We were lucky to catch up with Stephanie Cowell recently and have shared our conversation below.

Stephanie, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you’ve thought about whether to sign with an agent or manager?

My agent Emma Sweeney has now retired but it was a very fortuitous day when I found her for she sold two novels for me to major publishers for a very good advance, and they in turn were sold for translation in several countries. I had signed with another agent who adored a big, dramatic book I was writing which I could not complete. Instead I brought him an intimate family story called MARRYING MOZART about Mozart’s friendship with four sisters, one of whom he married. Well…he did not like the book nor the way I wrote it. I simply cried. I had published three books before and thought my career was over. But bless my writer friends! Without asking me, one wrote HER agent Emma and Emma read the book and sold it within a few weeks. Then she patiently reread about four drafts of my novel about the struggling years of Claude Monet called CLAUDE AND CAMLLE and that finally came together and was sold. But she in turn did not care for the book I most wanted to publish…which shows how you have to switch agents sometimes.

Stephanie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a literary historical novelist. I wrote and published several short stories in my late teens and then became an opera singer, not returning to writing until my early forties. Then it took me seven years to sell my first novel, NICHOLAS COOKE. Since then I have published five others: THE PHYSICIAN OF LONDON, THE PLAYERS, MARRYING MOZART, CLAUDE AND CAMILLE and THE BOY IN THE RAIN. I have won an American Book Award and my novels have been translated into several languages.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

The first novel I began to write was a love story between two men in Edwardian England, THE BOY IN THE RAIN. I had endless obstacles with it: agents who could not sell it in early versions, editors who wanted another story from me of real artistic geniuses since those sold so well, and mostly, the slowness in developing a very rough idea to a fully realized book., About 50 people read and commented and helped it along over the years…until 39 years (!) after I began it, it was published in 2023. Looking back I am so glad it was not published before as it took that long to complete.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I find it just thrilling to figure out what story I want to tell and then revise until I am done and anyone can pick up the novel in a bookshop or library or online, and be in the world within the covers.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.stephaniecowell.com
• Facebook: StephanieCowell