Zoie Janelle Konneker (she/her) is an editorial assistant at Peachtree Publishing Company.

Raised in the suburbs of Atlanta, she interned at two local publishing houses in 2019 and graduated from Georgia Tech in with a BS in Literature, Media, & Communication in 2020. Between her graduation and her acceptance of a full-time role at Peachtree in the winter of 2021, she worked as a Foster Coordinator at a metro-Atlanta animal shelter and attributes her love for animals and spreadsheets to her time there. Her goal is to leave the world better than she found it through elevating underrepresented voices in children’s literature and putting relatable, relevant stories in the hands of those that need them most.

Manuscript Wishlist

I am seeking fiction novels across middle-grade and young adult audiences. I am looking for timeless, emotive, and well-paced books.

Middle Grade:

I am looking for standalone titles that are full of action and heart. I enjoy historical fiction, contemporary, sci-fi (CYBERPUNK, steampunk, soft science fiction), fantasy (urban, animal, magical, dystopian, high fantasy), supernatural, and plenty of humor. My current priority is light-hearted historical fiction (anywhere from the 1800s to 1990s) with a unique setting and voice and/or anything magical realism.

Cringe-worthy coming-of-age stories with strong-willed, messy, emotional protagonists are my favorite. The manuscript should also be child-centered (non-human characters OK), plot-driven, and should contain realistic, culturally relevant themes. Women’s/LGBTQIA+/Black/Indigenous history and equality is a priority for me, so stories about a particular time in history that is often overlooked or whitewashed are particularly intriguing. I also seek out stories with neurodivergent protagonists in particular. Body positivity and body diversity are also a huge plus.

I enjoy themes of friendship, compassion, sharing, honesty, learning and problem-solving, self-esteem/acceptance and self-reliance, identity, imagination and creativity, decision-making, unconventional or found families, LGBTQIA+ and racial equality.

I am looking for immersive, evenly paced writing that emphasizes and amplifies the protagonist’s unique voice. I prefer not to acquire books written in verse.

• Bonus points:
• Well-timed plot twists
• Southeastern U.S. setting
• Sapphic characters

Young Adult:

I am looking for standalone titles with immersive, atmospheric writing that emphasizes and amplifies the protagonist’s (or protagonists’) unique voice. I prefer to acquire books written in prose. I seek out manuscripts that are equally plot and character-driven, highly descriptive, and evenly paces. Atmosphere, mood, and voice are make or break.

Genres: Fiction: historical fiction (1800s – 1990s), contemporary, sci-fi (cyberpunk, steampunk, soft science fiction), fantasy (urban, animal, magical, dystopian, high fantasy with unique magic system), magical realism, supernatural, humor, romance (prefer rom-coms to dramas), retellings (of lesser-known myths/lore)

Subject matter: Human/character-centered, social-emotional learning, neurodiversity, women’s/LGBTQIA+/Black/Indigenous history and equality, family, friendships, relationships, growing up, coming of age/entering the world as an adult

Themes: Friendship, compassion, self-esteem and self-reliance, identity, imagination and creativity, decision-making, unconventional or found families/family trauma or troubles, LGBTQIA+ and racial equality

Bonus Points:
— Sapphic characters
— Gender nonconforming characters
— Cats