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valentinasainato.bsky.social
valentina sainato 🌿🍄 (closed to queries)
@valentinasainato.bsky.social
490 followers 75 following 34 posts
she/they || ✨ mostly void, partially stars ✨|| associate agent at JABberwocky Literary Agency
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valentinasainato.bsky.social
valentina sainato 🌿🍄 (closed to queries) @valentinasainato.bsky.social · Nov 5
querying writers! i'll be closing to queries on monday, november 17th and will be closed at least through january 2026.

as a reminder, i only accept queries through querymanager — please do not email me your submission while i am closed, it will just be deleted 😅
Reposted by valentina sainato 🌿🍄 (closed to queries)
awfulagent.bsky.social
The JAB team had a great time at the launch event for THE VILLA, ONCE BELOVED at The Strand✨

@victormanibo.com and @claymcleod.bsky.social discussed the journey of pivoting into horror writing, weaving colonialism into the Gothic, and... sexy gravedigging (you'll have to read the book for this one)
Authors Clay McLeod Chapman (left) and Victor Manibo (right) sit in leather armchairs on a small stage in the Strand Bookstore's Rare Book Room. A sign with the Strand's logo is centered behind the authors and fairy lights are strung above them. The authors are holding microphones and are discussing THE VILLA, ONCE BELOVED, the latest novel from Victor Manibo. A photo featuring a copy of THE VILLA, ONCE BELOVED, the latest novel out from Victor Manibo. The book is displayed on a small table between two leather armchairs where the authors will sit and discuss the book. A sign featuring The Strand Bookstore's logo is centered behind the table.
November 25, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Reposted by valentina sainato 🌿🍄 (closed to queries)
cait.bsky.social
we should not be letting any company get away with blaming AI for their failures. I'm not even sure how we got to this point. people are like "it's just a tool" okay so is a forklift and we still hold somebody responsible when it goes wrong and hurts someone. this is YOUR AI!
November 10, 2025 at 4:05 PM
valentinasainato.bsky.social
querying writers! i'll be closing to queries on monday, november 17th and will be closed at least through january 2026.

as a reminder, i only accept queries through querymanager — please do not email me your submission while i am closed, it will just be deleted 😅
November 5, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Reposted by valentina sainato 🌿🍄 (closed to queries)
eddieschneider.bsky.social
Forty hours left until this giveaway closes! We're giving away ten ARCs of @victormanibo.com 's THE VILLA, ONCE BELOVED on Goodreads and it will, err, haunt you if you don't get in on that . . .
victormanibo.com Victor Manibo @victormanibo.com · Oct 15
Based on true events, THE VILLA, ONCE BELOVED is a contemporary gothic horror set in a cursed manor on a coconut plantation—it’s got ghosts and witches and creepy crawlies and demons, all coming for you this fall.

Thank you, @megelison.bsky.social for the kind words!

More info below
Reddish brown background showing detail of an ornate wood carving. Foreground is text that reads: "Manibo is the kind of writer who knows what's forever: the gothic, the triumph of queers, the family fable. He puts all that up against what cannot stand: colonialism, small-mindedness, the lies that keep us from ourselves. The Villa, Once Beloved is a now and forever banger." Meg Elison, author of The Pill Below the text is an image of the hardcover for THE VILLA, ONCE BELOVED by Victor Manibo On the lower left and lower right hand corners are the logos of Erewhon Books and Kensington Publishing respectively
October 16, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Reposted by valentina sainato 🌿🍄 (closed to queries)
awfulagent.bsky.social
Debut author Yah Yah Scholfield also made their PW debut in an interview about global Gothic fiction! ON SUNDAYS SHE PICKED FLOWERS is set in southern Georgia and is forthcoming 1/27/25 🥀

