I’m Jesse, owner of Inksational Editorial. I read and write across genres, but I will forever love historical fiction, gothic literature, creepy tales, and smart, swoon-worthy romance.

When I’m not writing or wearing my editor’s hat, I love baking, trail running, and riding dirt bikes with my family.

Specialties:

Forms: Picture books, short stories, novels

Ages: Children, Young Adult (YA), Adult, and select Middle Grade projects

Favorite Genres: Historical Fiction, Crime Fiction, Literary Fiction, Horror, Speculative Fiction, and select Nonfiction projects

Alex is a bookseller and writer located in Portland, OR who loves stories about messy, magical kids. They have an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts, where they discovered their love for collaborative art and teaching.

As a student, Alex was honored to receive the Marion Dane Baur prize for middle grade writing, the T.A. Baron prize for nature writing, and completed an award-winning thesis on fairy tale retellings in YA.

When they're not writing, Alex loves walking in nature and arguing with their sister.

Specialties:

Forms: Novels, short stories

Ages: MG, YA, and adult

Genres: Fiction (Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Speculative, Contemporary); Nonfiction (essays, memoir, creative-nonfiction)

Brianna is a novelist and poet represented by Brent Taylor at Triada US Literary Agency. Her debut YA novel in verse, Under a Carnivore Sky, is slated for publication in winter 2026.

A graduate of VCFA’s MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults, Brianna has a Bachelor’s degree in both English and Journalism. Before finding her way back to fiction, Brianna worked as a journalist and a teacher. She interned with the Tobias Literary Agency, and she is a mentor with PEN America's Prison and Justice Writing program.

When she’s not writing, she’s probably out taking too many pictures of flowers.

*Please note: Brianna is currently closed to queries

Specialties:

Forms: Verse and Prose, short and long-form

Ages: Middle Grade, Young Adult, and Adult

Genres: Anything, so long as it has some hope

Chelsea has an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from The Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is the Adult Department Assistant and Social Media Maven for the Tobias Literary Agency.

When she’s not reading or writing, you can catch her playing tennis, going to the beach (Midwest-Freshwater style), and playing video games like League of Legends, Balatro, and Baldur’s Gate 3.

Specialties:

Forms: novels, short stories

Ages: Middle Grade, Young Adult, Adult

Favorite Genres: Fantasy & Romantasy, “Soft” Sci-Fi, Dystopia, Romance, Novels in Verse, Coming of Age, Contemporary With a Twist, Mystery/Thriller, “Soft” Horror

Not the best fit for: Nonfiction, Extreme Horror, Hard Sci-FI, Adult Epic Fantasy

Hannah is an assistant at Folio Literary Management. She teaches workshops, organizes author events, and is a co-creator of Atlanta’s Love Y’all Romance Book Fest.

As an intern with the Tobias Literary Agency, Hannah honed her reading skills to get to the heart of a story and refine character and narrative arcs to resonate with industry professionals.

When she’s not wearing her editor or agent hats, Hannah enjoys walking her dog, hiking, and traveling.

*Please note: Hannah is currently only open to submission materials reviews and partial reviews

Specialties:

Forms: novels, short stories

Ages: Middle Grade, YA, Adult fiction

Genres: Contemporary, Thrillers, Romance, Fantasy, Speculative, Horror

Jenna Pashley Smith is a poet, author, and creativity educator. A graduate of the MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults program at Vermont College of Fine Arts, Jenna writes picture books, middle grade novels in verse, and literary pieces for the adult market.

Jenna is represented by Jennifer Laughran of Andrea Brown Literary Agency. She lives in the Houston area with her family, two disgruntled cats, and a flock of extremely spoiled chickens.

Specialties:

Forms: essays, novels

Ages: children - adults

Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Nonfiction, Graphic novels, Picture Books

Karis is a writer, reader, and podcaster who was born in South Carolina, raised in Italy, schooled in the German Black Forest and Kentucky Bluegrass, and now lives in Brooklyn, on Lenni Lenape land. 

She has an MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults from VCFA and her fiction is represented by Eric Smith at Neighborhood Literary. Karis writes queer romance for all ages, as well as poetry, personal essays, and select journalism. She’s a co-host of the podcast The Write Way of Life.

Specialties:

Forms: novels, short-form non-fiction

Ages: Middle Grade, Young Adult, Adult

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Fantasy

Lyn is a teacher and YA author with a host of literary accolades. With decades of experience in higher ed, Lyn also runs a successful college essay consulting business. She enjoys coaching writers to deepen character development and craft realistic relationships.

Lyn’s YA title When Pigs Fly was named a 2024 semi-finalist in Killer Nashville’s Claymore Awards and took the top-prize in Book Pipeline’s Unpublished YA Contest.

When she’s not writing, Lyn enjoys jamming with her musician husband, celebrating her author friends, and soaking up the natural beauty of her North Carolina home.

Specialties:

Forms: novels and select short fiction projects

Ages: Young Adult, Adult

Genres: Contemporary Young Adult Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Short Fiction

Taryn (they/them) is a queer, neurodivergent writer and co-owner of The StoryWilds. By making the best parts of an MFA program available for a fraction of the cost in a more flexible format, their program is truly guided by you and your goals.

When they’re not writing, they’re hanging out with their dogs, playing board games, climbing, or snowboarding.

Specialties:

Forms: Novels, short stories, graphic novel scripts, flash fiction

Ages: YA, MG, NA, Adult

Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction, Contemporary, Surrealism, Fairy Tale Retellings, Speculative Fiction