About Cortney
Cortney has spent her life eating and breathing literature. From the time she could hold a pen in her hand, she’s been writing everything possible, from journal entries to poetry to works of fiction. She’s devoured every book that’s come her way, and she continues to read as much as she can. When Cortney’s not working, she spends her time spoiling her Labrador-mix, Rhaegar. She also enjoys consuming copious amounts of chocolate and binge-watching TV shows (particularly Supernatural and The Office).
As a member and advocate of both the LGBT and neurodiverse communities, Cortney adores seeing works that celebrate and normalize these experiences, particularly in YA. For Cortney, compelling characters are what grab her the most; she loves books with strong, dynamic, complex characters that have complicated and nuanced relationships with other—especially romances! She loves romantic threads that weave in seamlessly with the plot and characters’ motivations, particularly in SFF. In regard to POVs, the closer, the better; she wants to live inside characters' heads when she reads, and loves as little distance as possible. She enjoys when authors break stereotypes and tropes, and she loves when plots and characters surprise her, leaving her breathless on the edge of her seat.
Some of Cortney’s favorite books: A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas; City of Bones by Cassandra Clare; The Shining and IT by Stephen King; Tithe by Holly Black; Skinned by Robin Wasserman; This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab
What Cortney likes to see in her inbox:
- YA, NA, and Adult
- LGBT (particularly F/F) in all of the following genres
- Neurodiversity in all of the following genres
- Fantasy of all shades (dark, low, high, urban—ALL OF IT)
- Sci-fi (character-centered; lots of tech is fine, but focus on the characters, not the tech!)
- Steampunk (gritty and NOT inventor-centered; think aesthetic, atmosphere, and world building)
- Cyberpunk
- Mythology/fairytale retellings (BE SUBTLE)
- Gothic fiction, particularly Southern gothic
- Paranormal (but if it's vampires/werewolves, there NEEDS to be a twist or something unique!)
- Contemporary (needs to have a STRONG, unique hook)
- Horror (more psychological than gory, think The Shining--the book, not the movie!)
- Magical realism
Cortney is NOT accepting:
- MG
- Children’s/Picture Books
- Crime/detective fiction
- Mysteries
- Political/military thrillers
- Non-fiction
- Picture books
- Novellas, short story collections, poetry collections, or screenplays
