Shelly Romero is an associate agent at Azantian Literary Agency whose editorial background in horror and children's publishing shapes a list built around BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ voices in horror, dark speculative fiction, and high-concept YA/MG—with a particular passion for Central American, Caribbean, and Honduran storytelling.
In brief
Romero is a horror-first agent: across every age category she names it as her top priority, and her personal favorites (Goosebumps, Mexican Gothic, The Only Good Indians) confirm this is a deep, lifelong commitment rather than a trend-chase.
Her editorial roots are at Scholastic, where she worked directly on Goosebumps and The Bad Guys—meaning she has real structural knowledge of MG commercial publishing, not just taste.
She is highly specific about whose stories she wants: BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ authors broadly, but with an explicit spotlight on Honduran authors and Latine/x writers from Central America and the Caribbean, including Afro-Latine and Indigenous Latine voices.
Her 'do not send' list is unusually detailed and politically explicit—stories featuring cops, ICE, Republicans, Zionists, Nazis, or military personnel are out, as are antebellum/plantation settings, deportation narratives, and BIPOC women framed as victims of trafficking or honor killings.
Her wishlist is longer than her dealmaking record is public—writers should treat her stated preferences as genuine appetite, not back-catalog description, and verify query status before submitting since she was closed as of early March 2026.
Lately
This is a diabolical way to open up a book 📖 CR: ON SUBMISSION by Michael J. Seidlinger
I will not be reopening to queries tomorrow and will be closed to them unless it’s a referral or from a conference for the next couple of months. This is so I can catch up on outstanding full requests and queries from February and March. I’ll post on social whenever I reopen.
It's not #MSWL Day anymore, but since I've opened back up to queries. Here's one more: the dynamic of Lady Heather and Grissom in CSI...but actually leading to an on-the-page romance.
Gothic Horror! This will be a thread bc I love this genre. First up, I desperately desire more southern gothic by Black authors and especially if it comps to SINNERS (I’m not really the one to try if you’re just comping it for a book with vampires) & the IWTV show. #MSWL
I’m a big David Cronenberg girlie, so I’m always on the lookout for body horror and/or weird psychosexual horror. Gimme that freaky shit ala CRASH, THE CELL, or HELLRAISER and POSSESSION. I’m also down for thrillers ala BASIC INSTINCT #MSWL
Romero shared that she found the opening of ON SUBMISSION by Michael J. Seidlinger to be a 'diabolical' hook—a signal of her appreciation for writing that unsettles immediately and takes formal or structural risks.
What Shelly is looking for
Horror is Romero's defining passion and her top priority across MG, YA, and adult. She wants nearly all subgenres—gothic horror, paranormal horror, psychological horror, body horror in the vein of Cronenberg, Catholic horror, and found-footage-style mixed-media or epistolary horror. She explicitly avoids 'cozy horror,' wanting genuine darkness. Touchstone references include Guillermo del Toro, David Cronenberg, Clive Barker, John Carpenter, and Wes Craven as directional comps. Vampire stories also fall here.
Gothic romance—midwestern gothic and southern gothic especially—sits at the intersection of her love of horror and her appetite for lush, atmospheric storytelling. She wants the darkness to be real, not decorative. Grounded fantasy with a gothic overlay is welcome; pure second-world epic fantasy is not.
She wants thrillers and mysteries with a firm condition: protagonists must not be cops or detectives. Secret societies, cults, sororities, and closed-group dynamics are especially attractive. High-concept execution and multiple POVs are a plus. She is not drawn to procedural crime fiction and explicitly calls out commercial thriller authors she does not want to be comped to.
Sci-fi and broader speculative fiction are welcome, particularly when rooted in character and voice. She gravitates toward grounded, socially resonant SFF over hard science or military SF. She notes she is picky about second-world fantasies; she prefers fantasy that is anchored in a recognizable world (portal, contemporary, or low-fantasy settings). Games-inspired fantasy comped to Baldur's Gate 3 or D&D: Honor Among Thieves interests her—suggesting she responds to ensemble-driven, morally complex adventuring tones.
Her Scholastic editorial background gives her genuine expertise in MG, and she seeks it across action-adventure, horror, mystery, fantasy, and contemporary. She is especially interested in high-concept MG with diverse leads. MG horror is a standout interest given her broader horror priority.
She has affection for coming-of-age and ensemble slice-of-life stories with strong emotional grounding—think the social texture of late-90s/2000s TV and film. She is interested in stories set during college or in the non-college post-high-school years, a setting she calls out specifically. Character-driven multiple-POV narratives fit naturally here.
She wants historical fiction set in the Regency, Edwardian, or Victorian eras; the post-WWII period; or the 1980s through 2000s—but only when BIPOC and/or queer characters are centered. She does not want WWII-era historical fiction, antebellum or plantation settings, or standard Eurocentric period drama. The historical backdrop must serve underrepresented stories.
She actively seeks adult erotic fiction, with a stated focus on stories featuring BIPOC and/or LGBTQIA+ characters in kink spaces. This is a category she names explicitly, which is uncommon among agents—writers with manuscripts in this space should not hesitate to query if/when she reopens.
Across all categories, she is drawn to high-concept premises and inventive structure—particularly mixed-media and epistolary formats that evoke a found-footage sensibility. This is a craft-level interest that cuts across genres: a horror novel, a thriller, or a coming-of-age story all become more attractive to her if the format itself is doing work.
Romero names Honduran authors as a specific priority and extends this to all Latine/x writers from Central America and the Caribbean, explicitly including Afro-Latine and Indigenous Latine storytellers. This is a personal and cultural mission, not a market calculation. Stories by these writers in any of her preferred genres rise to the top of her list. She also welcomes Jewish stories, particularly when intersectional with BIPOC and/or queer identities.
Not the right fit
On Shelly's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Shelly
She is currently closed to queries as of March 2026—check the Azantian Literary Agency submissions page directly before sending anything, and note any reopening date or window she posts.
Horror, grounded fantasy, and high-concept thrillers with BIPOC and/or LGBTQIA+ leads are her strongest lanes; lead with genre and the identity specificity of your story in your query letter.
Her 'do not send' list is detailed and politically explicit—review it carefully. Comping your work to cop procedurals, clean-teen sensibilities, or any of the authors she names as unwanted comparisons will likely result in an immediate pass.
If your manuscript uses a mixed-media or epistolary structure that creates a found-footage feel, say so clearly and early—this is a specific craft interest she has signaled repeatedly.
Writers who are Honduran, Central American, Caribbean, Afro-Latine, or Indigenous Latine should note that Romero has made these communities an explicit priority, not just a welcome addition—lean into that cultural specificity in your query.
Word count matters: she will not consider manuscripts over 100,000 words. Confirm your count before querying.
She is drawn to character-driven, multiple-POV structures—if your novel has this, mention it. If it has a strong ensemble, draw a comparison to her named touchstone films and TV shows rather than generic comp titles.
Her background is editorial, not just agenting—she responds to craft-level signals. Show you understand genre conventions while doing something unexpected with them.