Clara Foster

In fiction, she is looking for stories in the upmarket/book-club sweet spot where literary and genre-fiction meet (think Circe and Lessons in Chemistry), intensely emotional literary women (think Luster by Raven Leilani or The Guest by Emma Cline), and just about anything written with beautiful prose, a high-stakes plot, and/or a folkloric, legendary, or mythical grounding (think She who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan, A Marvellous Light by Freya Markse, or Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo). She loves a romance in any genre—fantasy, historical, mystery, or a combination of all three—and will, no matter how dark a book gets in the middle, always gravitate towards a happy ending.

Clara is also looking for projects in the YA/Crossover space. Much like her taste in adult fiction, she wants to see clever world-building, emotional (and flawed) characters, and preferably a romantic sub-plot—or main plot. Here however she would like to find writing from authors who push the boundaries even further: new twists on old tropes, high concepts (an idea you can pitch in a sentence), and perspectives we rarely get to see. Clara’s enduring favourites from her teenage years are The Hunger Games and A Series of Unfortunate Events—she would love to help publish books that stick just as steadfastly with a new generation of readers.

In Non-fiction, Clara would like to find highly practical guides aimed squarely at women with the intention of filling crucial gaps in our collective knowledge. Books she thinks have done this successfully include Girls That Invest by Simran Kaur and How To Work Without Losing Your Mind by Cate Sevilla.