Literary Agent
Submissions
Adventure Write offers full-service literary representation to authors of fiction and nonfiction. We’ve been in the literature business since 2007, and we’re honored to work alongside MacGregor and Luedeke Literary.
We offer robust representation and career guidance to our authors. We have a phenomenal in-house editor, and we provide our authors with unparalleled promotional support.
Throughout the years, we’ve partnered with several publishers, editors, journalists, film and TV companies and producers as well as foreign rights co-agents in many countries. We’ve arranged appearances on 20/20, Inside Edition, Fox News’s Tucker Carlson Tonight, Newmax, One America News, as well as on podcasts and local TV shows and radio from Earth and space. We’ve also coordinated interviews with top publications like PEOPLE Magazine and Newsweek, among others.
We are currently open to submissions from established authors as well as new authors. We accept unsolicited submissions via Query Manager only. Please consult our Manuscript Wish List, at the bottom of this page, and if you think your project may interest us, follow our submission instructions here: http://QueryMe.Online/colleenoefelein
If we’ve requested your manuscript, you may send it via email to: colleen (at) adventurewrite.com
ABOUT US
Colleen Oefelein – Agent
Colleen Oefelein (OH-fah-line) worked in the school library in 6th grade, where she fell in love with V.C. Andrews, calculated ex with Richard Feynman and adventured with The Baby-Sitters Club. Books changed her life, giving her the courage to excel as a tiny woman in engineering and in the U.S. Air Force, always with a book in her hand and a dream in her heart to help authors and put more life-changing books in the library.
Colleen holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering with a focus in Biotechnology and a Bachelor of Science in German with a minor in International Business, both from Penn State.
With over a decade of experience in the publishing industry, she’s currently an agent with MacGregor and Luedeke Literary, representing both fiction and nonfiction.
She’s hosted numerous “Pitch Perfect” and “Rejection Correction” workshops on Facebook and at conferences nationwide and mentored several authors one-on-one through online pitch contests such as Pitch Wars.
Also an author of memoir and young adult fantasy under the pen name C.M. McCoy, Colleen has a deep appreciation for bond between an author and their art as well as a keen understanding of the PR world, having been featured in People Magazine, on Inside Edition, Fox News’s Tucker Carlson and on 20/20.
Colleen is a disabled veteran living in Alaska with her husband, son, and boerboel. A former 911 call taker and dispatcher for Alaska State Troopers, she has a soft spot for veterans and law enforcement families. In her spare time, she enjoys the outdoors, and she teaches creative writing workshops, German and Irish dance to homeschoolers.
Colleen is looking for:
- Romance: In the Adult and YA space: heart-rending love stories in most sub-genres (no erotica) and romantic suspense
- RomCom: Adult only
- Mystery: Adult and YA; historical and contemporary
- Thriller: Adult and YA
- Nonfiction: Celebrity memoir, high-profile crime memoir, and True Crime from authors with an established platform
Interested in, but not accepting at the moment: young adult and adult fiction: harsh and sobering contemporary, low fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal, unusual re-tellings, suspense and thriller. In nonfiction, she’s interested in proposals for whistleblower memoir, military memoir and narrative nonfiction on the subjects of science or medicine. Scroll down for her wish list.
Audrey – In-House Developmental Editor
Audrey holds a B.A in Art History and Spanish and is a multi-lingual, former NC high school Spanish teacher. She’s an author of historical and contemporary romance as well as an editor-for-hire and a literary agent in training. She’s garnered acknowledgements for her editorial services and Spanish-English expertise in several novels.
MOST RECENT SALES/ FORTHCOMING BOOKS
TOD IS GOD by Tod Gordon and Sean Oliver (Permuted Press, July 25, 2023) Wrestling Memoir: The uncensored inside story of ECW’s founder Tod Gordon’s journey from jewelry store owner to one of the three most powerful promoters in pro wrestling.
