Tara Gonzalez is an Erin Murphy Literary Agency agent and the agency's social media coordinator, specializing in children's and young adult literature with a deep appetite for horror, witches, atmospheric fantasy, and stories centering underrepresented voices across all age groups from picture books through YA.
In brief
Tara Gonzalez's wishlist is unusually specific about mood and atmosphere — they want to *feel* the fog on the moors, not just read about it. Writers who can articulate a sensory aesthetic (or include a mood board) have a real edge here.
Horror and witches are the clearest throughline across every age group Tara represents. If your project has either element at any level — picture book through YA — it belongs in this query pile.
No confirmed sales record was available for analysis, so genre distribution and publisher relationships cannot be inferred from deals. The wishlist itself is the primary signal.
Tara is Cuban-American and explicitly names that identity as a lens they'd love to see reflected in middle grade. This is a rare, personal invitation — not a generic diversity note.
Query status is unverified. Writers must check the live Erin Murphy Literary Agency submission page before querying — do not rely on any cached status.
Lately
Tara expressed a sustained wish for horror across all age groups — ghosts, haunted houses, witches, monsters, serial killers, psychological thrillers — and emphasized atmosphere and lush imagery as the quality that makes or breaks a submission in this space.
What Tara is looking for
This is the clearest top priority. Tara wants ghosts, haunted houses, witches, monsters, serial killers, slashers, and psychological thrillers. The ask is specifically for something with the atmosphere of a prestige horror film transplanted into YA — rich, lush, visceral writing where the setting itself is a character. Projects evoking gothic or dark-academia aesthetics are especially welcome.
Tara describes themselves as a self-confessed rom-com devotee. They want YA contemporary romance, including witchy rom-coms and slice-of-life speculative stories. A strong preference for non-US settings runs through all of this. Unlikeable heroines are explicitly welcome — lean into complex, difficult protagonists rather than away from them.
Witches are described as a lifelong passion. Tara is specifically hunting for something with series potential in this space. The Sweep series by Cate Tiernan is named as a tonal touchstone — a witchy world built for the long haul, not a standalone magic moment. Witchy rom-coms and slice-of-life speculative projects are also explicitly welcomed.
Fantasy and historical fiction are both welcomed across YA. Non-US settings are a recurring priority, and Tara specifically wants stories where characters explore heritage, family, and cultural identity. Girls in STEM fields — tech, science, competitive esports — are a named interest that appears underserved in the current market.
Tara has a specific gap they want to fill: YA or near-YA fiction about the freshman year of college — the anxiety, the identity shift, the first real brush with adulthood. This is described with some urgency. Writers working in this transitional space have a real opening here.
Middle grade is a core category. Tara gravitates toward fantasy, action/adventure, mysteries, and historical fiction at this level. Eco-mystery — stories with an environmental angle baked into the sleuthing — is a specific sub-interest. Museum and archaeology mysteries are also named. The ask is for passionate, idiosyncratic protagonists who geek out about unusual subjects.
Tara actively wants contemporary middle grade that centers the emotional complexity of friendship and growing up. Emotional impact is an explicit goal — they want to be moved to tears. A middle grade novel involving horses with a diverse cast is specifically named as a want. Cuban-American identity and culture is a personal lens Tara would love to see explored.
Tara represents picture books through YA and includes graphic novels at every age level. The same priorities apply — diverse and underrepresented voices, atmospheric storytelling, and unique perspectives. This category is part of the full slate but receives less specific elaboration in current wish-list materials than MG and YA.
Tara has articulated a very specific ensemble archetype they crave: a feral, emotionally chaotic friend group where everyone is a little in love with someone, at least one person is having a breakdown, and a supernatural threat is hovering in the background — which they will absolutely make worse. Reluctant villain-turned-babysitter characters joining this kind of group are also named as a draw. This applies across MG and YA.
Not the right fit
Taste fingerprint
How to query Tara
Lead with atmosphere. Tara responds to mood and sensory writing above all else. If your first page doesn't create a feeling, revise before querying.
Include a mood board or manuscript aesthetic collage if you have one. Tara explicitly invites this — it's a genuine differentiator, not a gimmick.
Non-US settings are a recurring theme across every category. If your book is set outside the United States, say so prominently and early in the query letter.
Name your vibe. Tara thinks in aesthetics — cottagecore, dark academia, gothic, witchy rom-com. If your book fits a recognizable mood or aesthetic, name it directly rather than relying on pure plot summary.
If your project involves witches, lead with that. It is the single most consistent passion across Tara's wishlist and the element they describe with the most personal urgency.
For middle grade, emphasize friendship dynamics and emotional stakes alongside plot. Tara wants to cry — make the emotional throughline explicit in your pitch.
If querying a Cuban-American story or a story exploring a specific cultural heritage, note that context. Tara has personally named this as a lens they want represented.
Unlikeable heroines are explicitly welcome. Don't soften or apologize for a difficult protagonist in your query letter.
Verify query status on the Erin Murphy Literary Agency website before submitting — current open/closed status could not be confirmed from available sources.