Courtney Stevenson
Editor
HarperCollins
Associate editor & nerd at Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins. Aggressive book lender decked out in cozy sweaters. Can I pet your dog? She/her. (Thoughts are mine.)
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Courtney Stevenson @courtney_ps
All written in the most fluid, engaging, often hilarious stream of consciousness voice, that feels both true to the time period and makes her world feel vibrant to modern readers. (Not easy to do, but so key to historical fiction!)Sheās a total delight. Give her a read. (And if it wasnāt clear: #mswl for all of this in a BIG way.)
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Courtney Stevenson @courtney_ps
.@helloomabel said tonight that shanties sort of fit my vibe, and I was thrilled.Listen, as a kid I read a lot of books about girls-dressing-as-boys-to-Go-To-Sea, and as a teenager I listened to a lot of Decemberists, so this shanty moment is MY TIME.
Iāve had a new sea shanty playlist going nonstop this week, so just throwing out a reminder that I am here for stories of seafaring adventures, and all the relationships / motivations / dynamics / experiences aboard. #mswl
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Courtney Stevenson @courtney_ps
Elements Iām always looking for: Historical fiction that reaches across the years (particularly stories we donāt see enough), family dynamics, settings as character, interesting narrative formats, clever humor, and writing that pulls you along to the next page.Happy to say that I have now responded to all the agented submissions I received in 2021! Canāt wait to dig into more amazing stories this year, & crossing my fingers for some #mswl treasures in my inbox. āØ
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And my weirdest, ~vibey~ wishes: fierce mothers, not-quite-humanness, houses of ill repute, body weirdness, punk rock, craftsmanship, Over the Garden Wall-ish, grotesqueries, cowboys (any gender), seafaring (feminine), convents (hijinks), and characters who remind me of Roy Kent.
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Some more specific interests: Religious faith and/or grappling as a lens on coming of age, generational stories, old timey cities, family secrets, hauntings, mistakes that were meant to happen, and optimism in spite of it all.
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Courtney Stevenson @courtney_ps
I am taking a good chunk of much-needed vacation time this week, and looking forward to fitting in a lot of fun reading over the holiday. But when Iām back, I would love to dive in on new submissions! Hereās my #mswl these days:Elements Iām always looking for: Historical fiction that reaches across the years (particularly stories we donāt see enough), family dynamics, settings as character, interesting narrative formats, clever humor, and writing that pulls you along to the next page.
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Took me long enough, but I now have an official #MSWL page! manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/courā¦
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#MSWL: Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Thatās it thatās the tweet.
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Ever rediscover a song and spend the whole evening bopping along to free-thinking women, the ways people can get different lessons from the same teachings, and how love is always > judgment?
Anyway, #mswl. m.youtube.com/watch?v=8CcGSJā¦
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Just told my boyfriend/personal DJ to play something āfun but thoughtful.ā And, honestly? #mswl, always.
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Put my summer Friday to good use yesterday, and finally visited @Weeksville, the remaining houses from one of the first free black settlements, right in the middle of Brooklyn. Highly recommend for my fellow history nerds. (Also, #mswl in a big way.)
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Someone please write me a book (Iām thinking MG) that makes me feel the same things as listening to āThrough Heavenās Eyesā from Prince of Egypt and āWhere You Areā from Moana. #mswl
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Anna Prendella @prendella
@courtney_ps charlotte bronte/mary shelley, y/y twitter.com/bookwitchsara/ā¦Whatever their souls are made of, hers and hers are truly the same. (Also, #mswl tbh.)
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"The history of capitalism...with dragons!" -@TealArcadi (#MSWL tbh.)
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Courtney Stevenson @courtney_ps
On an audiobook kick. Currently listening to an old favorite: Rebecca. Happy to take suggestions for future, if you've got a good one!Also, now seriously in the mood for stories of monstrous women. Anyone have a good book rec (or manuscript)? #MSWL