Updated! Agent Alert: Jackie Kruzie of Focused Artists
Literary agent alerts (with this spotlight featuring Jackie Kruzie of Focused Artists) are golden opportunities for new writers because each one is a literary agent who is likely building their client list.
Jackie Kruzie fell in love with books when her elementary school hosted its yearly Young Author's Conference. For weeks leading up to the day, students were encouraged to write, draw, and create their books, and conference day was full of live readings, theatrical performances, and meet-and-greets with real authors. That early introduction to books prompted a life-long love of reading and writing.
Jackie earned a master's degree in library science and advocated for literacy in both school and public libraries while cultivating her writing skills. She joined many writer's groups participating in workshops and attending conferences and served as the regional advisor for her local chapter of the Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). Here she connected with agents and editors prompting a desire to shift from libraries to publishing. She was an acquisitions editor for an Indie publisher before completing a 6-month internship with Olswanger Literary and joining the team at Focused Artists as an associate agent.
Currently Seeking
"I represent adult and children's fiction. In adult fiction, I am seeking graphic novels, historical fiction, horror, mystery, paranormal/supernatural, thriller, western, and women’s fiction. I love supernatural and paranormal stories where characters must keep their abilities hidden as they strive to right wrongs and exist in a world where fear is prevalent. I love historical fiction with dual timelines where events from the past impact the present, and I am a sucker for stories with a romantic element and enjoy when budding romances develop organically throughout the story.
"In children's fiction, I am seeking picture books, graphic novels, middle grade, and young adult. I love fast-paced character-driven picture books with humor and heart. I don’t shy away from tough topics but do not want didactic text with a heavy moral. In middle grade, I am looking for mystery, magic, time travel, anything just for fun! I want books that create lifelong readers. In young adult, I want books that tackle tough topics and speak to those who feel invisible.
"In both adult and children's titles, I welcome diverse characters and would like to see more main LGBTQ+ characters in a setting where they exist without scrutiny and their sexuality isn't the main issue, but simply a component of the story."
How to Submit
Only accept submissions through Query Tracker at https://querymanager.com/query/JackieKruzie_FocusedArtists.
Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of 40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Stories in New Directions, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