www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
A PW article by Elyse Martin titled Moor or Less, with the subtitle reading "New Novels Unearth Ghotic Horrors in an Arizona Mine, Rural Japan, and Beyond". The first few paragraphs read as follows: "Since 1764, when Horace Walpole captivated readers with The Castle of Otranto, gothic novels have been shaped by, and have sometimes been synonymous with, their locales. “With all genres, setting matters,” says Yah Yah Scholfield, debut author of the Southern gothic On Sundays She Picked Flowers (Saga, Jan. 2026). “But with gothic fiction in particular, the setting is a character all its own. You can’t have Wuthering Heights without the moors, and you can’t have Rebecca without Manderley.” PW spoke with Scholfield and other authors about the importance of place in their forthcoming gothic horror novels. As in real estate, it’s all about location, location, location. Scholfield’s gothic references include Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle, and Toni Morrison’s Beloved, particularly “the concept of this place that is so sick and heavy with human living,” they say. Their debut follows Judith Rice, who as an adult in 1965 flees her abusive mother abusive to a run-down house in the forests of southern Georgia, where she contends with the ghosts of the house’s violent past as well as her own." The rest of the article continues on with non-JAB clients.
October 16, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Reposted by valentina sainato 🌿🍄 (closed to queries)
garethlpowell.bsky.social
Word of mouth is important to a book's success. So, if you'd like to see the authors who wrote your favourite stories commissioned to write more, please keep talking about all the #books you love.
October 14, 2025 at 12:10 PM
Reposted by valentina sainato 🌿🍄 (closed to queries)
awfulagent.bsky.social
It’s been a whirlwind time at New York Comic Con so far — here are some client highlights we’ve seen! 🧵

@mauricebroaddus.bsky.social was on the fantastic Young, Gifted & Whack panel, covering the intersections of creativity and nerdom among Black communities, moderated by Wayne Brady! #nycc
October 11, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Reposted by valentina sainato 🌿🍄 (closed to queries)
jamesfarner.bsky.social
Humor, hijinks, and whodunit coming next year to a bookstore near you!!
jessmeywrites.bsky.social Jess Mey @jessmeywrites.bsky.social · Sep 12
I got ✨the✨ screenshot from @jamesfarner.bsky.social this morning, which means I finally get to tell you all about... my book deal. 🥹 "Grace & Jo Have Never Solved a Murder" coming fall 2026 from @daturabooks.bsky.social!

#amwriting #bookdeal #mystery #writingcommunity
September 12, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Reposted by valentina sainato 🌿🍄 (closed to queries)
noblezobs.bsky.social
Friendly reminder that I will be closing to queries on August 31 (a week from today). The next time I will be open to queries will likely be next summer, so last call to get in your submissions! #amquerying #amagenting
August 25, 2025 at 7:53 PM
Reposted by valentina sainato 🌿🍄 (closed to queries)
awfulagent.bsky.social
Congrats to our very own @rebeccafraimow.bsky.social on winning, along with Emily Tesh, the Hugo Award for Best Fancast for Eighty Days of Diana Wynne Jones
August 17, 2025 at 4:01 AM
Reposted by valentina sainato 🌿🍄 (closed to queries)
thejordache.bsky.social
All of this is to say, that I know QueryManager gives a lot of stats and data to querying authors now and while it's useful information, don't spend too much time trying to decipher the data. Each agent tackles their query inbox differently.
August 12, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Reposted by valentina sainato 🌿🍄 (closed to queries)
awfulagent.bsky.social
We have more clients attending @seattlein2025.org than any other WorldCon in the history of WorldCon, too many to list. We hope everyone has a great time, and you can buy their great books any day, any time, at WorldCon and away.
August 11, 2025 at 11:22 PM
Reposted by valentina sainato 🌿🍄 (closed to queries)
susanvcolmant.bsky.social
Now that it's August 1st, friendly reminder that I will be closing to queries at the end of the month and I will remain CLOSED until next somewhere. So last call! Here's a quick #MSWL about some things I'd love to see more of this month #amquerying #amagenting
a cartoon penguin is ringing a bell with a rope attached to it .
ALT: a cartoon penguin is ringing a bell with a rope attached to it .
media.tenor.com
August 1, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Reposted by valentina sainato 🌿🍄 (closed to queries)
awfulagent.bsky.social
Congratulations to @silviamg.bsky.social for an excellent event at The Strand last night! The JAB team had a blast celebrating the launch of THE BEWITCHING ✨

Be sure to catch Silvia live on her book tour: silviamoreno-garcia.com/events/
Author Silvia Moreno-Garcia stands behind a table at the Strand, ready to sign a fan's books A hand with a small moon tattoo holding up THE BEWITCHING by Silvia Moreno-Garcia against a backdrop of chairs from the signing and bookshelves at The Strand NYT bestselling author Silvia Moreno-Garcia pointing to a copy of THE BEWITCHING displayed on the front window of The Strand A stack of copies of THE BEWITCHING by Silvia Moreno-Garcia with one displayed copy in front on a shelf; a stack of MEXICAN GOTHIC paperbacks are next to it
July 17, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Reposted by valentina sainato 🌿🍄 (closed to queries)
rebekahmckendry.bsky.social
I can’t believe I’m holding the trade paperback for Barstow! It’s been a dream come true working with @darkhorse.com The book comes out in September and is available for pre-order on Amazon and Barnes & Noble now. 🖤🏜️💀🌵
July 17, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Reposted by valentina sainato 🌿🍄 (closed to queries)
sagapressbooks.bsky.social
Feast your eyes on the gorgeous cover for Yah Yah Scholfield's ON SUNDAYS SHE PICKED FLOWERS, a sinister and surreal Southern Gothic debut for fans of Lone Women, Sorrowland, and The Reformatory! Out in hardcover January '26; preorder your copy now!

Cover design: Beth Steidle (@beth.steidle on IG)
July 8, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Reposted by valentina sainato 🌿🍄 (closed to queries)
silviamg.bsky.social
Alec-Nevala Lee interviewed me for NYT! The story mentions Lovecraft (my thesis was on women, eugenics & HPL), how weird it was when they optioned Mexican Gothic, & that I don't watch superhero flicks (sorry! I gorge on Sinners & Nosferatu, not Marvel. mmm... Horror)
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/11/b...
A Best-Selling Horror Writer’s Biggest Fear? Being Recognized.
www.nytimes.com
July 11, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Reposted by valentina sainato 🌿🍄 (closed to queries)
cottageinwood.bsky.social
As someone who mostly reads horror, I'll never understand the vitriol towards "cozy" books. People say they are escapist, unserious, allowing readers to avoid big issues. And I'm like, girl, WHEN did your dark romance book fix society? Did I BLINK and miss your detective thriller solving crime?
June 27, 2025 at 2:32 AM
Reposted by valentina sainato 🌿🍄 (closed to queries)
jamellebouie.net
illegal war started by a man constitutionally ineligible to be president
June 22, 2025 at 12:34 AM
Reposted by valentina sainato 🌿🍄 (closed to queries)
locusmag.bsky.social
Congratulations to all the winners and the finalists!

The 2025 Locus Awards Winners!

locusmag.com/2025/06...
2025 Locus Awards Winners
The Locus Science Fiction Foundation announced the winners in each category of the 2025 Locus Awards on June 21, 2025, during the Locus Awards Weekend. Authors Sarah Gailey and Tochi Onyebuchi were…
locusmag.com
June 22, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Reposted by valentina sainato 🌿🍄 (closed to queries)
jksteinberger.bsky.social
As promised, here are the slides I shared with students to convince them to NOT use chatGPT and other artificial stupidity.

