Hello again, and Happy Monday!
How are the leaves in your part of the world?
This morning I have Quinn Cooper dropping in.
Everyone, say hi to Quinn!
Quinn just turned 63 and lives with her 26-year-old son and 12-
year-old calico, Niko. She enjoys all kinds of murder mysteries, her favorite go to channel is Hallmark
Mysteries, and her two favorite shows are Criminal Minds and Murdoch Mysteries. She lives in
southeastern Massachusetts in a city on the water.
1. What was the first book that made you cry?
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I cried through the whole book, Francie’s plight was heartbreaking. As was her mother’s. The entire book was just heart wrenching.
2. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
From the time I learned the alphabet and words could be made from those twenty-six letters, I spent hours sitting at our dining room table, which was the family’s gathering place, and write all kinds of stories. I always played with imaginary friends, so putting their stories on paper was only natural.
3. What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?
Wait, there’s a schedule?! Ha Ha! I honestly don’t have a “schedule”. I just start writing and if it’s a new piece, you’ll find me with my favorite pens, a ton of lined paper and if daytime, a glass of orange soda, if nighttime, a glass of white wine. My butt firmly planted on the couch, you’ll find me writing longhand until my ID is worn out.
4. Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?
Anywhere and everywhere! Ideas pop into my brain on a daily, sometimes hourly basis. I get them from TV, movies, and other places. The idea for my novel started with a text message from a Facebook friend. Then, throughout the book I gleaned huge amounts of info from multiple sources.
5. What does your family think of your writing?
My husband was extremely proud of my writing. Unfortunately, he passed away before my book was published, from colon cancer. My son is happy for me and I have a cousin who bought the book and gave me a 5-star review.
6. Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?
I do! My book is not everyone’s cup of tea, so I prefer my anonymity.
7. Do you try more to be original or deliver to readers what they want?
This is a dicey area, I believe. My book is M/M gay romance with a murder mystery, but it also had an historical flavor to it as I described Martha’s Vineyard throughout the book. I was told by my publisher that I needed to make major changes and edits, if I wanted her to publish it and she gave me a new editor who ripped my manuscript apart and pulled out so much and she kept saying, the book is no good if no one wants to read it. As life would have it, my editor suddenly disappeared and I was left alone. I did the editing on my own and self-published it through Draft2Digital. I believe we all must be true to ourselves and our principles. Write what you feel is right for you, and the correct readers will find you.
8. How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
LOL, How much time do we have? Seriously, I have mounds of half stories and 3-ring binders full of research for each one. Hoping they will all eventually all have The End for the last two words.
9. As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
A butterfly. I feel I’ve transformed and broken out of my cocoon.
10. What do you have coming next?
I actually have a few projects. I’m going to self-publish another M/M gay romance, but this is a trilogy. The first book is finished, the second about half done and the third is still in my head.
The books are called: Finding Truth
Finding Hope
Finding Joy
I am also working on a short, memory type book. It’s called: Bits & Pieces scattered events of my life.
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