Christabel McKinley
Christabel began her career teaching English in South Korea, which was the springboard for her interest in children’s publishing. She now represents children’s authors and illustrators, from picture books to Young Adult fiction, including graphic novels and illustrated non-fiction. Children’s manuscripts or artwork should be sent to childrenssubmissions@davidhigham.co.uk as per the guidelines here.
In general, she is drawn to writing with a confident voice and a strong sense of place. She has a soft spot for unlikely bands of misfits, and is always curious to see coming-of-age stories and themes of identity explored, whatever the background. Currently, she is keeping her eyes peeled for a funny 7+ or middle grade with a contemporary setting (i.e. SAM WU IS NOT AFRAID OF GHOSTS or BEETLE BOY), a laugh-out-loud quirky novel for teens (i.e. GEEK GIRL or PRINCESS DIARIES), a light-hearted rom-com for teen or YA with a strong voice (i.e. THE FALLING IN LOVE MONTAGE) or a lushly-detailed YA fantasy with original worldbuilding (i.e. GIRLS OF PAPER AND FIRE or IRON WIDOW.) She also loves graphic novels for all ages, particularly if they explore identity (i.e. PERSEPOLIS or THE MAGIC FISH), friendship (i.e. GIANT DAYS) or romance (i.e. BLOOM.) She is not currently taking on any new picturebook writers.
In the adult SFF space, she is particularly drawn to well-researched or richly imagined historical settings (i.e. THE DAEVABAD TRILOGY), folktale-inspired worlds or retellings of popular tales (i.e. UPROOTED), and witches in all forms (particularly interested in something with the feel of the TV show Charmed.) In regards to romance, she is drawn to a slow-burn, figures from two unlikely groups coming together, and broken people healing each other. She loves fanfiction and always welcomes submissions from fanfiction authors looking to try their hand at original fiction. Querying authors should send the opening three chapters, a synopsis and a cover letter to christabelsubmissions@davidhigham.co.uk.
Children’s manuscripts or artwork should be sent to childrenssubmissions@davidhigham.co.uk as per the guidelines here.
Twitter: @ichristmasbell
