The deadline for the 2021–2022 SCBWI WWA Mentorship Program is nearly here! Get to know our magnificent mentors in these interviews on our Pen & Story blog. Then hurry up and apply here. Deadline: Friday, July 30!
Courtney Gould writes books about queer girls, ghosts, and things that go bump in the night. She graduated from Pacific Lutheran University in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing and Publishing. Born and raised in Salem, OR, she now lives and writes in Tacoma, WA, where she continues to write love letters to the haunted girls and rural, empty spaces. The Dead and the Dark and Echo Sunset will be published in 2021 and 2022. Visit Courtney’s website at gouldbooks.com, and follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
I like to mentor because . . .
No one learns to navigate this industry on their own. I love mentoring because, for a lot of new writers, the actual process of publishing a book feels impossible. I love to help make it a reality. Taking someone’s initial idea and finding that spark, then working together to build it into a book they would be proud to see on shelves is the most satisfying thing in the world.
What can a mentee expect from your mentorship?
The writer who works with me can expect a few key things. I enjoy doing edits in three rounds: high-level, scene-level, and line-level. I like to check in consistently with my mentee at the beginning of the process, making sure that they’re not overwhelmed by edits, but I also like my mentee to have free reign to make whatever changes they feel best about. We will Skype to get started, and then I’m available for any questions/concerns once editing begins. And when we reach the point where the book feels ready to query, I have all kinds of resources available to share.
What books did you love when you were a child or teen?
I think my favorite of all time was and always will be Holes, by Louis Sachar. I absolutely love a story and intersects magic and real social issues. I also loved funky little MG books like Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, and When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead. I think that whimsical, vague sense of magic in all three books has inspired a lot of what I write today.
What roles do diversity, equity, and inclusion play in your writing?
I believe, especially in books for children and teens, that diversity, equity, and inclusion are absolutely vital. When I was a teen, there were so many things I never saw in the pages of the books I read. The reality is that children today experience all kinds of really difficult hardships, and when we don’t put their real experiences in the books they read, they start to feel alone. Having characters that teens can actually relate to on an identity level, to me, is a requirement.
What helps you get through challenging creative times?
I am often very hard on myself during the writing process. What helps me most is remembering that every book started as a bad draft. Every book had gaping plot holes and wild inconsistencies and characters doing things that make no sense. If you let imperfections stop you, you’ll never finish what you’re working on. I’ve learned you have to embrace the bad draft, no matter how much you hate it, because there’s a good book in there and it’s waiting to take shape!
What are you working on currently?
I am working on revisions for my second book, Echo Sunset. You would think after the first time around this would feel easier, but it actually gets harder! It’s not fair! After Echo Sunset, I’ll be working on my adult project. Wading into a new genre (and age category) is so intimidating, but I am ready to try something new!
Brought to you by Suma Subramaniam and Jenny Tynes, SCBWI WWA Mentorship Program, and Dolores Andral, Pen & Story