A faith-fluent senior literary manager at Martin Literary & Media Management who bridges the Christian publishing world and the mainstream market, with a particular hunger for YA, thrillers, horror, and women's fiction that center diverse voices and defy genre formulas.
In brief
Her confirmed deal record skews heavily toward middle grade and children's books—Allie Millington alone accounts for four confirmed deals across picture books and MG—even though her stated wishlist emphasizes YA, thrillers, and horror. Writers should know her children's-book pipeline is active even if she doesn't foreground it.
Millington's MG deal with Feiwel & Friends (Macmillan) was six figures, signaling Terrette can negotiate major-house, major-dollar contracts for the right project.
Her imprint relationships on the record include Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan, Waterbrook/PRH, IVP, Rowman & Littlefield/Bloomsbury, and Worthy Kids/Hachette—a spread that covers both the Christian and general-market publishing lanes she works in.
She is an award-winning author herself (Golden Scroll 2024 winner, Christian Indie Award winner) and is represented by a colleague at her own agency—she understands the writer's seat in a way many agents do not.
Her wishlist has a strong, consistent diversity mandate: she actively seeks BIPOC, AAPI, and disabled protagonists across every genre she represents, and her non-US, non-England setting preference is a recurring theme worth building a pitch around.
Lately
Her 2025 wishlist update signals a strong preference for settings on reservations, in rural or underpopulated American regions, or anywhere outside the US and England—a recurring emphasis she doubles down on across every genre.
What Kristen is looking for
She wants YA that earns its reader's attention within the first two pages. Her sweet spots: first-love stories, unconventional friendships, and family dynamics that carry real weight. She welcomes hard subject matter—race, suicide, abuse, divorce—as long as the ending earns its emotional payoff (satisfying, not necessarily happy). On the speculative side, she prefers witches and dark/rogue magic over Fae courts, is open to dragons only with a genuinely fresh angle, and would be thrilled to see a unicorn story. Friends-to-lovers tropes have her interest; generic contemporary YA does not unless the voice is truly distinctive. Diverse casts and non-US/non-England settings are a plus.
Her stated passion here is palpable. She wants female crime-solvers who are smart, tenacious, and fully realized, and she has a frank enthusiasm for serial-killer narratives. Small-town and big-city settings both work. The non-negotiable is genuine unpredictability—if she can see the ending coming, she's out. Straight police procedurals are a lower priority unless the hook is exceptional. A thriller with horror or speculative undertones is actively welcome.
She wants genuine dread—books that make the reader nervous about reading in the dark. A particular interest: stories that interrogate death itself (the process of dying, the grim reaper, death as a character or force). Folk horror is a strong yes. Ghost stories are welcome when the ghost functions as a presence rather than a love interest. Vampires and werewolves are fine if the take is fresh. No slasher-style gore. Thrillers that blend in speculative or horror elements are explicitly invited.
She describes herself as currently open to every subgenre of romance and invites writers to surprise her. No further restrictions stated beyond the global exclusions (gratuitous sex scenes, word counts over 100k).
She is self-described as picky here. She gravitates toward lyrical prose but is open to the full range. Structural innovation, unexpected POV choices, and diverse stories are all strong draws. Voice and originality are the deciding factors.
College settings and stories of the early-twenties experience are a genuine enthusiasm. Humor is a plus. This is a category she names specifically and warmly, so writers with NA projects should not overlook her.
Voice is the primary currency here. She has a particular pull toward everyday-life stories set outside the US and England—a repeated preference across her wishlist.
Listed on her current agency page as a sought category. Her YA wishlist clarifies she prefers witch-and-dark-magic stories over Fae/court-intrigue fantasy; she applies that sensibility more broadly. Fresh dragons and unicorn stories welcome with the right hook.
Named on her current agency page as a category she is building toward. No additional details provided; writers in this space should lead with strong setting and hook.
Listed on her agency page. No specific parameters stated beyond her global preference for diverse casts, non-US/non-UK settings, and structural originality.
This is a core lane, not a sideline. Her ECPA Emerging Leader credential, 2024 mentorship in the Christian publishing space, and confirmed deals with IVP and Waterbrook/PRH all demonstrate active relationships in the Christian market. She is open to faith-based titles across every genre she represents.
She has sold a true crime title to a major academic-trade publisher and handles nonfiction broadly. True crime with film/TV potential is a demonstrated interest.
Her deal record—not her stated wishlist—reveals this as one of her most active categories. She has negotiated multiple six-figure MG deals with Feiwel & Friends (Macmillan) and has placed picture books at Worthy Kids (Hachette). Writers with standout MG should absolutely query her.
Her agency page notes she is actively seeking illustrators, and she has confirmed picture book deals on record. This category is live. Note that her global restrictions (word count, content) apply less rigidly to picture books by nature.
Not the right fit
On Kristen's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Kristen
Demonstrate your hook within your query letter's opening paragraph—she applies the same 'first 5–8 pages' standard to how quickly the stakes must be clear.
State your word count upfront; manuscripts over 100,000 words are a hard pass, so if yours clears that threshold she'll notice immediately.
If your book is set outside the US and England, say so early and prominently—it is a genuine differentiator for her.
Diverse protagonists (BIPOC, AAPI, disabled) are not just tolerated but actively sought; if your main character fits that description, name it in the query.
For YA, demonstrate what makes your book fresh—especially if it is contemporary YA—because she will be skeptical of anything that reads as familiar.
For thrillers and horror, tease the unpredictability: if the ending is genuinely hard to see coming, hint at that in your pitch rather than summarizing plot beats.
If your project has faith-based elements, do not soften or hide them; she has active relationships in the Christian publishing market and treats this as a strength.
Comp to TV and film where appropriate—her own wishlist is organized around screen comps, which signals she thinks in those terms and responds well to them in pitches.
Do NOT query her with sci-fi, political-agenda fiction, slasher horror, or anything over 100k words—these are firm exclusions she has restated across multiple sources.