Meet the Agent: Miriam

It is now July, which means big announcement time! The wonderful Miriam Cortinovis has joined Ki as of today - we're thrilled to have them and their wonderful authors on board. Read more about Miriam and their list on our About page, and read on for our traditional meet the agent interview.

A warm welcome to Miriam and their clients Chiarra Arpaia, Kerani Arpaia, Ashton Marchand, Peyton June, Maria Minaeva, R.K. Washburn, Emma Wenninger, Ofelia J. Vazquez, Zora Squish Pruitt, Lena Stoellger, Anahita Eftekhari, Stevie Reece and Amy Hyatt Fonseca!

Without further ado, meet Miriam:

What was your favourite book(s) growing up?

Oh, damn! Hard question first. My problem in explaining this to people is that, growing up in Italy, I reasonably read Italian books that you can’t really find elsewhere. My first undying fantasy love was a Geronimo Stilton-branded series kicking off with Il Reame Perduto (roughly translates as ‘The Lost Realm’). You know the drill: an ordinary elf boy who discovers he’s the lost heir to a witch-subjugated kingdom, and must travel across portals-connected nations to free them from the capital-D darkness. It had a lightning-spewing blue dragon, which, perfect.

Then a friend of my mother discovered La Scacchiera Nera (roughly translated as ‘The Black Chessboard’) in her attic, and she gifted it to me because I seemed the type—I am. Another portal fantasy, this time with what I didn’t know then was called an enemies-to-lovers romance between a fire-coded hero and the shadow-magic villain girl he was fated to kill.

Afterward trickled the imported classics, the hefty Eragon and the heftier The Lord of the Rings, which my father bestowed to me as a pseudo-Excalibur once he deemed me old enough; chased by the much shorter yet no less gripping Percy Jackson. Move to America, have a mild crisis at not knowing the language until the Hunger Games beckoned me from its YA throne. Divergent and Red Queen next, though strangely never Twilight. Cue multiple visits at the library combined with my English improving, until around the corner you find a local bookstore and the novel your then-best friend pulls out of the shelves at random. A certain City of Stairs.

Now, folx, we’re ready for take-off.

Tea or coffee?

Tea—yet,despite, my social media username pretty much everywhere, I don’t drink chamomile. Not anymore, at least. I now consume copious daily amounts of buckwheat tea.

Favourite time of day?

It used to be the morning, but since the pandemic I’ve discovered the magical dimension of video games, so it’s probably night! I get to spend time with friends while playing competitively online (I suck, might I add); I organize watch-parties, rant on calls, and pretend at least once I week I’m an annoyingly stereotypical bard. They’re blonde, too.

Cats or dogs?

Cats. Easy. Next question?

Paper, Ebook or Audio?

Ah,ebooks! My paper collection is actually quite small, since moving apartments about ten times in seven years taught me books are heavy. Plus I get a lot of e-ARCs that I like to share with my sister across the country, on top of my ever-faithful Libby app. If I do love a book, though, I tend to buy the physical copy to display as a prized possession on my shelf.

Might I conclude, fairly—while in college I devoured audiobooks like candy.

Where would you time-travel to?

I do quite enjoy the technological amenities I get to experience in our present, but I have the ice-breaker answer prepared: Queen’s Live Aid performance at Wembley. If not, I’d be happy to be a fly on the wall during the Italian Renaissance, watching Caravaggio and Gentileschi at work.

What would your superpower be?

I was trained well in my youth on Marvel movies, even before the MCU existed; as such, I’ll always have a special place in my heart reserved for the X-Men. So, either telepathy (Professor X), telekinesis (Jean Grey) or lightning powers (Storm). Can I get all free?

Who would be your fictional nemesis?

…I will say this as quietly and gently as I can.

…Astarion from Baldur’s Gate 3.

Seriously,how do y’all love that vampire so much? (Karlach’s right there!).

What do you love about agenting?

Not only how much I get to read, but how involved I am in the storytelling process with my authors. I started out with the dream of becoming an editor before discovering agenting, so nothing will replace the head-high of understanding a writer’s vision and cooperating on edits that polish and strengthen the story toward that mutual goal. It’s truly a privilege and honor I never take for granted; a trustful and respectful partnership I cherish dearly.

I also like spreadsheets.

What have you been reading, watching or playing?

Because of the amount of words and letters and paragraphs streaming across my screen daily, I sadly don’t leisurely read as often as I wish in my free time. I recently finished Mickey7 for a book club, though, and started Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil for the same reason. I’m hopping through the scorchingly funny behemoth of The Devils while re-reading my favorite novel of the year, The Starving Saints, this time with a highlighter at hand.

I’m even more of a terrible watcher, usually resorting to the same three shows in a vicious cycle (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power; Derry Girls; Blue Eye Samurai). I started and abandoned The Last of Us II; that tells you pretty much what a committed consumer I am. But I’m eagerly and loudly—and slightly worryingly—anticipating K-Pop Demon Hunters.

As for playing—it’s Valorant. Every joke you can think of about the game and Riot, I deserve it. I even follow the seasonal tournaments. Otherwise I mostly watch my partner play games as opposed to finagling with the controller myself (of late on our screens, the new Mario Kart). My favorite videogame of all times though is Returnal, whose derelicts ci-fi horror vibe I’ve been chasing in my query inbox for months and months at this point. High tier list are also Hades (the first and only game I can claim I’ve finished; so pumped for the sequel), Control, It Takes Two+ Split Fiction (though the latter is better) and Baldur’s Gate 3.

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