An interview with Colleen Quinn
Author of "Calamity Creek"
What does it cost to escape where you’re from?
That might be the question at the heart of Colleen Quinn’s Calamity Creek, a story in which hope and despair sit side-by-side at the bar. From the very first sentence, Quinn’s narrative voice pulled me into her story’s world with a blend of wisdom and weariness. And it could be really damn funny.
Some spoilers ahead, so this might be a good time to catch up if you haven’t already. We talked to Quinn about her influences, future projects, and the invention of Calamity Creek.
COLD CALLER: Tell me a little about your growth as a writer. When did you first start writing creatively, and when did you realize it was something you wanted to pursue?
COLLEEN QUINN: I’ve never really wanted to do anything else. I was a twelve-year-old latchkey kid when I started, and I loved being alone and writing stories. There’s no logical reason to be a writer, given the enormous time commitment and the unlikelihood of success, you just have to love doing it.
You do a wonderful job of creating an entire world and way of life in "Calamity Creek." These characters have known each other a long time, and yet there's also a profound sense of isolation and distance between them. How do you build these relationships as a writer? Do you have some sense of how these people are connected before you start writing, or is that something you discover as you go?
I grew up in a small town that resembles Calamity Creek in some ways. I’m interested in the ways that relationships change when people get older, but the place remains the same. When they were in high school, I don’t think either Lucy or Crosby had any idea they would still be in each other’s lives as adults. One of the things I like most about writing is the surprises that happen along the way. Jimmy is the only character I had thought about before I started writing. Everyone else just showed up.
What was the origin of this piece? How do you typically approach short story writing in general?
I remember something like this happening in my town, but I was a child at the time, so I don’t have a lot of the details. I look on short stories as capturing the moment when something pivots, and your characters’ lives are changed in some way. They shouldn’t be the same people as they were in the beginning of the story.
Part of the tension in this story comes from the reader's realization that isn't just Jimmy that's missing but a substantial sum of stolen cash. But there's also a lot that's still left ambiguous. How do you, as a writer, decide which details to reveal and which to leave uncertain?
I try to consider which details will move a story forward and which details my characters are likely to know. The stolen cash is important because so much of the rest of the story is presented as common knowledge and the cash is a secret, so it binds Lucy and Crosby in a way that sets them apart.
This story also ends on an ambiguous note, almost an omen. Yet it's hard to be sure whether this is really something supernatural breaking into the story or if it's just a projection of the characters' own longing. How did you arrive at this ending?
I wanted there to be a sense that even though the story takes place in a small town, these characters are surrounded by a big world, one in which they have very little control. Lucy doesn’t like Jimmy very much, but she’s still aware that he’s escaping a bad situation. She wants him to get away, even though he’s not likely to stay out of trouble wherever he goes.
Who are your biggest influences? How did they influence your approach to writing?
So many! John Banville, Kate Atkinson, Stephen King, Tana French, Michael Chabon, Ruth Rendell/Barbara Vine, Mick Herron, Wilkie Collins, Patrick O’Brian, P.D. James, John Harvey, Jincy Willet, Paul Murray, Joe Flanagan, and a particular shout-out to Canadian writer, Robertson Davies, because I always like to learn things when I read.
The writer's life is full of a lot of long, quiet hours of work, hopefully punctuated by publication. What motivates you to keep working?
I once heard someone say that being a writer is like always having homework. I’ve found that to be true. What helps is getting in the habit of writing every day. It sounds counter-intuitive, but it actually saves time. If you only write once in a while, you spend a lot of time playing catch-up and remembering what’s going on in your story. If you write every day, it’s always there and you will progress more quickly. Also, I don’t like the idea of being a writer who isn’t writing. It just doesn’t feel right to me.
What current projects are you working on that you're most excited about? Any other publications you'd like to share with readers who enjoyed "Calamity Creek?"
My most recent story published before this one was about the prank that inadvertently kicked off the séance movement. It’s called “The Fox Sisters” and was published by Dark Harbor Magazine.
I’m also looking for an agent for my novel, The Beverly House Murders, a thriller which concerns a Brooklyn PI hunting for murderous teen runaways.
Colleen Quinn grew up in upstate New York and was educated at Syracuse University. She works in advertising and has published over a dozen short stories in publications produced by Owl Hollow Press and New Lit Salon Press, among others. These stories may be found on her website: www.colleenquinn.com. She lives in Brooklyn with her family.