Books in Progress Conference

Grant Faulkner is the co-founder of 100 Word Story, the co-host of the Write-minded podcast, an executive producer on America’s Next Great Author, and the former Executive Director of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). He has published three books on writing: The Art of Brevity: Crafting the Very Short Story; Pep Talks for Writers: 52 Insights and Actions to Boost Your Creative Mojo; and Brave the Page, a teen writing guide. He’s also published All the Comfort Sin Can Provide, a collection of short stories, Fissures, a collection of 100-word stories, and Nothing Short of 100: Selected Tales from 100 Word Story. His “flash novel,” something out there in the distance, a collaboration with the photographer Gail Butensky, is coming out in September 2025 with the University of New Mexico Press. His stories have appeared in dozens of literary magazines, including Tin House, The Southwest Review, and The Gettysburg Review, and he has been  anthologized in collections such as Norton’s Flash Fiction America; New Micro: Exceptionally Short Fiction; and in several editions of the annual Best Small Fictions and Best Microfiction anthologies. His essays on creativity have been published in The New York Times, Poets & Writers, Lit Hub, Writer’s Digest, and The Writer. He serves on the National Writing Project Writers Council, Litquake’s board of directors, the Aspen Institute’s Aspen Words’ Creative Council, and Left Margin Lit’s Advisory Board. Find Grant online onFacebook and Instagram. Listen to his podcast Write-minded and subscribe to his newsletter Intimations: A Writer’s Discourse.

Sheila Williams is the author of seven novels, including Things Past Telling, The Secret Women, and Dancing on the Edge of the Roof, which was adapted for the Netflix film Juanita. In addition to her published works, she is the librettist for Fierce, an opera commissioned by the Cincinnati Opera. Sheila lives in northern Kentucky.

Tracee de Hahn is a published author of both fiction and non-fiction. A frequent instructor in topics related to writing, editing, and “getting published,” she enjoys helping writers identify their path and set a course for success. She has experience across the gamut of publishing, from Big 5 and Indy houses to self-publishing. She has also created, authored, and edited a range of magazines for major universities. Her latest book is A Well-Timed Murder, the second in the series from St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books. Currently, she is working on a mystery set in Kentucky.

Lucy Oquaye (she/her/hers) is an essayist, poet, and fundraising professional from Louisville, KY. She began her career in development in Denver, Colorado before returning to Kentucky to pursue an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Kentucky, where she won the Betsy Owen Combs Recruitment Scholarship and the MFA Award in Creative Nonfiction. Lucy has always found healing and freedom in the literary arts and is passionate about helping others to do the same.

Prior to joining The Seymour Agency, Lynnette spent seventeen years freelance editing. She worked with new writers, advanced writers, as well as New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors. Lynnette earned a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Manitoba, where she specialized in English and French. She excelled in Advanced Creative Writing in university and studied writing for children and teens through the Institute of Children’s Literature. She was a Pitch Wars mentor in 2015 and 2016. Both her mentees acquired an agent. Lynnette has since closed her editing business and is excited to bring her passion for the written word to agenting.

Although Lynnette was born and raised Manitoba, Canada, she now lives in Minnesota with her husband, twin girls, and many pets. Her personal interests include reading, writing, exercising at the gym (okay, that’s a love/hate relationship), working on an assortment of crafts, all things having to do with animals (if she could own a farm, zoo, and animal shelter, she would), and enjoying time with family and friends.

Threads: @lynnette_novak

Blue Sky: @lynnettenovak.bsky.social

Currently looking for: Always looking for BIPOC, diversity of all kinds, and LGBTQ+!!!

• Illustrators: Board book, picture book, illustrated MG, illustrated covers for kid lit and adult
• Picture books: fiction and nonfiction picture books (non-rhyming preferred)
• MG genres: contemporary, magical realism, contemporary/grounded fantasy, horror
• YA genres: romcom, romantasy, fantasy, magical realism, horror
• NA genres: contemporary romance, romcom, romantasy
• Adult fiction genres: horror, dark romance, contemporary romance, romcom, romantasy, and women’s fiction

I’m not looking for: thrillers, mysteries, romantic suspense, historical fiction, literary fiction, poetry, novellas, sci-fi, or epic fantasies.

Adult nonfiction genres: memoirs, narrative, spirituality/New Age, self-help, health/fitness, parenting/family, motivational/inspirational, business, celebrity, lifestyle, pets, psychology, relationships & dating, and true crime. You must be an expert in the field and have a platform.

What kind of platform do you need for nonfiction? Are you a celebrity with a story to tell? An expert in the field (doctor, CEO, trainer, psychologist, etc.)? Do you have a direct route to the consumer? Are you a social influencer or public speaker?

I love dark and suspenseful, mysterious twists, unique worlds, light and funny, a good love story, and lots of voice. 

