Dashboard Literary Agents Success Story Interviews Cortney Casey

Success Story Interview - Cortney Casey

An Interview with Cortney Casey (cortcase on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Kimberly Witherspoon of InkWell Management.

01/30/2025

QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?: Cortney Casey:
STILL LIFE WITH DANDELIONS is an upmarket family drama with elements of mystery, suspense and second-chance romance. It's a multi-POV, dual timeline story focused on three sisters trapped in a dysfunctional family in southeastern Michigan. The youngest sister's disappearance wrenches her two older sisters apart; the discovery of her body forces them back together.

I'm a "pantser," so the idea of one of the characters, Tristan Frost, just floated to mind one day. The book snowballed from there.
QT: How long have you been writing?: Cortney Casey:
Like many writers I know, I would say I've been writing ever since I learned how to write. I used to write little snippets of stories when I was a kid, and would come up with the wildest storylines for my LEGO characters to act out. As a teenager, I wrote long, melodramatic tales that never reached a conclusion — probably inspired by the vast number of soap operas I watched at the time. There was always someone getting kidnapped or murdered or whatever. I ended up working as a newspaper reporter for eleven years before starting my small business (wine bars in Michigan), and once I left reporting, continued working as a freelance writer, so I've never stopped writing in a professional sense. I always wanted to immerse myself back in the creative writing world, but could never seem to find the time or motivation until 2023, when I came down to Miami.
QT: How long have you been working on this book?: Cortney Casey:
This book took me approximately a year, between drafting, revising, alpha reader, beta readers, and then more edits.
QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?: Cortney Casey:
Um ... just about every day! My writing group that I met at Books & Books in Coral Gables, FL, is truly what kept me going. There's no way I would have or could have done this without them. From critiquing pages to being my biggest cheerleaders, I have them to thank for everything about my creative writing career so far. I also bonded with so many authors hoping to get published on Instagram. I think seeing others push through the same emotions, knowing you're not alone in this crazy publishing journey, is crucial for keeping on course.
QT: Is this your first book?: Cortney Casey:
This is my fourth book, but the first to get me an offer of rep.
QT: Do you have any formal writing training?: Cortney Casey:
I had eleven years of on the job training as a newspaper reporter, and I took creative writing and screenwriting courses in college. I also have participated in a lot of great writing technique classes at DFWCon in Hurst, Texas. But the most helpful courses for my adult creative writing career have been the online seminars conducted by Cecilia Lyra of P.S. Literary. They're worth every dime. Especially the ones about tension and writing at the line level!
QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?: Cortney Casey:
No, I'm very erratic, to be honest. Even though I get most of my best ideas in the shower in the morning, I'm most productive writing-wise at night. But I'll ADHD hyperfixate for like six hours one day, and another day, not write at all. I never try to force it. I think it shows when it's forced. Now that I have an agent, though, I might have to get a little more disciplined!
QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?: Cortney Casey:
There were no total re-writes, since I edit A LOT as I go, but I lost count on the number of editing rounds. I did several before and after beta readers. At some point, I told myself I just had to stop because if you're not careful, you can edit forever. My gut was telling me to query. I'm glad I followed it.
QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?: Cortney Casey:
Yes, I had about a dozen beta readers for my book. That might have been a little excessive, but they gave great feedback and suggestions. And all but one of them claimed to love it. (P.S. The one who hated it was my mom, because she thought the characters were "foolhardy" ... hi, Mom! I'll give her a pass, since she's not really my target audience, ha.)
QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?: Cortney Casey:
No outlining. Pantser all the way. I want to be a plotter, but my brain just doesn't work that way, sadly. I also write completely out of order.
QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?: Cortney Casey:
I was so fortunate to receive a full request for STILL LIFE WITH DANDELIONS before I even really started querying! I'd planned to finish edits over the weekend and begin querying Jan. 6. On Jan. 3, I was working on edits and not feeling it, so I goofed around on Canva for a few hours instead and made an "agent's guide" for Instagram, which included my blurb, comps, vibes, even playlists for the characters. On Jan. 4, a lovely agent reached out to me on email to tell me she saw that agent's guide and loved it. Even though she was closed to queries, she requested a full on the spot. She read it in a week and offered on Jan. 13. That really started a crazy domino effect: Once I nudged other agents who had my manuscript or query, I began getting more requests and more offers. I ended up with five offers before finally making my decision, and it truly was one of the hardest decisions I've ever made. It's really been a surreal month. It feels like someone else's life.

I queried my three other books over a period of two years and racked up an impressive number of rejections. Literally more than a hundred. Probably close to two hundred. So when I see authors interviewed who are like, "I had fifteen rejections before I got an agent!" I just laugh.
QT: About how many query letters did you send out for this book?: Cortney Casey:
About 35 this time around.
QT: On what criteria did you select the agents you queried?: Cortney Casey:
I primarily searched for agents who were interested in upmarket and book club fiction.
QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?: Cortney Casey:
Yes, I always read through their manuscript wishlists and say something to the effect of, "I noticed you were seeking upmarket fiction featuring dysfunctional families. As such, I'm hoping to pique your interest with my upmarket family drama, STILL LIFE WITH DANDELIONS ..." I think that's a really important part of an effective query.
QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?: Cortney Casey:
The whole adage "It only takes one" in terms of an agent sounds so trite ... until it actually happens. And not only does it just take one agent to believe in your work, but that one agent's interest could also set things on fire. Other agents sat up and took notice when I nudged with an offer of rep.

Find yourself a writing community! Fellow authors are your friends, not your competition. They're the ones who will tell you when something needs work and when something is absolutely fantastic. They're the ones who will pick you up after the heartbreaking rejections and cheer from the sidelines during your biggest successes.

And, obviously: USE QUERY TRACKER! I have ADHD and can get easily overwhelmed by tracking large amounts of data. I would never have been able to keep on top of all of my queries without this system. So thank you! (Plus: There's no better feeling in the world than recording that purple smiley face with sunglasses to denote an offer of rep!)

Success Story Interview - Cortney Casey

Query Letter: