Glass Elevator

Grace Milusich is an associate agent at Looking Glass Literary & Media with a marketing and editorial background, hunting for atmospheric horror, thrillers, and speculative fiction — especially with BIPOC protagonists, queer characters, and a found-family heart — across YA and adult fiction.

Synthesized from 3 independent signals · last reviewed June 2026
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In brief

the 30-second read
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Grace is currently CLOSED to queries as of May 19, 2026 — verify her submission form before sending anything.

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Her stated priorities center on horror (especially BIPOC-led and folklore-inflected), thrillers, and speculative fiction; she explicitly wants to champion BIPOC protagonists in horror right now.

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She brings a dual background in editorial and marketing from publishing houses in Ireland plus time at Irene Goodman Literary Agency — she understands both craft and commercial positioning.

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Her taste markers — Six of Crows, The Poppy War, The Song of Achilles, A Court of Thorns and Roses — signal a strong appetite for lush, character-driven fantasy with dark edges and queer/diverse leads; this is where her reading life lives even when she frames her wishlist around horror and thriller.

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She is a member of both AALA and SCBWI, signaling genuine engagement with the children's/YA publishing community despite her adult fiction interests.

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Lately

most recent public notes

Her current agency bio emphasizes a specific, pointed goal: she wants to work on horror projects with BIPOC protagonists. This is stated as a forward-looking priority, not a general openness — it reads as an active gap she is trying to fill on her list.

May 2026 · 2mo ago
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What Grace is looking for

organized from the wishlist, interviews, and listings
Horror — Adult & YA (BIPOC-led)Actively seeking

This is her stated top priority right now. She wants horror with BIPOC protagonists — particularly projects rooted in folklore, mythology, and rural or regional settings. She is drawn to work that layers horror with romance (think romantic horror or horror-romance hybrids), embraces the strange and twisty, and carries a genuinely unsettling atmosphere. Feminist horror and body horror are also within her wheelhouse. YA horror is specifically and explicitly welcomed.

Thrillers — Domestic, Psychological, LiteraryActively seeking

She seeks thrillers that carry challenging, powerful themes and strong character work alongside commercial pacing. Domestic thriller, psychological thriller, and literary thriller all appeal. Projects that sit at the intersection of thriller and another genre (e.g., horror-thriller) are especially interesting to her.

Speculative Fiction / SFF — Adult & YA (diverse protagonists)Actively seeking

She is drawn to speculative fiction anchored by ambitious, driven characters with intersectional identities. She wants diverse protagonists — African fantasy, Asian fantasy, diaspora narratives, and immigrant experiences are all specifically flagged as interests. High-concept plots with sharp, organic dialogue will catch her eye. Romantasy (fantasy romance) for adults is also on her list. Found family as a structural or emotional throughline is a major plus.

Contemporary Fiction — YA & Adult (commercial/literary)Open to

She welcomes contemporary fiction with powerful or challenging themes, particularly projects featuring queer narratives with romantic elements, dark female friendships, and stories centered on family drama (including mother-daughter dynamics). Commercial women's fiction and accessible literary commercial fiction are both viable if the voice is distinctive.

Queer Narratives (across categories)Actively seeking

Queer storytelling — particularly narratives that include romantic elements — is a consistent, emphasized priority across all the genres she pursues. LGBTQ+ YA, LGBTQ+ fantasy, and queer adult fiction all fit. This is a lens she applies across categories rather than a standalone genre slot.

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Not the right fit

save yourself the rejection
Any material written by AI (automatic pass)
Picture books from author-only submissions (SCBWI membership suggests illustrator picture books may be considered, but no current confirmed open interest in the picture book category)
Non-fiction is not listed as an active priority on her current agency page (older directory listings mentioned cookbooks and memoir, but her live page focuses entirely on fiction — treat non-fiction as unconfirmed)
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On Grace's list

