Suzie Townsend

Suzie Townsend is one of New Leaf's most established agents (also VP of the agency), currently with a full list, so note she's said she's "not signing many new writers at this time." She's explicit about loving books with "an element of romanticism of some kind" and says "I love strong relationships and I will follow a character I love anywhere." Her recurring comp-title touchstones when pitching her own taste include The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow, This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews, The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon, and romantasy classics like Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel's Legacy and Anne Bishop's Black Jewels world "incredible romantasies from before this was a term." In YA she's long wanted "authentic teen voices and raw emotional stories that will make her laugh, cry, and swoon," and in women's fiction/magical realism she repeatedly cites Sarah Addison Allen or Alice Hoffman as her lane. Older interviews reveal clear auto-passes: "diabolical monologues, romance without plot or character development, and damsel in distress protagonists" , plus starting a query with a rhetorical question — "my biggest pet peeve is probably when writers start their query with a question... it feels immature and gimmicky." If she's not hooked fast, she's out: "if I don't connect to the main character I won't get to page 50—that's the big one for me." Submission etiquette per older but still-cited guidelines: email only, subject line "Query, Suzie Townsend" plus category, and "you may include up to 5 double-spaced sample pages within the body of the email, NO ATTACHMENTS, unless specifically requested" — always double-check New Leaf's current site since guidelines evolve. Her client list skews toward huge commercial/genre names — #1 NYT bestselling authors Victoria Aveyard, Cassandra Clare, Gayle Forman, Marieke Nijkamp, and Rebecca Ross — and recent deals show she's still very active in big fantasy/romantasy (Victoria Aveyard's pirate-inspired fantasy Tempest sold to Harper Voyager at auction) and romantic fantasy debuts (a pre-empted debut romantic fantasy went to Wednesday Books). Bottom line: she wants voice-driven, emotionally intense genre fiction with real romantic chemistry and strong female leads, has little patience for weak hooks or passive heroines, and — important caveat — she's currently stated she has "a rather full client list and I am not signing many new writers at this time," so temper expectations on response speed.