Cheyenne Faircloth is a San Diego-based agent at Handspun Literary Agency who champions historically excluded voices in dark, atmospheric speculative fiction, horror, and romantasy.
In brief
Her submission form was directly observed as closed as of April 7, 2026 — verify before querying.
Her taste runs consistently dark and atmospheric: she gravitates toward horror with feminist sensibilities, gritty romantasy, and folklore-drenched speculative fiction over lighter fare.
She has a strong, explicit emphasis on queer stories and on voices from historically marginalized communities — this is not a peripheral interest but a defining filter across every category she represents.
Her editorial background includes indie publishing (a house with National Book Award Finalist ties) and fan-fiction editing via AO3, signaling genuine comfort with both literary craft and genre-enthusiast storytelling.
She is not merely open to polyamorous and non-normative relationship structures — she actively solicits them, a distinction that sets her apart from most agents in the romantasy and fantasy space.
Lately
Her agency page confirms she has been promoted from agency assistant (joined 2021) to full agent, representing a meaningful shift in her capacity and deal-making authority at Handspun.
What Cheyenne is looking for
This is her most emphatic current category. She wants high-concept work she can pitch in a single line — gritty, morally complex, and centering historically excluded communities. Romance must be fully consensual even when dark in tone. Polyamorous dynamics are especially welcome. Think less swoony escape, more thorns-and-shadows with purpose.
She wants cozy fantasy with genuine stakes — comfort and warmth on the surface, but with real weight underneath. Queer casts, folkloric atmosphere, and grounded magic systems all score points. She is not looking for low-stakes fluff.
Horror is a major passion, and she has a particular hunger for Indigenous and Native voices in this space right now. She wants feminist-leaning horror, horror-romance crossovers (horromantasy), cozy horror, dark-academia horror, and stories with emotional cores rooted in family dynamics. Social horror — work that engages with racism, colonialism, capitalism, and misogyny — is especially attractive. She is open to both adult and YA age categories here.
She is drawn to epic fantasy with well-constructed, grounded magic systems and immersive world-building. Stories rooted in non-Western mythology, set firmly in a specific place and culture, and told through marginalized lenses are exactly what she is hunting. She also welcomes grounded sci-fi in this bucket.
She has a particular ache for speculative stories set in rural American South settings (or their cultural equivalents elsewhere) — swampy, haunting, steeped in place. She wants these told through a marginalized lens, ideally queer and/or BIPOC. A magical school set in the American South would genuinely excite her. The equivalent atmospheric register in non-American settings is equally welcome.
Writing that feels steeped in folk tradition, with a strong sense of place and mythological texture, is a consistent thread across everything she seeks. Non-Western mythology is especially prized. Fresh takes on figures like mermaids, vampires, and werewolves are welcome — but she wants them refracted through non-western or queer lenses rather than retreading familiar Western tropes.
She welcomes darker romantic elements and morally grey characters, but draws a firm, non-negotiable line: the romance itself must be consensual. Queer dark romance, polyamorous dynamics, and stories that challenge gender and sexuality norms are all things she actively wants.
Not the right fit
Taste fingerprint
How to query Cheyenne
Her form was closed as of April 7, 2026 — check the live form before doing anything else; querying a closed agent wastes both parties' time.
Lead with a single-sentence, high-concept pitch: she explicitly asks for this in dark romantasy submissions, and it signals you understand how to position the book commercially.
Front-load your marginalized perspective in the query — not as a credential checkbox, but as context for how the story is shaped. This is not performative for her; it is central to what she acquires.
If your book features polyamorous relationships, queer dynamics, or non-Western mythology, say so clearly and early — these are genuine differentiators that will make her read faster.
For horror submissions, name your emotional core up front. She cares about the human stakes beneath the horror, not just the genre mechanics.
If your story is set in the American South or draws on Southern Gothic atmosphere, name the setting in the first lines of your pitch — it is one of her most specific and hungry requests.
Avoid framing your work as 'the next Oxford dark academia' unless you have a strong, specific reason why this familiar setting is essential; she notes that Oxford has been overdone and wants you to earn it.
Her AO3 editing background means she is genuinely comfortable with fan-fiction writers who are transitioning to original fiction — if that is your path, do not hide it.
Do not query rom-com, contemporary YA, MG, picture books, or nonfiction under any framing — these are flat exclusions with no conditional exceptions listed.