Trinica Sampson-Vera is an Associate Literary Agent at New Leaf Literary & Media who champions marginalized voices and hunts for speculative fiction, horror-romance, and queer stories with Caribbean roots and emotional ferocity.
In brief
Trinica's wishlist is unusually specific and sincere — she names cannibalism romance, A/B/O dynamics, queer cowhand stories, and a sapphic Phantom of the Opera retelling as genuine desires, not throwaway notes. Writers with niche, high-concept pitches have a real opening here.
Her wishlist skews heavily toward speculative fiction across age categories — MG, YA, and Adult — with fantasy and horror-adjacent romance forming the core of her stated interests. She is not primarily a contemporary-fiction agent.
Own Voices is not a checkbox for her; it is the explicit filter on her entire list. She explicitly cautions that there are very few situations in which she will be enthusiastic about POC POV characters written by authors who do not share that identity.
Her background — five years as a social-services case manager, an independent editing career focused on diversity, and personal Caribbean heritage (Trinidad and California parentage) — means she reads marginalized stories from lived context, not curiosity.
She is an Associate Agent, which means she is actively building her list; writers who might be overlooked by more established agents have a genuine opportunity to get in early on a career.
Lately
Trinica shared that she had just discovered the Texas Gay Rodeo in Denton and immediately began craving a queer cowhand romance — signaling this is a live, personally motivated wish rather than a passive listing.
What Trinica is looking for
Trinica's single deepest passion. She wants horror, cozy-to-high fantasy, genre-blending, magical realism, light sci-fi, and anything that defies tidy categorization. She is especially drawn to elevated horror with something real to say about the world, and to stories that blend romance into the speculative. Own Voices authorship is a strong priority throughout.
This sits at the heart of her list. She wants romance where horror is structural, not cosmetic — stories where love and dread are genuinely fused. She is particularly drawn to the dynamic of a character who feels monstrous or fundamentally unlovable paired with a devoted partner. The intensity she cites as her benchmark is the Louis/Lestat/Armand dynamic in AMC's Interview with the Vampire. Cannibalism romance and A/B/O dynamics are explicitly on her wish list, as is anything that reads like emotionally overwrought, trope-rich fanfiction.
She actively wants queer romance, especially Own Voices LGBTQ+ stories where characters get happy endings. She describes a very specific appetite: a queer cowhand romance (sparked by learning about the Texas Gay Rodeo), a queer F1 romance or an F1-flavored story with a speculative layer, and a sapphic Phantom of the Opera retelling. Reality TV premises with sharp hooks also belong here. She is more selective about contemporary romance without a speculative element.
She specifically calls out NA campus stories and is drawn to dark academia as a setting and atmosphere. This overlaps heavily with her speculative and horror interests — she is most excited when a campus story has gothic, speculative, or horror elements rather than purely contemporary stakes.
Stories featuring Caribbean characters and settings, with a firm Own Voices gate — she is only seeking these from authors with authentic personal connection to that identity. She has a particular affinity for Trinidad and Tobago. This can appear in any age category or genre.
Character-driven MG with adventurous plots and big emotional stakes. Her touchstones suggest she loves MG that takes worldbuilding and magic systems seriously — the kind of books that feel like genuine portals rather than simplified versions of adult fantasy. BIPOC and Own Voices authorship is strongly preferred.
She has a specific, named gap on her list: a LitRPG that centers queer, trans, or POC protagonists. This is a niche but genuine wish — she is not broadly seeking LitRPG, just this specific angle.
Not the right fit
On Trinica's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Trinica
Lead with your Own Voices identity if it's relevant to your story — this is not performative box-checking for Trinica; it is the central organizing principle of her list. Authors from marginalized communities should name their identity clearly in the query letter.
Be specific about your speculative element. Trinica's touchstones span cozy fantasy to elevated horror to romantasy — she wants to know exactly where on that spectrum you land, not just 'speculative fiction.'
If your premise is niche or unconventional (cannibalism romance, A/B/O dynamics, sapphic opera retelling), say so plainly and early. She has explicitly named these desires; a writer who dances around a wild premise to seem more palatable is missing a competitive advantage.
If you are pitching queer romance, confirm you are delivering a happy ending or happy-for-now. She specifically loves queer characters who get to win.
For Caribbean settings or Trinidadian characters, note your Own Voices connection directly — she has stated this as a firm requirement, not a preference.
Her fanfiction sensibility is a real signal. If your manuscript has high emotional intensity, trope awareness, or the kind of passionate excess associated with fan culture, you can lean into that framing rather than apologizing for it.
Reality TV and F1 premises should have a strong, differentiated hook — she is not just looking for the setting; she wants a concept that justifies why this story had to be set there.
She is an Associate Agent actively building her list, which means she may take more time to respond during busy acquisition periods. Follow the agency's standard submission guidelines and be patient.