#MSWL: https://www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/lynnette-novak/

https://www.theseymouragency.com/about-us

Available Pitch Timeslots: (18 total slots)

Monday, June 9 (11-12:15)

11:00am EST

11:15am EST

11:30am EST

11:45am EST

12:00pm EST

12:15pm EST

Tuesday, June 10 (11-12:15)

11:00am EST

11:15am EST

11:30am EST

11:45am EST

12:00pm EST

12:15pm EST

Thursday, June 12 (11-12:15)

11:00am EST

11:15am EST

11:30am EST

11:45am EST

12:00pm EST

12:15pm EST

Have you ever wondered what agents do? I mean, beyond representing authors and selling their work. Everyone talks about how busy agents are, but what keeps them so occupied? What goes through their mind when reading queries? What makes them request a full manuscript from one author but reject another’s? What’s in a submission package? Why should bestselling indie authors consider signing with an agent? Why are agents so keen about social media? So many questions!

In The Nuts and Bolts of How an Agent Works, I’ll answer all those questions and more. Come learn more about my dream job and what I do.

Querying is hard. Signing with an agent can sometimes feel next to impossible. Well, I’m here to help. In Traditional Publishing Demystified – What Writers Need to Know, I’ll share common questions agents are asked and also dispel some publishing myths to give you a better chance of finding the perfect partner for you and your career.

Wait. What if it actually happens and you receive an offer of representation? Then what? No worries. I’ll walk you through the dos and don’ts surrounding this exciting opportunity as well as cover realistic expectations so you can start or continue your publishing journey on the right foot.

Kesia Lupo joined Donald Maass Literary Agency in 2024 after 11 years working across the publishing industry. She started out as an editorial assistant at Pan Macmillan London in 2013, transitioning to children’s fiction in 2015 when she moved to Chicken House (a UK imprint of Scholastic), where she worked her way up from junior to senior editor. Here she acquired and edited bestselling, internationally successful and prize-winning fiction for middle-grade and YA readers. In 2023 she transitioned over to the US and agenting, working with the Bindery Agency before finding a home with DMLA.

At DMLA, Kesia is building a list leaning 60/40 towards middle-grade and YA fiction, with the rest consisting of adult fiction and a smattering of adult non-fiction. She is especially but not exclusively interested in underrepresented voices, whether BIPOC, LGBTQ+, neurodivergent, disabled writers or other identities not listed here. Across all age-groups, she’s seeking:

• Fantasy/Science Fiction: High fantasy, low fantasy, cozy fantasy. Particularly interested in fantasy and SF inspired by underrepresented cultures with unique world-building. Romantasy is fine but the fantasy elements MUST be strong!
• Horror: Psychological and paranormal horror in particular but will consider slashers. Love gothic horror. Generally not fazed by gory content.
• Thrillers: Upmarket thrillers with a unique spin. Loves plot twists!
• Historical: Open to everything with a strong hook and informed by excellent research. Would love to find non-Eurocentric historical fiction.

For adult fiction only, she’s seeking:

• Bookclub/women’s fiction: Voice-driven, high-concept novels across these categories.
• Romance: Upmarket romance with a great one-line pitch. Happy with spice.

For adult non-fiction, she’s interested in accessible political, cultural or historical topics with broad appeal.

#MSWL: https://www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/kesia-lupo/

https://maassagency.com/kesia-lupo/

Timeslots pending

Roma Panganiban began her publishing career at The Gernert Company before moving to Janklow & Nesbit in 2019, where she began representing literary and upmarket fiction and nonfiction across the adult and children’s markets. She joined the Azantian Literary Agency in 2025 to continue championing fresh, unexpected perspectives, particularly those of writers from underrepresented communities. Her taste leans literary, but she is open to fiction that incorporates genre elements, as well as work that defies categorization altogether. She is interested in narrative nonfiction that reorients our understanding of history, culture, science, society, and ourselves, and creative nonfiction that appeals equally to the heart, mind, and sense of humor. Roma is a member of the American Association of Literary Agents (AALA) and an ambivalent Twitter and Bluesky user (@romapancake). She lives in Brooklyn.

She is looking for:

• Adult Fiction: character-driven, speculative/fantasy elements, rich historical settings
• Adult Nonfiction: narrative journalism or cultural history, food writing
• YA: realistic-leaning contemporary or historical, second-gen narratives, school stories with an edge, enemies-to-friendships, smart & weird kids
• MG: select high-concept, fun middle grade

#MSWL: https://www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/roma-panganiban/

https://www.azantianlitagency.com/about-us/roma-panganiban

Monday, June 9 (11-5)

2:30pm EST

2:45pm EST

3:00pm EST

2:15pm EST

3:30pm EST

3:45pm EST

4:00pm EST

4:15pm EST

Thursday, June 12 (2-6)

4:30pm EST

4:45pm EST

4:00pm EST

4:15pm EST

4:30pm EST

4:45pm EST

5:00pm EST

5:15pm EST

Friday, June 13 (11-5)

11:00am EST

11:15am EST

11:30am EST

11:45am EST

12:00pm EST

12:15pm EST

12:30pm EST

12:45pm EST