My #PitchWars wishlist is live but here's a little thread to get into the weird, super specific stuff that I left out in the interest of brevity and readability (rather than an absolute mess of odd requests!) https://mariaheater.wixsite.com/mariaheater/post/pitch-wars-2020-wishlist

I said as much in my wishlist but so it's loud and clear: I am especially interested in work from underrepresented voices. This includes BIPOC, LGBTQ+, disabled rep, etc. I'm biracial with gay and neurodivergent parents. This is a big deal for me.

Speaking of, I would love to see tight family tag teams that aren't exploitative. Scheming father-daughter duos. Kids who are very into the family business, especially if that business is magic or political. If it evokes the Tyrell ladies, I want it.

I'm a huge fan of deep relationships that don't fit neatly into a box, like Rin & Nezha (The Poppy War): bitter enemies turned allies turned something else? & again?

Or Cress & Theo (Ash Princess): a loving friendship marred by a power imbalance that becomes insurmountable.

Or Jamie & Brienne who love each other in a way they don't really understand (not family, not friends, not lovers, so what the hell are they?!) so they compensate by snapping at each other constantly. Side note: I *hated* the turn this took. It ended with the knighting scene, ok?

Or difficult romances like Yennefer & Geralt. Give me jaded, bitter badasses unable to stay away from each other but also getting in the way of their own happiness.

This is probably a good time to add that I am a sucker for a doomed romance. I know, I'm sick.

Speaking of, I am also open to retellings, especially if they're SF and not Austen/Bronte or one of the more obvious Shakespearean choices. Unless it's R&J because I tragedy. In endings too! HEAs are great but I also love tragic/complicated endings.

Also complicated: religion. I love nuanced portrayals of religion in any genre but especially SFF. Give me interesting religions and people with complex relationships with faith (or lack thereof).

I also love court stories but I'd like to see more that feature non-nobility. Governesses, entertainers, etc. getting swept up in intrigue (or perhaps ambitiously inserting themselves into it?) Also characters with trades like accountants or seamstresses that they use in the plot

I've had some q's about what magical creatures I don't want which is basically anything Tolkienesque or derived from Christianity (). Talking animals are also tough. Fae, dragons are but I'd prefer to see a spin. Got some cool mythology I probably haven't seen? Bring it!

Shifting to SF, this is a little trickier because it's more "I'll know when I see it" which I understand is frustrating. But I love stories that unwind something social/economic happening now into the future to show how it might play out (like The Handmaids Tale)

I'm also very interested in stories about how science/tech impact us socially, like the San Junipero, Hang the DJ, & Nosedive episodes of Black Mirror

Also had some q's about historical eras I'm interested in. This is by no means comprehensive but some highlights would be turn of the century Middle East/South America. Buenos Aires & Constantinople at the height of their wealth with casts that reflect how cosmopolitan they were

The golden age of piracy and anything that evokes Ching Shih. Early Industrial Japan. Pre-Columbian Latin America. The Nubian empire. And if it could be on http://RejectedPrincesses.com , I want it.

Okay, I think that's more than enough for now. I'll post a link to this thread in my wishlist as well. Hit me up with questions if you have them, and good luck getting those submissions ready!