Ashley Reisinger is an assistant agent at Triada US Literary Agency actively building a list anchored in genre-blending adult romance and YA fiction, with a particular appetite for speculative twists woven into commercial, voice-driven narratives.
In brief
Reisinger's wishlist is dominated by adult romance — especially spec-flavored, cozy romantasy, heist/adventure, and nerdy/fandom-driven stories — suggesting this is the single strongest entry point for querying writers.
Genre-blending is the throughline across every category: Reisinger is far more interested in a mystery set in a fantasy world or a romance with a ghost than in any of those genres standing alone.
The DVpit 2025 engagement signals a genuine, ongoing commitment to diverse and underrepresented voices — not a checkbox, but a stated and publicly demonstrated priority.
Reisinger explicitly carves out selective and conditional spaces for MG and picture books, meaning writers in those categories face a much higher bar than adult or YA fiction writers.
As an assistant agent actively building their list, Reisinger represents an earlier-career opportunity: less backlog, genuine enthusiasm for new clients, and a direct email submission path confirmed as recently as late 2025.
Lately
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After a busy DVpit event in October 2025, Reisinger publicly invited authors who hadn't received a direct like but felt their work was a good match to go ahead and send a query with the first ten pages directly by email — a warm, proactive gesture that underscores their ongoing commitment to diverse voices and willingness to engage with underrepresented writers outside formal channels.
What Ashley is looking for
This is Reisinger's clearest top priority. They want romance with a speculative hook baked in: witches, ghosts, time loops, love spells, soulmate mechanics, and similar devices. Cozy romantasy qualifies, but the worldbuilding must feel effortless and grounded — the emotional relationship has to lead, not the fantasy architecture. Adventure romances and heist romances are actively wanted, and the more outlandish the premise the better. Nerdy and fandom-driven romances (cosplay, fan-fiction culture, tabletop gaming) are a strong fit, as are sports romances — with particular enthusiasm for stories centering BIPOC and/or LGBTQ+ characters.
Reisinger is open to a wide range of horror in adult fiction but has a specific, differentiated desire: something with humor, satirical bite, or meta self-awareness. Straightforward scares are welcome, but a horror novel that also makes the reader laugh or comments on genre conventions will rise to the top of the pile.
Reisinger wants mystery and thriller that breaks convention in one of a few directions: a speculative setting or twist layered onto a classic whodunit structure, a locked-room mystery in the vein of ensemble ensemble-cast films, or a mystery with a romance thread strong enough to feel like a co-genre. Campy, over-the-top, or comedic thrillers are also welcomed. Heavy romantic suspense or police procedurals are explicitly out of scope.
Reisinger prefers SFF where the magic or speculative element is woven into a recognizable, accessible world rather than requiring an elaborate secondary-world map. Contemporary fantasy, portal-adjacent stories, and anything that blends SFF with another genre are strong fits. Higher-concept SFF can work if genre-blending is central and the worldbuilding is not the dominant focus. Space operas, second-world high fantasy, and dystopia are not a fit.
Across YA, Reisinger is drawn to the same instincts as in adult: speculative twists on familiar genres, strong voice, and genre-blending. Specifically sought: YA romance with a speculative element (ghosts, magic, time loops), YA mysteries (especially with a spec layer), contemporary fantasy whether light and funny or dark and atmospheric, magical academies and dark academia, YA horror, and retellings or reimaginings — though the source material should be transformed rather than replicated. YA illustrated graphic novels are also actively sought; script-only submissions are not accepted at this time.
Reisinger is selectively open to upper MG and MG illustrated graphic novels; script-only submissions are not accepted. The bar is high and the volume they take is limited — only projects that feel like a strong standout fit should be submitted in this category.
Reisinger's picture book interest is narrow and specific: lyrical narratives from authors with underrepresented voices and perspectives. This is not a general picture book open call — if the manuscript is not both lyrical in style and from an underrepresented background, it is unlikely to be a match.
Not the right fit
On Ashley's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Ashley
Send your query letter plus the first ten pages of your manuscript to ashley@triadaus.com — this address was confirmed publicly in October 2025 and matches Triada US submission conventions.
Lead with the genre-blend: if your book is a cozy romantasy or a spec-twist mystery, say so in the first sentence. Reisinger's wishlist is organized around hybrids, so front-loading the combination signals you've read the room.
For adult romance, name the speculative mechanic upfront (time loop, ghost, soulmate bond, love spell) — that specific hook is what Reisinger looks for, not just a 'romance with magic.'
If you're querying as a writer from an underrepresented background, you may mention that in your query; Reisinger has publicly and repeatedly emphasized diverse voices as an ongoing, active priority and participated in DVpit to find exactly those writers.
Avoid positioning your project as high fantasy, a space opera, a police procedural, or a historical romance — even if it has romantic elements, these are explicitly out of scope and will likely result in a pass regardless of execution.
For YA illustrated graphic novels and upper MG graphic novels, be explicit that you are submitting a completed illustrated manuscript (not a script); Reisinger is not currently taking script-only submissions.
Picture book writers should signal both the lyrical quality of the prose and their own underrepresented perspective early in the query — those are the two gates for this category.
Keep your comp titles recent and genre-accurate; Reisinger's own wishlist references specific titles like Cemetery Boys and The Atlas Six, so using similarly well-chosen genre comps will demonstrate you understand where your book sits in the market.