“An incredible, entertaining and insightful story of one of the most important—and also underappreciated—promoters in wrestling history. A must-read for any wrestling fan, promoter, executive or any of the boys looking to laugh and learn.” —Alfred Boima Konuwa III, Forbes
MANAGING THE MATTHEWS by Haleigh Wenger (CamCat Books, August 15, 2023) Contemporary Romance: Nothing’s real on reality TV―or is it?
Everyone knows Kell Simmons manages the Matthews brothers, the three hottest stars in Hollywood: action hero Ryan, romantic lead Ash, and sports star Jonah. But no one knows that she’s hopelessly in love with one of them.
When Ryan’s surprise engagement to a fan just about breaks Kell’s heart, Ash, himself unhappily in love, lends his shoulder to cry on. All this is great fodder for the brothers’ very own reality TV show, and soon the days of their lives are filled with scripted dates, fake drama, and real heartache―all in front of a camera.
As the brothers’ popularity skyrockets into the stratosphere, Kell finds herself wondering how much, if any, of the spotlight she wants, if it means foregoing real love for fun and games on TV.
JESTER by Brielle Porter (CamCat Books, 9 Aug 2022) YA Fantasy: Magical obsession and romantic rivalry when a seventeen-year-old orphan, disgraced and powerless, must win a competition of real magic against her charming rival, even if winning will cost his life and corrupt her soul, to either become the Queen’s next Jester…or die trying.
DREAD WATCH by Jared Agard (Chicken Scratch Books, 1 September 2021) MG Fiction: In which the Great Train Wreck of 1856 spawns a cursed object and touches off a modern-day adventure…having a Stranger Things-like twist, when an eighth grader gets trapped inside an antique pocket watch and must outwit an evil ghost kidnapping the town’s kids and feeding off their fears. Find it from publisher, Amazon, and at all major retailers.
Useful Links
I accept unsolicited submissions via Query Manager only (no snail mail, no email): http://QueryMe.Online/colleenoefelein
You can find my current Manuscript Wish List (#MSWL) at the bottom of this page.
Social media links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/colleenoefelein
Twitter: https://twitter.com/eerie_o
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eerie_o/
A JOURNEY TO PUBLICATION — An article with links to all things you need to know, like:
- typical word count
- manuscript formatting standards
- genre definitions
- pitch contests
- how to write a query letter
- how to write a synopsis
It’s all here: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/a-journey-to-publication/
Manuscript Wish List (#MSWL)
I’m actively building my ROMANCE and MYSTERY lists.
I love plot-driven, commercial stories with unforgettable characters and gritty character dynamics. I adore writing that has a great cadence and natural rhythm, which like a dance flows and stutters in a gorgeous motion that worms into my brain and reverberates there for days.
I also love beautifully written, character-driven stories.
In general, I love a thread of subtle or not-so-subtle humor in everything, but it’s not required. Give me clean writing with plenty of white space and story-telling full of subtle nuances that give my brain room to imagine will pique my interest.
I like a strong hook. Make me laugh, gasp, sigh, smile, sit forward, or read through my fingers on page one please. I also love a story with cliffy chapter endings and prefer characters who take a book by the balls and yank it forward. An antagonistic protagonist, an unreliably evil villain, flawed characters, and antiheroes are definitely my favorite, as is a high-adrenaline plot. I love anything unexpected, dark, edgy, weird, or funny.
Fun facts about me: I’m a retired chemical engineer and disabled veteran who has worked 911 dispatch for Alaska State Troopers and currently teaches Irish Dance. I’m a homeschooling mom; I speak German, can fly a helicopter, net a salmon, navigate a river, and hem a pair of pants. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, I now live in Alaska, but I still root for the Steelers and Penguins. I hold a BS in Chemical Engineering with a focus in Biotechnology, and a BS in German, both from Penn State University. I also have one pointed ear. 🙂
Submission Guidelines
Submissions should be sent through: http://QueryMe.Online/colleenoefelein