Jaclyn RothmanJaclyn has been clawing at bookshelves since she was old enough to stand.
At least, that’s what her mother tells her. A lifelong love affair with reading, writing, and all things literature led her to two summers at Oxford University, where she studied creative writing, medieval literature, and contemporary fiction. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, she earned her bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Pepperdine University (known for its idyllic beachside locale, though she never could quite shake her ever-present-if-irrational fear of tsunamis and the open ocean). After graduating from Pepperdine, Jaclyn knew she wanted two things: to live somewhere she could experience actual, real-life snow, and to pursue a legal education that would supplement her love of literature. So she moved to Madison, Wisconsin, and started law school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she is currently in her second year – and where there’s enough snow to make up for a lifetime deficit. At UW Law, Jaclyn serves as a Submissions Editor for the Wisconsin Journal of Law, Gender, and Society, where she recently published a paper examining the fictional “Femme Fatale” and its real-life implications on autonomous women within the legal system. She is presently focused on entertainment and copyright law, in the hopes of using these skills to bolster her future in the literary industry. Jaclyn will read just about anything, by anyone, but she’s partial to fantasy (and romantasy!), contemporary fiction, mystery/thrillers, and horror. Her taste runs the gamut from Kazuo Ishiguro to Liane Moriarty to Sarah J. Maas and everything in between. She’s interested in new takes on classic tropes, twisty plots, complex worlds and worldbuilding, and casts of diverse, multi-faceted characters (the more morally grey, the better). She loves a good underdog and a great villain. If she’s not at a coffee shop with her latest book, you can find her on a walk with her giant dog, Winston, and her kitten, Perce. |
Jaclyn is currently CLOSED to queries. Email submissions will not be considered.
Young Adult:
New Adult and Adult:
At this time, Jaclyn is not looking to acquire hard sci-fi (think The Martian) or nonfiction.
Books Jaclyn Loves:
Young Adult:
- In Fantasy Jaclyn is open to all blends of fantasy, including but not limited to: classic fantasy, romantasy, contemporary fantasy, cozy fantasy, epic fantasy, second worlds, and urban fantasy.
- Dystopian thrillers with a fresh concept and sharp protagonists.
- Dark academia settings featuring a wicked cast of characters (think The Secret History and If We Were Villains) and gothic undertones.
New Adult and Adult:
- Fantasy, contemporary or second world, particularly sprawling tales led by compelling heroines. Think Throne of Glass, Mistborn, or The Poppy War. For urban, contemporary fantasies, Jaclyn is looking for magic woven into the bones of our world in fresh, surprising ways – think Lev Grossman’s The Magicians, or Peng Shephard’s The Cartographers.
- Psychological thrillers with winding twists and a tight, racing plot, like Gillian Flynn’s Sharp Objects and Liz Moore’s God of the Woods, and an unforgettable cast of characters similar to Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies.
- Horror that gets under your skin. Jaclyn is not the right fit for body/slasher-horror, but she loves creepy, skin-crawling concepts like Pet Sematary, and enjoyed the fresh take on “kid who sees demons” in Jason Rekulak’s Hidden Pictures.
- Mysteries, both cozy and un-cozy. Give her a magical tea shop or an enchanted bookstore – or something dark and character-driven, like All the Colors of the Dark, or True Detective season 1! Anything with a gothic flavor, like Elizabeth Kostova’s The Historian, is an added plus.
- Literary fiction, preferably character-driven with a sprawling narrative, like Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead or Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch.
- Dystopian thrillers and speculative fiction. Jaclyn is looking for sharp prose and fully-realized dystopias, like Cormac McCarthy’s The Road and Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam.Romance.
- Jaclyn loves rom-coms with a unique twist, like Ashley Poston’s fantastical A Novel Love Story and The Seven Year Slip.
- Romantasies that can successfully balance a strong narrative plot with a compelling- well-drawn romance are for her!
At this time, Jaclyn is not looking to acquire hard sci-fi (think The Martian) or nonfiction.
Books Jaclyn Loves:
- Klara and the Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro
- The Silence of the Lambs, Thomas Harris
- Dracula, Bram Stoker
- Big Little Lies, Liane Moriarty
- The God of the Woods, Liz Moore
- The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt
- Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
- The Dallergut Dream Department Store, Mi Ye Lee
- The Cartographers, Peng Shepherd
- The Magicians, Lev Grossman