Patricia Nelson joined Marsal Lyon Literary Agency in 2014. She represents adult, young adult, and middle grade fiction, and is always especially interested in seeing novels by BIPOC, queer, and disabled authors in all genres that she represents.
In general, Patricia looks for stories that hook her with a unique plot, fantastic writing and complex characters that jump off the page. On the children’s side, Patricia is open to a wide range of genres of YA and MG, with particular interest in contemporary/realistic, magical realism, mystery, science fiction and fantasy. On the adult side, she is seeking women’s fiction both upmarket and commercial, historical fiction set in the 20th century, and sexy, smart adult contemporary and historical single title romance.
Patricia’s clients include NYT bestselling author Axie Oh (The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan), National Book Award finalist and Printz Honor award winner Candice Iloh (Every Body Looking, Dutton Children’s/Penguin Random House), Stonewall Honor, Morris Honor, and Governor General’s Award winner Jen Ferguson (The Summer of Bitter and Sweet, Heartdrum/HarperCollins), Printz Honor award winner Mary McCoy (Indestructible Object, Simon and Schuster Children’s), Edgar Award nominee Juliana Goodman (The Black Girls Left Standing, Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan), LGBTQ Reads founder Dahlia Adler (Cool for the Summer, Wednesday Books/Macmillan), 2023 debut authors Claire Forrest (Where You See Yourself, Scholastic) and Edward Underhill (Always the Almost, Wednesday Books/Macmillan), bestselling women’s fiction author Loretta Nyhan (Digging In, Lake Union Publishing), and bestselling romance authors Kate Bateman and Charis Michaels, among others.
Patricia holds a master’s degree in English Literature from the University of Southern California and a master’s degree in Gender Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to becoming an agent, she spent four years teaching literature and writing at the college level.
Follow Patricia on Twitter at @patricianels.