I spent my Tuesday night attending the Virtual Event for the launch of I'M THE GIRL by Courtney Summers. It was such an interesting night to learn more about Courtney and her novels.

Shout out to Oblong Books for hosting a wonderful virtual event! And to Nina LaCour for being in conversation with Courtney.

I'M THE GIRL VIRTUAL LAUNCH

Spotlight on Courtney Summers

Talk about the inspiration behind I'M THE GIRL.

I need to give my characters full authority over their stories and narratives. It's not a space for me to moralize for my audience's comfort because then it seems like I am thinking that I'm better than the girls I'm writing, the people who are my target audience, and those who read my books.

Anything less than fully investing in my MC's mind would have been not genuine.

You have a strong track record of not shying away from trauma. You have a willingness to go deep into painful things. What is the toll on you to write a novel like this?

I used to always tell people I was good at compartmentalizing this but that's not true. I want to keep myself accountable and make sure that the story is centred. Usually, it's not as bad as it was with I'M THE GIRL. I had a hard time sleeping and toward the end I got vertigo.

I think if it didn't weigh on me, I had no business writing it. I was talking to a friend early on and she said it hurts to write them, but it's harder to look away from them.

It was an experience and a process.

Do you struggle with reader expectations or wonder if your audience will be willing to go to these difficult places with you?

Other people's discomfort is not my problem to figure out - people need to dig into that. I think a part of me enjoys conflict though and I've always been coming at my work with my fists up.

After SADIE, I was mid-career and a lot of people were reading my books and I had to grapple with reader expectations at that point. But it is something you have to deal with, especially as a marketer of your own books. It's important to know when something is for someone or a specific audience.

I worry more now about having the books in the hands of the readers they are for because they are the audience that needs them.

ABOUT THE BOOK

I'M THE GIRL

Author: Courtney Summers

Series: N/A
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: September 13, 2022

Summary:

The new groundbreaking queer thriller from New York Times bestselling and Edgar-award Winning author Courtney Summers.

When sixteen-year-old Georgia Avis discovers the dead body of thirteen-year-old Ashley James, she teams up with Ashley's older sister, Nora, to find and bring the killer to justice before he strikes again. But their investigation throws Georgia into a world of unimaginable privilege and wealth, without conscience or consequence, and as Ashley’s killer closes in, Georgia will discover when money, power and beauty rule, it might not be a matter of who is guilty—but who is guiltiest.

A spiritual successor to the 2018 breakout hit, Sadie, I'm the Girl is a masterfully written, bold, and unflinching account of how one young woman feels in her body as she struggles to navigate a deadly and predatory power structure while asking readers one question: if this is the way the world is, do you accept it?