Courtney “Court” Stevens grew up in the knockabout town of Bandana, Kentucky. She is a former adjunct professor, youth minister, Olympic torchbearer, and bookseller at Parnassus Books in Nashville, TN. These days she writes coming-of-truth fiction and is the community outreach manager for Warren County Public Library in Bowling Green, KY. She has a pet whale named Herman, a bandsaw named Rex, and a tiny fleet of novels with her name on the spine, including YA novels The Blue-Haired Boy, Faking Normal, The Lies About Truth, Dress Codes for Small Towns, and Four Three Two One. Her adult novels include The June Boys, We Were Kings and most recently, Tell Me Something Good. More importantly, she in search of the perfect biscuit recipe and a kind way to get the children who live in her house to pick up after themselves.
Tell Me Something Good: A Novel
“This is a writer that understands people down to the bones. Her characters are fallible and hopeful, flawed and loving, and so real they have stayed with me.” –Joshilyn Jackson, New York Times bestselling author
“A knockout.” —Booklist Starred Review
This is a story of the rich and the very poor. This is a story of an illegal auction with dire consequences. This is a story of murders past and present. This is a story of intertwined relationships and the silent ripples they leave behind, where love becomes a guiding force, revealing the lengths one will go to protect those they cherish.
Over twenty years ago, a young hunting guide in rural Kentucky was driving his boat in the early morning mist when his peaceful cruise was cut short by a scene so disturbing, he packed up and moved away. Nine women died early that morning, but it was linked to a similar crime in Texas, so the locals quickly wrote it off as having nothing to do with them.
Now, all these years later, when everyone has nearly forgotten about that grisly part of their past, one man’s accidental death will bring everything back up to the surface. The locals who knew better can no longer claim it had nothing to do with them, and one woman, desperate to do whatever it takes to save her mother’s life, will learn that nearly everyone in her life has been lying to her.
In Court Stevens’s adult debut, she delves deep into the heart of a community, where some will learn that we don’t always live to see the ripples we make, but we must make them all the same.
“Courtney didn’t come in to talk at us about her book, she came and talked with us about life experience, healing, and strength. She is definitely one of the most open and honest people I have ever had the honor to meet. She gave me a fresh wave of confidence in myself and the dreams I have chosen to pursue, in spite of the odds of success. She told us to dedicate ourselves to what we love, and never, for a second, question our ability to do the impossible.” — Laine Binnix, Class of 2014, Bowling Green High School, Bowling Green, KY
