Adventure Write Literary Management

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. She’s worked since 2007 at Adventure Write, as an Associate Literary Agent for years with a New York literary agency and prior to that, with a boutique literary agency as both a literary agent and a PR manager.

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 and Irish dance to homeschoolers.

As a literary agent, Colleen is looking for romance–heart-rending love stories in most sub-genres (no erotica) and romantic suspense, as well as 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 high-profile crime memoir, whistleblower memoir, military memoir and narrative nonfiction on the subjects of science or medicine. Scroll down for her wish list.

Angela Frankeberger – In-House Developmental Editor

Angela Frankeberger holds a B.A. in English/Creative Writing from George Mason University. After finishing her undergraduate, Angela pursued a career in geriatric healthcare for six years. She had discovered a new passion in taking care of the elderly. A year ago, Angela decided to go in a new direction and revisit her first love- writing and editing. She enjoys working with authors and assisting them in achieving their creative vision. In her spare time, Angela likes to read, watch The Office over and over, and thrift shop..

MOST RECENT SALES/ FORTHCOMING BOOKS

JESTER by Brielle Porter (CamCat Books, Spring 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)

We’re currently accepting queries for fiction and nonfiction, and we’reactively building our ROMANCE list!

From Colleen:

I’m happiest when I’m helping an author strengthen and prepare their heart’s work for today’s market. My specialty lies in crafting killer pitches, finding a fresh spin for a tired premise, bringing the POV closer, and injecting tension into a scene.

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.

In MG, I’m looking for mystery, suspense, thriller, horror, low fantasy, urban fantasy, and paranormal, all with a thread of subtle or not-so-subtle humor.

In YA/NA/Adult, I’m looking for ROMANCE, especially–heart-rending love stories in most sub-genres (no erotica) and romantic suspense; harsh and sobering contemporary, low fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal, unusual re-tellings, suspense and thriller.

In nonfiction, she’s interested in proposals for high-profile crime memoir, whistleblower memoir, military memoir and narrative nonfiction on the subjects of science or medicine.

I’m weary of politics, and I usually don’t enjoy high fantasy, sword and sorcery, lyrical tales, heavy/spacey scifi, literary fiction, or women’s fiction. I love a fresh premise (or a fresh twist on a familiar story line) coupled with a strong, genuine voice. Just plain weird is right up my alley, and dark, quirky characters, make me sit forward. 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.

Lastly, I enjoy working with authors who show courage and kindness.

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