authors and titles represented
LB
Leigh BardugoSix of CrowsNamed personal favorite; taste signal for ensemble, morally complex YA/adult fantasy
MS
Maggie StiefvaterThe Raven BoysNamed personal favorite; taste signal for atmospheric, character-driven YA speculative fiction
MS
Mary ShelleyFrankensteinNamed personal favorite; taste signal for gothic, literary horror
HY
Hanya YanagiharaA Little LifeNamed personal favorite; taste signal for intense, emotionally devastating literary fiction
MM
Madeline MillerThe Song of AchillesNamed personal favorite; taste signal for lyrical, queer historical/mythological fiction
RK
R.F. KuangThe Poppy WarNamed personal favorite; taste signal for brutal, BIPOC-led dark fantasy with war and mythology
SM
Sarah J. MaasA Court of Thorns and RosesNamed personal favorite; taste signal for adult romantasy with dark romance elements
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Taste fingerprint

the threads that run through Grace's taste
atmospheric horrorBIPOC horrorfolklore & mythologyfound familyqueer narrativesromantasydark speculative fictionfeminist horrorcross-genrediverse protagonists
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How to query Grace

8 ways in Through an online form
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She is currently closed to queries (confirmed 2026-05-19) — check her agency's website before doing anything else.

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When she reopens, lead with the horror-BIPOC angle if it applies: her current bio calls this out as an explicit, active priority, not just a preference.

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Mentioning a moodboard is a genuine differentiator — her agency page specifically says she will look at one if included; this is unusual and worth doing if you have a strong visual concept for your book.

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She responds to found family as a structural element; if it's central to your story, name it plainly in your query rather than burying it.

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Queer romantic elements should be foregrounded if present — she describes herself as 'a sucker for queer narratives, usually including romantic elements,' so don't downplay this to seem more mainstream.

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AI-generated query materials result in an automatic rejection — every word of your submission must be your own.

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Horror-romance hybrids and cross-genre projects (e.g., speculative thriller, folklore horror) are explicitly welcomed; don't sand down the genre complexity if your book genuinely lives at an intersection.

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Her response window is 8–12 weeks; don't follow up before that period has elapsed.

Open the submission form
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Frequently asked

what writers ask about Grace
Is Grace Milusich open to queries right now?
No. Her submission form was directly observed as closed on May 19, 2026. Writers should check her agency's website for updates before preparing a submission — her stated turnaround once open is 8–12 weeks.
What agency does Grace Milusich work for?
Grace is an associate agent at Looking Glass Literary & Media, based in Denver, CO. She also serves as marketing and publicity assistant to senior agent Natalie Lakosil.
What does Grace Milusich represent?
She focuses on YA and adult fiction — primarily horror (especially BIPOC-led and folklore-rooted), thrillers (domestic, psychological, and literary), and speculative fiction including romantasy. She has a strong and consistent interest in queer narratives with romantic elements and in projects built around the found-family trope.
What is Grace Milusich NOT looking for?
She will automatically pass on any query or manuscript that is AI-generated. Her current agency page focuses entirely on fiction, so non-fiction (cookbooks, memoir, etc., which appeared in older directory listings) should be treated as unconfirmed. Picture books from author-only writers are not listed as a current interest, though her SCBWI membership suggests some openness to illustrated work.
Does Grace Milusich want horror specifically with BIPOC protagonists, or is that just a preference?
It reads as an active, stated goal — her current agency bio singles it out as something she is 'hoping to work on,' which is a stronger signal than a general openness. If you have a BIPOC-led horror project, this is the most compelling angle to lead with in a query.
What is Grace Milusich's background?
She holds a Master's degree in Publishing from the National University of Galway and worked in editorial and marketing roles at publishing houses across Ireland before moving into agenting. She joined Natalie Lakosil first at Irene Goodman Literary Agency as a junior agent and marketing assistant, and now continues that partnership at Looking Glass Literary & Media. She is a member of both AALA and SCBWI.
What kind of horror does Grace Milusich want?
She is specifically drawn to horror rooted in folklore, mythology, and rural settings; horror-romance hybrids; feminist horror; body horror; and YA horror. She is actively seeking horror with BIPOC protagonists. She enjoys work that is atmospheric, strange, and twisty — projects that don't fit neatly into a single lane.
Does including a moodboard in a query actually matter to Grace Milusich?
Yes — unusually, her agency page explicitly says she will look at a moodboard if one is included. This is a genuine differentiator worth taking advantage of if you have visual materials that capture your book's atmosphere.