“ CHRISTA HESCHKE graduated from Binghamton University with a major in English and a minor in Anthropology. She started in publishing as an intern at both Writers House and Sterling Lord Literistic, where she fell in love with the agency side of publishing. Christa has been at McIntosh and Otis, Inc. in the Children’s Literature Department since 2009 where she is actively acquiring for all age groups in children’s. Christa is taking on picture books very sparingly and is not taking on rhyming picture books. She’s interested in fiction and nonfiction picture books about environmentalism, especially the ocean, as well as diverse cultures and identities. She is more open in middle grade and young adult, prioritizing BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, neurodiverse, and disabled writers. She is interested in contemporary–whether issue-driven or lighter and rom-com–as well as various genres including horror, fantasy, mystery/thriller, and historical. She is considering adult fantasy very sparingly, and is not open to any other adult work. She is not interested in rhyming picture books or religious texts. She leans toward more literary writing. Some specific topics that interest her in addition to the above are unique, atmospheric settings/world-building and underrepresented cultural influences, offbeat narrative structures, complex romances, stories featuring siblings or friendship dynamics, and stories featuring artists of any kind. ” ( From the agency website) About the Agency: “Established in 1928, McIntosh & Otis, Inc. is a full-service literary agency located in New York. M&O represents a bro