Tara Gavin has always loved books. She began her career very early—reading every book she could get her hands on. By the third grade, her after-school place to go was the library. Her favorite books were the classics, women’s fiction, and mysteries. Her collections of the Nancy Drew, Judy Bolton, Cherry Ames series are still around—being read by her grand-nieces.

She has spent years at Harlequin Books, where she pursued her love of women’s fiction, working with New York Times bestsellers Diana Palmer and Lindsay McKenna, as well as many others. Moving onto Kensington Books, Tara still worked with bestselling women’s fiction authors, but also was able to pursue her love of mysteries and suspense.

She is excited to be working with Alcove Press, where the best of all worlds come together—upmarket, commercial women’s fiction. She loves complex books that entertain and go deeper under the surface of women’s lives. Her wish list contains books similar to those of Anne Tyler, Fannie Flagg, Mary Kay Andrews, Susan Wiggs and Susan Mallery.

She also acquires for Crooked Lane Books, and enjoys suspense, mystery and thrillers—especially women in jeopardy stories, and books with a family component that has secrets to uncover. Let’s face it…she loves to read, and nothing makes her more happy than delving into a book that takes her to a complex, emotional plot.

Jacqualyn (Jackie) Pfeil is an Assistant Editor at St. Martin’s Publishing Group based in New
York City. She acquires adult and new adult fiction, upper-YA, and select nonfiction (pop culture
or fandom-related). She is primarily drawn to romances or stories with a romantic thread, and is
captivated by emotionally compelling and immersive stories with characters that etch their way into her heart and linger in her mind long afterward. She is particularly interested in speculative elements, paranormal romances, deep yearning/tension between love interests,
complex/nuanced characters, genre blends, and fresh retellings/folklore. She would absolutely
love to see a superhero romance. Jackie studied English and Communications at Florida State
University, attended New York University’s Summer Publishing Institute, and before working at
SMPG, she hand-sold books at Barnes & Noble. When she’s not buried in a book, you can find her going to a movie at her local AMC theater, finding local stores and coffee shops around
NYC, or (most likely) obsessing over the next Harry Styles album.
 

See Jackie’s full manuscript wishlist here: https://manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/jacqualyn-jackie-pfeil/

Nicole Luongo is an Associate Editor at Grand Central Publishing (GCP), part of Hachette Book Group. Nicole acquires a wide range of edgy, voice-driven upmarket fiction, with a particular emphasis on amplifying marginalized voices. Her editorial interests include anything grounded speculative (magical realism, horror, sci-fi, dystopian, cozy fantasy—you name it—especially if there’s a feminist bent); genre-subverting psychological thrillers (cunning female perpetrators, unreliable female narrators, etc.); select coming-of-age stories; and satire/dark comedy (I’m a sucker for biting, whip-smart humor). Before joining GCP, Nicole worked as a bookseller at R.J. Julia Booksellers, then as an editorial assistant at Mango Publishing, and later as an acquiring editor at Park Row Books (HarperCollins Publishers). She earned a joint-honors B.A. in English and International Development from McGill University and resides in Brooklyn, New York.