Dainese Santos Associate Editor Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Having been part of the team since 2019, Dainese is an associate editor at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. In her time here, she has had the great fortune to work alongside incredible authors and illustrators, such as Mary H.K. Choi, Emily Calandrelli, Renée Kurilla, Julie Falatko, Marissa Valdez, and Priyanka Taslim.

Appropriate for someone who hails from the sunny shores of San Diego, California, her favorite stories to tell are bright, warm, and playful, especially when they center historically underrepresented folks. Raised on 2000s romcoms and Asian dramas, she’s a sucker for meet-cutes, crush energy, and things that are fluffy and frothy. Her taste, which she describes as “big and silly,” leans more commercial versus literary, and her favorite characters are kids who march to the beat of their own drum; walking disasters; and friends who are nuanced and complicated. Her general rule is that she’ll always look at something if it’s fun, and she’s guaranteed to fall in love with something if it makes her laugh.

For YA, contemporary realistic romances are her sweet spot, though she isn’t opposed to historical fiction with contemporary sensibilities. Her middle grade tastes are a little wider; while she adores grounded school stories and tween romances, she also loves when a group of ragtag kids go on adventures, with lots of humor and heart throughout. As for picture books, her favorite stories to tell are the funny and silly ones that feature oddballs, agents of chaos, and kids whose confidence is contagious. Ultimately, she loves stories that celebrate all the unique ways that you’re you, especially when society wants you to be someone else.

And though she’s usually not the best fit for speculative fiction, she’s a huge horror fan and will never turn down a good ghost story in both YA and MG, especially when it brings something fresh to the genre.

If on the off chance you’d like to chat with her about something other than books, Dainese can talk your ear off about: the west coast; K-pop; anime and manga; the podcasts she’s listening to; the Movies™; and her numerous rarepair, never-canon ships. Find her on Twitter/X @chanceofdain.