Stefanie Molina-Santos is a Denver-based Associate Agent at Looking Glass Literary & Media whose entire practice is built around centering BIPOC voices across MG, YA, and Adult fiction and nonfiction — with a particular appetite for gutsy protagonists, advocacy-driven nonfiction, and stories that actively disrupt the status quo.
In brief
Her practice is explicitly and exclusively oriented toward BIPOC authors and protagonists — this is not a preference, it is the organizing principle of her list.
Her agency page has expanded her Adult fiction scope beyond what older wishlist posts described: she now seeks mysteries (cozy or not), thrillers, suspense, fantasy (grounded and/or cozy, no epic), and high-concept plot-heavy romance — not just 'cozy mystery and romantic suspense.'
She has no confirmed sales record yet available for analysis, meaning writers cannot gauge publisher relationships from deal history — her editorial background (F(r)iction, book coaching for women of color) and her roster affiliation with Literary Agents of Change are the strongest signals of her taste and advocacy commitments.
Her personal passions — running, baking, knitting, volleyball, swimming, animals, sports science, hiking — map directly onto the nonfiction categories she actively solicits; projects touching these areas have a built-in hook with her.
Her submissions are currently closed (observed December 2025); writers should verify the live form status before querying, as no reopening window has been announced.
Lately
#writers #amquerying, I'm working on a class to decode agent feedback . . . what are some of the most common phrases you see in agent passes? what feedback do you find most unclear or frustrating? and if there's something simple you wish an agent would say instead, what is it?
I'm so passionate about surviving and survivors. Although I'm not able to rep projects where active abuse is taking place, I am very much interested in the healing and, hopefully, justice that comes after - at all ages. Feels trite to add this to #MSWL but this is where I can make a difference💜
Looking for some way to support Minnesotans from afar and am planning to add one of these to my next Bookshop order, in case anyone else is looking, too! ❤️ -Birchbark Books (Indigenous-owned) -Literary Leaf (Puerto Rican-owned tea!) -Strive Bookstore (Black-owned) -Black Garnet Books (Black-owned)
Stefanie shared publicly that survivorship and healing are subjects she is deeply invested in. While she cannot represent projects where abuse is actively depicted as it unfolds, she is genuinely passionate about stories of recovery, healing, and the pursuit of justice — and noted that this is a space where she feels she can make a real difference. This applies across all age ranges she represents.
What Stefanie is looking for
Stefanie's MG and YA wish is built around one word she uses twice on purpose: gutsy. She wants messy, courageous protagonists navigating layered narratives. Contemporary and grounded fantasy are her preferred landing zones, but she is open to horror and mystery as well — provided there is a strong sense of adventure running through them. Sports, unique hobbies, and world-saving stakes are all welcome bonuses. BIPOC authors and protagonists are her core focus across this age range.
She wants mysteries across the cozy-to-not-cozy spectrum, thrillers, and suspense. A strong preference for BIPOC protagonists applies throughout. Note: her current agency page has broadened this category significantly from earlier statements — the full range from cozy whodunit to propulsive thriller is now in play.
She seeks fantasy that is grounded in reality or cozy in tone — epic fantasy is explicitly excluded. For romance, she wants high-concept, plot-heavy work rather than quiet character-driven romance. Non-Western-centric worldbuilding and folklore are consistent draws across both sub-categories. BIPOC protagonists remain a strong preference.
Her nonfiction cookbook appetite is specific and personal: she is seeking cookbooks and baking books from people of color, with a particular warmth toward first-, second-, third-generation (and beyond) immigrants recovering and celebrating their culinary heritage. Body-neutral, health- and fitness-oriented cookbooks are equally welcome. Cookbooks that idealize weight loss are a hard no.
Stefanie is actively hunting for nonfiction positioned at the crossroads of advocacy and any of the following: sports and exercise science, health and fitness, nutrition, medicine, and animals. She also extends an open invitation to any nonfiction project where advocacy is a meaningful throughline, even outside these named areas. Survivor narratives — focused on healing and justice rather than active trauma — are something she has publicly described as personally meaningful.
Not the right fit
Taste fingerprint
How to query Stefanie
She is currently closed to queries (observed December 2025). Confirm the live form status before submitting — do not query a closed agent.
Include a query letter plus your first 50 pages for fiction. For nonfiction, submit a full proposal in place of sample pages.
If your manuscript touches on suicide, self-harm, or abuse — even in a character's backstory — include a content warning in your query; omitting one for a project that contains these topics is a red flag for her.
Her mission is explicit: she is seeking BIPOC authors. If you are not a BIPOC writer, she is not the right match for your project at this time.
She has stated that 'gutsy' is not a casual word in her wishlist — it appears twice deliberately. Lead with your protagonist's agency, recklessness, and willingness to disrupt; do not downplay the mess.
Her personal hobbies (running, baking, knitting, sports, animals) map directly onto her nonfiction wish list — if your project touches any of these areas, make that resonance visible in your pitch.
For Adult fiction, be specific about where on the spectrum your book sits: she differentiates between cozy, grounded, and epic fantasy; between cozy and 'not-cozy' mystery; and between plot-heavy romance and quieter character work. Misidentifying your genre in the query is a liability.
Non-Western folklore, decolonial frameworks, and protagonists who push against dominant cultural norms are recurring themes across everything she is seeking — if these apply to your project, foreground them.
She is a board member at Literary Agents of Change, which signals a structural commitment to equity in publishing — writers whose work engages with these themes will find a genuinely aligned advocate.