TL;DR? AI is evil, unsustainable and stupid, and I'd much rather they use their own brains, make their own mistakes, and actually learn something. 🪄
NO CHATGPT Or other artificial stupidity: motivation First, clarity on distinguishing AIs: Non-generative: grammar aid, translation, dictionary, text-to-audio (e.g. Natural Reader): no problem As long as you use the appropriate tools (least intensive in data and server energy use). Why? Because you provide the content. Your brain is doing the most important work Generative: ChatGPT & Co. You only supply the prompt, the AI supplies the content. Why is this delegation of work problematic? 3 domains: ethical, environmental, intellectual engagement. (Caveat: generative is probably ok for computer programming, where it can be useful and save time. Not relevant to this class.) 1) AI and ethics Mass theft of all and everything «learning» on books, articles, blogs, social media, images, music, cultural production, without permission of authors/creators, and leading to their mass joblessness. Profits are not reditributed to originators. Permanent destruction of the mental health of underpaid precarious tech workers in the Global South (Kenya, Philippines …): «correction» to avoid production of violent and pedophile contents etc, tech workers are obliged to watch and correct super violent contents for days on end, leading to extreme psychological suffering and trauma, from which recovery is doubtful. No or little compensation (certainly not at the level of the suffering inflicted). In short, an industry built on theft of real human creation and sacrifice of real human health, profiting a few megafortunes. 2) AI and (un)sustainability Massive consumption of electricity, water, server capacity for generative AI. Outcome: keep fossil fuel companies in business, using up new renewable capacity, without any satisfaction of basic human needs. Massive misappropriation of the finance necessary for climate and ecological action (renewable generation, efficiency and retrofit for buildings, public transit, infrastructures for cycling etc) towards AI industry. Overall: undermine climate action, reinforce fossil industry, waste resources necessary for human development. 3) AI and intellectual engagement First, what learning is (or should be) about: The goal should not (only) be the reproduction of «correct» knowledge, But mainly personal engagement and experience of thinking about topics of interest. Personal engagement = using one’s own brain. The most important activity for learning and intellectual engagement is the experience of making one’s own mistakes, by trial and error, corrections based on new ideas, starting over again. Learning to recognise nuances, knowledge gaps, better explanations This kind of learning is possible only through using your own brain, not AI. Also, Ais are not «intelligent». At all. They simply reproduce pre-existing patterns. They «bullshit», invent false references, false facts, false data, simply because those sound plausible. VERY DANGEROUS. If you learn how to NOT use AI, and how to research facts and data on your own, this will serve you and your communities for the rest of your life.
February 23, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Reposted by valentina sainato 🌿🍄 (closed to queries)
locusmag.bsky.social
The Country Under Heaven by Frederic S. Durbin: Review by Paul Di Filippo locusmag.com/2025/06...
The Country Under Heaven by Frederic S. Durbin: Review by Paul Di Filippo
The Country Under Heaven, Frederic S. Durbin (Melville House 978-1685891695, trade paperback, 336pp, $19.99) May 2025. Surely the gold standard for supernatural tales involving a picaresque wandere…
locusmag.com
June 13, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Reposted by valentina sainato 🌿🍄 (closed to queries)
libro.fm
A thread on our response to AI 🧵

✅ We will never knowingly prioritize, publicize, nor market AI-narrated/generated audiobooks.
✅ Recommendations on Libro are from real, live booksellers and our team, not algorithms.
✅ Our customer support team is made of real people, not bots.
June 4, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Reposted by valentina sainato 🌿🍄 (closed to queries)
awfulagent.bsky.social
Bookshop is hosting a Pride Month sale with some excellent titles!

Among them are @dirtbagqueer.rocks's NYT bestselling debut ONE OF THE BOYS, as well as ATHLETE IS AGENDER, a Junior Library Guild Selection, featuring essays by Isaac Fitzsimons and @sassinsf.com 🏈 🏳️‍🌈 💜

bookshop.org/lists/pride-...
Pride Month Book Recommendations from LGBTQReads
Celebrate Pride Month with LGBTQReads’ curated recommendations. Use code Pride25 at checkout to receive 20% OFF* these select titles.
bookshop.org
June 4, 2025 at 9:13 PM
Reposted by valentina sainato 🌿🍄 (closed to queries)
noblezobs.bsky.social
I’m officially open to queries today! My full MSWL and QueryManager link can be found on our agency website. Can’t wait to see you in the query box! 📚

awfulagent.com/agents/chris...
Christina Zobel – JABberwocky Literary Agency, Incjabberwocky-logo
awfulagent.com
June 1, 2025 at 6:31 PM