LitChat: Cameron McClure, Donald Maass Literary Agency

This week’s LitChat interview is with Cameron McClure of Donald Maass Literary Agency. Cameron joined DMLA in 2004, and handles the agency’s foreign and film rights as well as her own growing client list.Prior to this she worked as an assistant agent for Curtis Brown. She represents mostly fiction, and is especially looking for projects that combine genre style plotting with literary quality writing. She’s also interested in seeing literary fiction, mystery and suspense, urban fantasy (fantasy and SF set on earth), and projects with multi-cultural, international, environmental, and GBLT themes. She’s drawn to non-fiction that reads like fiction, and that explores subcultures or topics that haven’t quite broken into the mainstream.

If you’re interested in querying Cameron, e-mail her with the query letter and first 5 pages pasted into the body of the e-mail.

Thanks, Cameron for supporting LitStack!

LS: Cameron, thanks so much for joining us. We’re honored that you’re here. I read on your Twitter bio that you’re “fanatical DIYer.” So, as a fellow DIYer, I have to ask: DIY Network or HGTV? Have you landed an exceptionally cool thrift store or antique find? What’s been your favorite DIY project that you’ve tackled?

I actually don’t keep up with the DIY shows; I’m into DIY on a much smaller scale. I’m not sure I would ever remodel my own bathroom or rewire our electricity. Refinishing furniture is more my speed. My mother’s family is Mormon, and the DIY ethic is very strong in that culture, you have women making their own clothes, growing some of their own food, choosing when it’s practical to make things instead of buy them. That sort of self reliance has always appealed to me. My father’s family is Jewish, which means I grew up under two of the thriftiest cultures, so I get this visceral thrill from saving money. I recently spent about $10 to make a year supply of my own laundry soap, and the most expensive item was the bucket to store the concentrate! I’m also a big fan of making what you need with what you have, and since I do a lot of my shopping online we have a constant supply of cardboard boxes. I’ve become very adept at making things with cardboard, we actually have some small furniture items that have held up shockingly well. It’s a way for me to save money and customize my own furniture.My favorite DIY project was building a bike from mostly spare and recycled parts, complete with a childseat to transport my son. I’m now working on a bike that can transport 2 children. Don’t worry, it won’t involve cardboard!

LS: As a mother, it must be difficult to juggle a personal and professional life. Don’t worry, I’m not going to ask ‘how you do it all’ because, let’s be honest, men never get asked that question. But I will ask, what do you hope your sons will understand about your chosen profession?

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