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You know, in my quest for an agent, I've done a lot of research into what literary agents are looking for in fiction. Sure, some say they want a "fresh take on this and that," but what is it they're really hungry for, I wonder...what with fiction being such a broad category; adult, YA, middle-grade, genre, etc..

So it begs the question, if an agent specifies (and I use the term loosely), their desire to represent "fiction," are we to assume that their decision to omit the word, "genre" means no genre fiction?

Speaking of genres, there's one I especially love: urban fantasy. You know, I went to the bookstore the other day, and I scoured the juvenile section for something that combines these two great tastes that taste great together: middle-grade and urban fantasy, and unless I missed it (and please let me know if I did), I couldn't find anything. There was a slew a books with alternative "historical" accounts, books dealing with pirates, and surprise, books set in magical lands with names sure to test the palate of the most ravenous lexophile.

Note: If it's hard to pronounce, it's hard to remember. Never a good thing.

Then I strolled over to the YA section, where I was enthralled by the amount of YA urban fantasy out there. But what I found odd, was the lack of middle-grade urban fantasy in the previous section.

So why is this such an untapped market when it's such a great combination? I mean, the possibilities alone...

For instance, my novel, a middle grade urban fantasy is the first in a series about a boy who, after discovering a city built and powered by magic, goes on to train as a detective in this magical world; a place where technology IS magic, where the vehicles fly and must be refueled at enchantment stations, and where cell phones and televisions are made of water, etc...

I truly think kids would love this. I think they'd love the opportunity to walk in the shoes of characters that--though they exist in a parallel world--they can still relate to them; and at the same time, readers will no doubt look at the world around them and remember what those characters use in their everyday lives each time the readers go about their own lives in similar ways.

So, again, I have to ask why it's not a wider market? Anyone read anything lately that falls into the realm of middle-grade urban fantasy? If you have, please share; I'd love to read it too.