Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I started writing poetry at age 8, and I was lucky to have a 3rd grade teacher who encouraged me. I had a difficult and lonely childhood, and words became my life source. Writing has always been my favorite form of self-expression and healing. I have written one novel and one non-fiction book, and I am working on a second novel now.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Daughters of Icarus is my most recent book. It was inspired by two women–one famous and one not-so-much. Virginia Woolf is a bit of a heroine in my heart as she paved the way for female writers with a strong feminist voice, and the story of her suicide lingered with me in my late 20s, and the image of her walking into the water became the seed for a pivotal scene in Icarus. The not famous woman was an acquaintance from graduate school with whom I was quite fascinated. These two women are the fabric of Icarus in the characters of Kate and Greta.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think it’s unusual as much as old school. I still love to occasionally draft a scene with pencil on a yellow legal pad–it’s a sensory thing for me.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Way too many to list. Virginia Woolf, as I mentioned earlier, is a literary giant in my world. Toni Morrison’s melodic voice and depth of emotion, Emily Dickinson’s circular themes in life vs. death and freedom vs. imprisonment, all the Victorians, Margaret Atwood, Iris Murdoch, Ray Bradbury, Khaled Hosseini, and more recently Gilliam Macmillan and Martha Hall Kelly. My two favorite books are The French Lieutenant’s Woman by John Fowles and Possession by A.S. Byatt for the way they play with time and narrative roles (which is the subject of my non-fiction book, by the way).
What are you working on now?
A book tentatively titled Pieces of Courage. It’s about two brothers–one neurotypical and one with autism, their alcoholic mother, and the auto mechanic/tattoo artist/preacher who moves in next door and befriends the boys. The oldest son and the mom are empaths and cope with their abilities in quite divergent ways that create a chasm between them and a tragedy in their community.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still searching for that!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Only through the act of writing will your writing improve, and give yourself permission to write bad first drafts because that’s part of the necessary process.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Toni Morrison once said that she had an aha moment in which she listed all the responsibilities and roles in her life and forced herself to boil it down to the things she must do or she would die, and her choices were to mother her children and write books. It’s not advice exactly, but it resonated with me and I have never let go of those words.
What are you reading now?
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles and Walking on Water: Reflections on Art and Faith by Madeliene L’Engle.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Whatever my characters tell me to do. I go where they lead me.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The aforementioned Possession and The French Lieutenant’s Woman. Something by Joseph Campbell. The Bible.
Author Websites and Profiles
Alinda Quinn Website
Alinda Quinn’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile