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Maeve MacLysaght

@mmmlysaght

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Beyond excited to announce my debut comic series, MRS. GARRUD’S GUIDE TO KICKING ASS AND GAINING SUFFRAGE! It’s a story about the extraordinary women who quite literally ~fought for their rights~ 100 years ago with @idwpublishing! 💪🏼💥🗳️

This is such a such a special project to me, not only because it’s the first sale of original IP for me, but also because of our all-female/NB team!!! 👯‍♀️

Thank you so much to the amazing @hellocentral4212 and @heatherantos for believing in, advocating for, and shaping this idea with me!! And to my agent @mmmlyaght for having my back as I navigate this process for the first time ☺️

Last but certainly not least, I’m extremely grateful to the incomparable @ikadraws95 who will bring Mrs. Garrud and our Suffragists to life on the page!! 💚🤍💜

Keep your eyes peeled for Issue 1 in Fall 2027 👀

Special shoutout to @huntergriffindavis for introducing me to Mrs. Garrud, @erikburnham, @ashleynapier98, @lestoltz, @william_hughes_hpp, and @amandapastunink for keeping me sane. And my gorgeous mama @houseu2day and fabulous sister @jackiemalee for being my inspiration always

#graphicnovel #comicbook #idwpublishing #idw #mrsgarrudsguide

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Missing Kiss & Tell? Us too! Which is why we decided to revisit one of our favorite events from this year— @rebeccahunterwriter’s book launch extravaganza! The book was amazing, the party unforgettable and the fits…serving!

Hope you all enjoyed your Bookstore Romance Day and we’ll see you in September for more shenanigans and a serious lightening round! 💋

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✨Update ✨

I’m absolutely thrilled to announce that I am now represented by the wonderful @mmmlysaght at @aevitas_creative! I’m so excited to work with Maeve on my projects, especially my latest adult project that is equal parts silly and murder-y 🔪♥️☕️. Her editorial vision truly blew me away!

Suddenly needing to query a month before my novel debuted was not on my 2026 Debut Bingo Card, but I am really grateful for my friends who supported and offered advice: @aamna_qureshi @ream_shu @narjiszahraa @zeynebholdridge @skalibooks and I can’t forget my querying fairy godmother who offered a plethora of expertise @cjhamiltonspen ✨

Also, big thank you to the writing community 💜. Thank you for your encouragement when I shared my agent guide back in April, and for providing referrals to your agents. I’m also very appreciative of the agents who personally reached out and sent me their submission links. 💜💜

We never know what the future holds, but I am excited to see where it will take me. 🙏🏽 🧿✨

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Time is running out to sign up for the event that’s been called “life changing” and “one of the best conferences in the country for writers looking to advance their careers.”

The last weekend in June, we’ll bring literary agents, book editors, and other industry professionals together with writers at all stages for a weekend of conversation and community centered around the craft and business of writing.

Today, we’re excited to provide a sneak peek inside the conference program to share our presentation line-up. During each of the weekend’s seven breakout sessions, you’ll have the option to learn more about the craft and business of writing directly from one of our visiting literary agents.

Sign up now to join us for an unforgettable weekend designed to help you write your next literal and metaphorical chapter. ✨📝

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And the winner is….Billionaires Ex! Ha! I had so much fun with y'all figuring out what to wear for @rebeccahunterwriter book launch. It was a close call, but y'all chose well and I had a blast.

The looks were giving glamour, the energy was electric, and The Convenient Wife Conditions delivered the fun. Think Dallas but make it Italian luxury. If you love feeling like you are reading something fabulous and unhinged in the best way, this one goes straight to the top of your TBR!

PS I haven't forgotten I owe y'all an announcement. Stay tuned!

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@authorsguild event at @chapter510 the other week, featuring the inimitable @mmmlysaght in conversation with @duanethewriter_ as they talked about the state of publishing and the dark and tender art of horror 😎

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Message from #SerendipityLit CEO and Association of Writers and Writing Programs (@awpwriter) Executive Board Member Regina Brooks:

The 2026 AWP Conference and Bookfair was incredible.

The atmosphere provided the perfect backdrop to discussing the current state of publishing with our peers and colleagues and brainstorming ideas that will keep the industry advancing into the future.

I was honored to moderate one of the many discussions that attendees could join, where four of my amazing agent friends addressed some of the most common issues new writers grapple with when entering the business.

But the AWP conference is not just about one panel or one discussion. It’s about coming together to share our insights and knowledge, paving the way for us to start asking new questions and opening the door to the conversations we need to be having in the industry.

So, here’s to the publishers, agents, and editors who keep the discussions moving.
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#AWP26 #PublishingIndustry #WritersConference #LiteraryCommunity

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We’re introducing the featured guests joining us for the 31st Agents & Editors Conference in Austin, June 26–28, 2026.

Register before April 1 and your spot includes a one-on-one meeting with one of these agents or editors—your chance to pitch your work and build real industry connections.

Swipe to meet just a few of the industry professionals that are joining us in Austin and stay tuned in the following weeks to meet the rest of our featured guests. Your next chapter could start here. 📖

🔗 Learn more and register at the link in our bio.

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I ❤️ @awpwriter Conference & Bookfair 💫

I think bc I never really wanted to leave school like, ever? Going to panels feels like going to class. Writers who attend feel like the kids who hung out in my school’s Creating Room 🎨 I’m always trying, as an adult, to recreate that experience.

What is AWP? The country’s largest literary conference, at 10K attendees. Held annually in different cities—next up, Chicago!

What do you do there? Talk. Nonstop. But seriously, it’s the place to reconnect with writers you meet elsewhere, at various conferences & residencies. Once a year, they’re all in one place. + it’s like the Oscars of the writing world? Superstar authors are just walking down the hallway like regular people 💫

In addition, there’s a giant bookfair filled w/ exhibitors including lit journals, indie presses, & writers’ centers like @storystudio_chicago (shout out!) and @thewriterscenter ✏️

Is it overwhelming? Definitely.

Can you learn coping skills to manage the overstimulation? For sure. I have some! I teach a class on it & will share tips & tricks on here—applicable to navigating giant conferences in any industry. I’m still personally learning how to sleep at these things.

Sitting room only at many of the panels 🎤 @atmospherepress wins best booth 🏆 @reginalbrooks panel queen 👑 literary hero @mauriceruffin 📕 panel on pedagogy in the wild Wild West of Fla. @lauramcdermottmatheric ☀️ extra phone battery/snacks 👜 room coffee. do not judge! did you see me in the 45-minute coffee line?? ☕️

#awp26 #writingcommunity #writersofinstagram #authorsofinstagram

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A thousand thanks to all who made AWP writers conference this year. Wowowow. I left Maine only to find some of my favorite Maine writers here, and many others, too, reaching out, listening, learning, communing, and making sense of home beyond place, not in the spaces between us but in the connections between us. In the Indigo Hotel Poe Room, brilliant souls regaled with songs, translations, and tales of burning books and authors with $13k bounties on their ears whose caskets were paraded before them in exile at home. Katya Kazimirova said, “books are on the frontlines,” noting 6M burned and 800 libraries lost in Ukraine. Ilya Kaminsky reminded me of the necessary fuel of joy for survival: “Ukrainians go for ice cream.” At Checkerspot, Danez Smith entwined our emotions, “let our pessimism nourish our hope,” and emphasized “non-negotiable love” while also beginning with F Ice. Jonny Diamond implored us to “reflect on how large the word neighbor has become,” which rippled through me for the entire conference, meeting neighbor after neighbor. The words of Fargo Nissim Tbakhi and Sarah Aziza lingered like the ghosts and ideas of place they wrote of. I hope we heed their call to use our writing, yes, but our other skills too in the face of urgent matters, even if it means being a little sloppy. The Milkweed reading stunned and awed a packed house and the readings of Sean Hill, seen here, and the team was so quietly powerful I fought back tears to speak with him after. Such a joy to see so many other life-changing friends and mentors, some of whom I caught their photos and convos, and others who I hope to soon. My well of gratitude is overflowing and I already terribly miss these souls, who have a home at my place in Maine but also beyond place. I saw this nest and other alternative forms of homes and thought I too would spend my life chop sticking twigs and flying laps to pick them up and drop them off if it made my loved ones comfortable. Many thanks and more soon. #awp

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AWP 2026 Baltimore!! I loved participating in this panel on ADHD and the writer moderated by @chrischiu13, alongside @marcus_burke_author @fictionbyshellysanders and #ChristyChang! Also thrilled to be Soaking up wisdom and great #writingcommunity vibes as an attendee!

#awp
@awpwriter
#awp26
#baltimore
#authorpanel

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Message from #SerendipityLit CEO and Association of Writers and Writing Programs (@awpwriter) Executive Board Member Regina Brooks:

After 25 years of agenting, I’ve learned that the strongest panels move beyond surface advice. They surface tensions, challenge assumptions, and open space for conversations our field needs right now.

At AWP, I’ll be moderating a panel of literary agents. Here are five questions I’m planning to bring into the room:

1. What are writers consistently misunderstanding about how agents actually make decisions? What shifts something from interesting to essential?

2. Where is the agent-author relationship under strain in today’s market? What expectations around platform, marketing, speed, and communication need clearer boundaries?

3. What does building a career mean in 2026? How are agents balancing long-term development with a market that often rewards immediacy?

4. How are AI tools, digital discovery, and shifting submission patterns influencing what agents take on and how they advocate?

5. If you were starting as a writer today, where would you focus your energy first? Craft, community, positioning, platform, something else?

For #AWP attendees: What do you want to hear agents discuss?

Drop your questions below. I’m building the agenda with the community in mind and want to address what writers are genuinely grappling with.

Panelists:
- Heather Carr, Literary Agent, @thefriedrichagency
- Nicole Cunningham (@n.c.books), Literary Agent, @trellisliterary
- Kayla Lightner (@layla_kightner), Literary Agent, @PandeLiterary
- Maeve MacLysaght (@mmmlysaght), Literary Agent, @aevitas_creative

The event will be held in person and live-streamed. Registration is required to attend. You can learn more and register for the conference using the link in our bio.
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#AWP26 #ReginaBrooks #AskanAgent #Publishing #LiteraryAgent

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