They love books that love you back: sweeping stories, characters with big hearts, and prose that inspires. When they’re not reading, you can usually find them gardening, crafting, or wrestling their misbehaving cats.
Allegra is only open to marginalized writers. They define this the same way We Need Diverse Books does, (scroll down to "Our Definition of Diversity").
Allegra is looking for beautifully written speculative fiction in the Young Adult and Adult space. Their top priority is elevating stories and authors traditionally marginalized in publishing and they are always on the hunt for gorgeous prose.
In the SFF space they’re open to anything and everything so long as the language is gorgeous. They appreciate family stories (including found family), stories about intergenerational conflict, meddling gods, and works that pull from several genres. They especially appreciate books that don’t take themselves too seriously, even when dealing with heavy topics. Allegra aims to represent ambitious authors, ones who write because they love slotting together new stories into intricate puzzles.
ADULT, CROSSOVER, AND YOUNG ADULT
Across age ranges, they are looking for speculative stories that draw on the author’s expertise and culture to build vivid worlds. Their tastes lean fantasy, but they’d love SF books that read like fantasy. They appreciate a love subplot, especially if it’s queer, but there are so many types of love—it doesn’t need to be romantic! They also adore books that sit in other genres but contain a speculative element.
In YA, Allegra's tastes lean toward the upper end—think books with big emotions and writing that’s sharp enough to bite. Characters should have concrete goals/desires and undeniable magnetism (that does not mean they have to be likable! Give Allegra morally complex main characters, heroes, and villains)
Here are some concepts/tropes/elements that will perk their ears up:
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Romantic subplots (especially if it’s queer!); polyamory
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Worlds that can be described as “lush”
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Settings that feel alive/anything with developed architectural elements (eg., PIRANESI, STRANGE THE DREAMER)—but they are NOT usually into haunted houses!
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Found family; friendship stories; family stories; sibling dynamics; generational conflict
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Historical fantasy—mainly history inspired, eg. IRON WIDOW or SHE WHO BECAME THE SUN. They're less interested in straight up historical fiction.
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Stories that draw on cultural history or myth to explore our present
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Mortals wrestling with gods/godlike powers
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Magic in some form; esp object or action based magic…eg magic based on tea (MAGIC STEEPED IN POISON) or music (LIGHT FROM UNCOMMON STARS)
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Feral characters doing feral things
FAVOURITE BOOKS
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NETTLE & BONE by T. Kingfisher
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LIGHT FROM UNCOMMON STARS by Ryka Aoki
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GIDEON THE NINTH by Tamsyn Muir
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THE SPACE BETWEEN WORLDS by Micaiah Johnson
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STRANGE THE DREAMER by Laini Taylor
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LORE by Alexandra Bracken
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THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
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IRON WIDOW by Xiran J. Zhao
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GEARBREAKERS by Zoe Hana Mikuta
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AN UNKINDNESS OF GHOSTS by Rivers Solomon
DREAM PROJECTS
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A fantasy sports book with strong found family vibes, especially queer found family. Like a magical FENCE or THE FOXHOLE COURT or BLUE LOCK (the anime)
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Disabled main character(s) whose disabilities realistically affect the way they navigate space—bonus points if it’s a thoughtful take on an adventure story.
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A book with horror as its subgenre, specifically atmospheric horror, and ideally in space or at the bottom of the ocean. They'd love something propulsive and creepy. Honestly anything that makes them feel like HARROW THE NINTH did.
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Warm fantasy in the Adult space. They say “warm” instead of “cozy” because they do still very much like a strong plot line, even if the world is soft and the stakes are more personal than world-ending.
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Something fantasy-lite or sci-fi-lite—speculative in the truest sense of the word that could appeal to an upmarket book club audience.
In all of these, intersectionality is king for them.
DEFINITE PASS
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Allegra doesn't have hard nos, but they are less likely to take on books about fertility, books set at a magic school/featuring a school/centering around a trial, books with talking animals unless they are Indigenous stories, books set in reality show environments, WWI or WWII books, dream heavy/dream centric books, books featuring witches, or projects featuring Greco-Roman myths unless you are a Greek writer (they're less interested in full on retellings, but appreciate myth/history as inspiration). They also seem to be struggling with fantasy quest books at the moment (unsure why)!
RESPONSE POLICY
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Allegra responds to all queries. Their current timeline is 1-2 weeks, though it varies based on their workload. Feel free to nudge if they have not responded within 4 weeks.