Elizabeth Rose Quinn
Author Interview - Elizabeth Rose Quinn
Author of Follow Me
Follow Me: Heathers meets The Stepford Wives in this creepy and frighteningly funny dark thriller about a woman who will do anything to find her missing sister. Even pretend to be one of them.
After her twin sister, Chiara, goes missing at a mom-fluencer weekend, Adrienne Shaw will find her no matter what it takes. They may have been on the outs, but no one comes for her sister and gets away with it.
It’s been a year, the authorities have no answers, and her brother-in-law is useless in the matter. It’s time for Adrienne to take the case into her own hands. Following in Chiara’s last footsteps, Adrienne goes undercover, infiltrating the same influencer retreat as the last thing she wants to be: an Instamommy.
The remote ranch in Northern California is certainly welcoming―in a cult-adjacent kind of way. A charismatic leader, communal crafts, fixed smiles―and a lot of dead eyes.
Going on gut instinct and chasing a wild theory―that Chiara came here and never left―Adrienne is determined to uncover the truth before the too-perfect-to-believe women figure out who Adrienne really is: a threat to be eliminated.
Author Interview - Elizabeth Rose Quinn
Author I draw inspiration from:
Tana French is the most recent addition to my personal Queens of Mystery canon. (Along with PD James, Gillian Flynn, MC Beaton, Liz Moore, and the supreme herself Ms Christie.) I love how French created a whole universe in her Dublin Murder Squad series, and I have a soft spot for her creation Antoinette Conway. I feel like my own character Adrienne and Antoinette are cut from the same cloth: two women with laser focus on what's right even while putting everyone else off.
I do wish PD James had written more books about Cordelia Gray. Two was not enough for me.
Author Interview - Elizabeth Rose Quinn | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
Anywhere on vacation, but if that can't be arranged then in my backyard. I intend to level up this summer and buy a hammock.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
I would love to meet Miss Jane Marple. I would ask her what the most salacious story still remains hidden in St Mary Mead is. I grew up with a fleet of brilliant older women who to this day know everything, and Miss Marple would fit right in. Although realistically she would probably say something completely nonsensical to me, and I would only realize later she had found they key to a gruesome murder in that moment.
Author Interview - Elizabeth Rose Quinn | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
I cannot remember a time I didn't want to be an author. As a child I made picture books out of construction paper before I even knew how to read or write. The fact that any of this is real is beyond a dream come true.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
I love a hardback because they are beautiful, and they always have *that smell*. They are difficult to pack for vacation though. 10/10
Paperbacks are the perfect work horse, ready to be with you at all times - vacation, in a backpack, tucked into carry-on. They do lack the smell and the crack sound of a hardback. 9/10
Ebooks are wonderful if your home is already overrun with books, and your family is being crushed under the sheer weight of your library. (Eh hem. Speaking from personal experience.) However if a book has a lot of characters or tricky plotting, it is hard to flip back to remind yourself why that one nefarious line of dialogue is ringing a bell. 7/10
Audiobooks are my personal MVP. I always have two going - one for day time that I am actively listening to, and a second one that is a repeat read that I listen to at night when I am falling asleep, or trying to fall back asleep, or am laying there thinking 'omg it is 4am why am I awake?!' 9.5/10
The last book I read:
I just finished Liz Moore's God of the Woods. I love her writing style. Her ability to describe the Adirondack Mountains was utterly transportive. I found her characters complicated, and compelling. She chose perfect details for each person that revealed a full interior world, so even as I moved between timelines, points of views, or plots, I never lost a step or the emotional thread. I can't wait to read whatever she writes next. (Current night time audio book re-listen: The Marlow Murder Club.)
Author Interview - Elizabeth Rose Quinn | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
After many years screenwriting, I am dedicated to writing the world's longest outlines. I need to know where I am going in the story. I have two small children so I must to maximize whatever writing time I have, and that means finding as many plot holes as possible before I start writing so I don't waste a month on a dead end. (Still happens though.)
After the outline is in working order, I develop my characters in depth. Their backstory, what drives them, their secrets, who they love, and more importantly who they hate.
I take my outline and in a separate document lay in the research that may be relevant to that section. This is mostly so I don't get distracted by an internet wormhole when I am supposed to be writing.
I write drafts on the computer and when I reach whatever end point is the current goal (first half of the novel, end narrative Day 1, whole draft, etc) I print it out into a giant colorful binder. That's when the extra detailed editing happens. The old saying is true: Writing is rewriting. I repeat this process of writing/printing/editing 3-4 times with a different focus. Perhaps a pass on tightening the plot, or a pass to punch up dialogue and make sure it reveals as much character as possible. In the end, there is always once scene that holds the emotional center of the book. Once I find that, I am sailing.
Once I get notes from my editor, the entire process restarts.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
Princess Elizabeth from The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch. This was my favorite book as a child. The final words - when she tells the snotty prince that he is a bum and refuses to marry him - lit up my tiny child heart. The image of Elizabeth dancing off into the sun, still covered in soot, wearing her bag is more or less my personal mantra in visual form.
Author Interview - Elizabeth Rose Quinn | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
Favorite decade in fashion history:
I am a child of Berkeley, so I love a flowy cotton 1960s caftan. You can look so chic but you are basically wearing pajamas. Heaven.
Place I’d most like to travel:
Due to being 100% incepted by hours of PBS viewing, I want to go on a Viking River Cruise. They look so luxurious!! Beyond that, I want to go everywhere. Cartagena! The Scottish Highlands! Goa! Lisbon! Kyoto! Cairo! Tangier! Istanbul! Auckland! The list goes on and on and on... and on.
My signature drink:
My sister introduced me to Spanish red vermouth, and I am ready to make it my entire personality. In reality the signature drink of my daily life is as much espresso as I can drink in order to function, and lemonade is one of the most perfect things on the planet.
Favorite artist:
Prince. Ana Mendieta. Adrienne Rich.
Number one on my bucket list:
The newest edition to my very long bucket list is I want to take my children to swim in manatees.
Find more from the author:
website: elizabethrosequinn.com
Instagram: @elizabethrosequinnauthor
About Elizabeth Rose Quinn:
Author Interview - Elizabeth Rose Quinn
Elizabeth Rose Quinn is a novelist and screenwriter. She graduated with a BA in English from UC Berkeley and a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy. Born and raised in Berkeley, California, Elizabeth lived in Los Angeles for fifteen years while working in production and writing for television. Her novel Follow Me was optioned by Amazon MGM Studios and is currently in production as a feature film. She is married with two children and currently lives in New Mexico. In addition to traveling and exploring nature with her family, Elizabeth loves rolling fresh pasta, swimming in the Pacific Ocean, and looking for rainbows in the desert sunsets.
