Our Team
Nalini Akolekar, President
Nalini Akolekar joined Spencerhill Associates after a lengthy editorial career and several years in advertising sales. Working as an agent has provided the perfect opportunity to combine her editorial instincts with her sales, marketing, and business experience. Nalini loves nothing more than discovering and nurturing talented authors. She likes to build strong, long-term relationships with her clients and keep open lines of communication.
Nalini primarily represents commercial fiction. She is always interested in seeing new women’s fiction, romance, historical fiction, thrillers and horror. Nalini maintains a diverse client list and loves to find exciting new voices that utilize elements of different genres to tell their story.
Nalini has two adult children and lives among a pack of very poorly behaved dogs who love to interrupt her when she is on the phone and a beautiful cat named Jakk who delights in winding them up.
Sandy Harding, Senior Literary Agent
Prior to joining Spencerhill in September 2015, Sandy Harding spent fifteen years at Penguin Random House and Penguin Group USA, most recently as a senior editor at NAL. In earlier days she earned an MA in American Literature at NYU and taught expository writing. As an editor she was fortunate to work with New York Times bestselling authors, but she also loved discovering new writers in unexpected places and nurturing both their manuscripts and their careers. She’s excited to bring this passion to agenting as she works to build her client list.
Sandy is seeking mainly upmarket commercial and literary fiction for the adult market. She enjoys women’s fiction for book clubs, smart page-turning thrillers, works of suspense with complex protagonists, mysteries of all sorts (cozies, historical, traditional), and romance. Most of all she’s seeking writing with a voice so penetrating and a story so captivating the reader simply must keep reading.
Ali Herring, Senior Literary Agent
Ali joined Spencerhill in 2017. She represents a broad range of upmarket and commercial fiction, and is proud to represent, among others, Bram Stoker Award winner Lora Senf, bestselling inspirational author Kristin Billerbeck, and finalist for the Philip K. Dick Award for distinguished science fiction and winner of the Pen New England Susan P. Bloom Children's Book Discovery Award, Kristy Acevedo. A former magazine associate editor, Ali has a diverse background in communications and editorial. She graduated valedictorian of her class at Berry College in 2001, where she obtained her bachelor’s degree in Journalism. She is seeking middle grade and young adult fiction in all genres, science fiction and fantasy, romance, women’s fiction, and inspirational fiction, especially category and single-title romance. She particularly likes high-concept commercial fiction with a literary flair. If you'd like a better idea of her interests, you can find her on Twitter, @HerringAli, where she regularly posts #MSWL's. Please query her only via the Query Manager link under the submission's tab.
Bethany Hendrix, Literary Agent
Bethany joined Spencerhill in 2024 after working at a boutique literary agency for 5 years. Her background includes a BA in English, a specialization in Social Media Marketing, and time as a PR and editorial assistant. Her favorite parts of being an agent are editing and building relationships with her clients. Bethany is seeking middle grade and young adult fiction in all genres, as well as adult fantasy and romance. She is especially interested in diverse fantasy, rom-coms, and historical romance. Bethany is always looking for new voices and diverse perspectives. Bethany lives with her husband, their two cats, Fergus and Obi, and their farm dog, Chuck, where she spends her time reading, writing, and visiting the local coffee shop far too often. She can be found on Twitter, @bethanyfulk.
Heather Osborn, Literary Agent
Before joining Spencerhill Associates, Heather Osborn spent many years editing romance, science fiction, fantasy, cozy mystery, and women’s fiction for various publishers. The experience of working with both well-established, bestselling authors, as well as those just embarking on their careers has helped shape her skills working with authors at every stage in their publishing journey. One of Heather’s greatest joys in life is discovering an amazing new author, whether that be in a slush pile, or on a bookstore shelf, and she looks forward to building long-lasting relationships built on clear and open communication with her clients.
Heather is interested in representing works of popular fiction, mainly concentrated on romance of all genres and sub-genres other than inspirational—with a particular interest in romantasy (and if there are dragons, all the better!), humorous contemporary romance, and paranormal romance—as well as fantasy (particularly cozy fantasy), urban fantasy, and science fiction with strong romantic elements.
When not immersed in books, Heather can be found spoiling her adorable dog, George, dabbling in whatever craft has caught her attention this week, and playing increasingly elaborate solitaire games on her laptop. Heather is on Twitter, BlueSky and Instagram @HeatherOsborn
Renee Runge, Associate Agent
Renee joined the Spencerhill team in 2025. A South Florida native, she earned her B.A. in English from the University of Florida in 2021 before moving to Boston, where she completed both an M.A. in Children’s Literature and an M.F.A. in Writing for Children from Simmons University in 2024. During grad school, she interned at Red Fox Literary and served as Graduate Fellow for The Horn Book during its centennial year, then spent a year as an assistant at Spencerhill. Her academic research background uniquely equips her to advocate for books that not only resonate with readers but also contribute meaningfully to the broader conversation about the evolution of the children’s literature field. She is actively building her list in all genres of middle grade and young adult fiction. Her taste can be summed up as "eclectic," and she is drawn to high-concept commercial projects with a literary aura, unexpected hooks, strong A/B plots, and distinct voices. She’s especially passionate about supporting diverse and underrepresented creators from all backgrounds, with the hope that every child can one day see themselves in the pages of a book. A lover of anthropomorphic characters, she dreams of repping the next blockbuster animal novel or series. Her favorite feeling is being moved to tears by a book’s last chapter. When not reading, Renee enjoys blasting music, playing with her pets, volunteering for her favorite causes, and collecting all kinds of ephemera. Find her on Twitter at @rrreadsbooks, BlueSky at @reneerunge.bsky.social and on Instagram at @reneerungelit.
Erika Staiger, Assistant
Erika Staiger re-joined Spencerhill as an assistant in 2024, following a semester-long internship in 2018. She holds an MFA in Fiction from the University of South Florida, where she also taught creative writing and worked as a writing tutor. After graduation, she worked in higher education at the University of Central Florida and as a trivia writer for Rez Events. At Spencerhill, Erika is primarily responsible for reading and responding to query submissions. Her greatest ambition in life is to turn her house into the library from Beauty and the Beast. While she reads a wide variety of genres, some of her favorites are fantasy, romance, and historical fiction centered on the lives of women. She lives in Orlando with her husband and their three pets, a cat, a chihuahua, and a geriatric rabbit.
Donna Pieszala, Office Administrator & Royalties Manager
Originally from Western New York, Donna and her family moved to Florida in 2013. She previously worked for the Pittsburgh Pirates before joining Spencerhill Associates. Donna manages the day to day office tasks, is responsible for maintaining all of the records of the organization, she ensures that the royalty payments are made, handles contract reversions and pretty much anything else that comes along. She and her husband have 2 children & 4 grandchildren. She enjoys spending time with her family and going to the beach.
Karen Solem, Founder
Karen L. Solem was a visionary in publishing, a fierce advocate for authors, and a trailblazer in the romance and women’s fiction genres. As an editor, literary agent, and founder of Spencerhill Associates, she shaped the careers of some of the most beloved authors in the industry, including Nora Roberts. Her sharp editorial instincts, unwavering support for writers, and passion for storytelling defined her legacy. Today, Spencerhill continues her tradition of excellence under the leadership of her longtime friend and successor, Nalini Akolekar. Read more about Karen’s legacy.