Happy Pride month! To celebrate, we are… taking the month off posting, except for these couple of interviews with authors who have their debuts releasing in June. First up is Anna Zoe Quirke, whose book, Something to be Proud Of, releases in just 2 days! As ever, still time to preorder.
And don’t forget, you can also keep up with Anna on instagram.
Have you always known you wanted to be a writer? How old were you when you wrote your first story?
Pretty much, yes! I’ve always loved stories, they were a really important form of escapism for me right from when I was very young, and it always kind of made sense to me that I’d grow up to write my own.
My first proper story was one called ‘Roses Are Red, Or Are They Dead?’ which my best friend and I wrote in after-school club when we were about nine. It was about a girl called Rose who died in a car accident and her sister Violet, who was convinced she was still alive and was determined to find out where she was. (Can you tell I read a lot of Jacqueline Wilson growing up?)
But, more seriously, I knew for sure that I had to be a writer when I was thirteen. I was having a really rough time with my physical and mental health, and writing was the thing that got me through that. I knew from then on that it was something I was going to do no matter what.
What pieces of media would you say were formative for you? Do you see any of their features in your own writing?
Little Women was probably the most important book of my childhood. Baby undiagnosed autistic, closeted Anna was obsessed with Jo (I firmly believe Jo is both queer and autistic and can not be convinced otherwise), loved the humour, and wept at the more devastating sections. I always aim to make readers laugh and cry, and Little Women was probably the first book that made me do both of those things.
Then, I grew up listening to Taylor Swift because my friend’s grandad used to send her the latest album and we’d listen to it in her bedroom until we’d learnt all the words. So there’s always at least one sneaky Taylor Swift reference in all of my books. (Or, like in STBPO, a full scene set to her music.)
And finally, I’m also a big fan of any sit-com with found-family vibes and definitely try to sneak the warmth and quick wit of my favourite shows into my work.
When you close your eyes and imagine an apple, what do you see? An actual apple, a sketch of one, a blackness? Do you think that impacts your writing process?
This is a really interesting question! I can see an apple quite clearly, but it’s like it’s in a completely dark place and I can only shine my torch’s beam on one part of it at once. I’ve never thought about this before but maybe this does impact my writing process! I do tend to be quite specific with my description. I can tell you lots of small details about all my characters, but if you asked me to describe their whole face, I think I’d probably scratch my head and say, ‘Umm… Well, they definitely … have one?’
If you wanted to learn about craft, which three authors would you suggest reading?
Jane Austen is always my number one. I learnt so much about writing from reading her books. She’s so witty, she drags terrible men within an inch of their lives, her characters feel like real people, and she masterfully weaves plots together. She writes with such wit and her stories transcend time in a way few others’ do. If you want to learn from the master – read some Austen.
If we’re thinking more modern, however, I definitely recommend Casey McQuiston’s books. I’ve never been able to put my finger on exactly what it is that’s so wonderful about their writing – I think they just have that magic. The way they construct sentences and describe everything is just, ugh, chef’s kiss. When I read One Last Stop, I fully believed I was a New Yorker, when I read Red, White and Royal Blue, I was a royal having an epic romance, and when I read their latest book, The Pairing, I looked up flights to Italy many many times.
And, if you want to learn how to write uplifting, diverse YA, then look no further than Alice Oseman. I read their first book, Solitaire, when it first came out and I was fourteen, and now I get to share their books with my students as a high school librarian. They’re the master of British LGBTQ+ YA and fully deserve all the success they’ve had in recent years.
When you’re building your world, what do you focus on? How do you try to make it come to life?
I almost always start with characters first. I normally have a character burst into my head, I’ll flesh them out, and then figure out what world it makes sense for them to live in. I write mostly contemporary stories (though I’ve dabbled in historical a little), so I’m very inspired by the real, modern world and the issues people are facing in it today, as well as the joy that can be found in the in between of the more challenging aspects of being a human in today’s world.
What projects are you currently working on? Can you share any details yet?
I’m currently editing a book that will be coming out in 2025. I can’t say too much about it yet, just that it’s a queer contemporary YA rom-com with themes of mental health and queer identity. And, after that, I’m very excited to get to work on a different idea from my list. I’ve got the new story bug big time at the minute; I’m itching to start work on something brand new!
Three pictures that capture the aesthetic of your book?
Three songs you would put in your book’s soundtrack?
I am a notorious playlist maker. I have a playlist for every emotion I’ve ever experienced and for every scene in every story I’ve ever written, so picking just three is so tricky!
I’m going to have to go with ‘I Know a Place’ by MUNA, because it just sums up the whole vibe of the book, then ‘Bad Reputation’ by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts for the peak Imogen energy, and finally ‘Zombie!’ by Orla Gartland for Ollie.
What would be your dream project?
This is a tricky question because every project I work on becomes my dream project for a while. I think it’s really important that what you’re working on brings you joy and excites you at least most of the time you’re working on it. So currently the project I’m working on is my dream project, but I have a list of four other ideas that I’m really excited about and hopefully they’ll become my dream projects in the future too. Sorry if that’s a boring answer!
Which of your characters would you most want to fight a zombie apocalypse with?
Excellent question. My heart says Imogen, because they’re scrappy and very determined (and usually wearing combat boots), but my head says they would probably get overexcited and end up getting us both killed by going to seek revenge on a zombie that bit their favourite squirrel or something. Ollie would be very practical and has great protective instincts, so he’s probably objectively the better choice.
You’re stuck on a desert island and you’re allowed only three (LGBT) books. What are you taking?
The House in the Cerulean Sea because a) I love it and it’s a full book of my favourite trope (found-family) and b) it’s also set on a magical island so the vibes would be excellent.
A collection of Mary Oliver’s poetry because the way she writes about nature and hope are really inspiring to me, and her love poems for her partner are so lovely.
And then probably a really fun rom-com to escape into like one by Ashley Herring Blake, Alexandria Bellefleur, Alexis Hall, or Lex Croucher.
You can collaborate on anything with anyone in the LGBT community: who would it be and why?
I’d want to put on the BEST, most inclusive pride event ever, with all my favourite LGBTQ+ disabled activists, and try and make as many people feel seen and celebrated for everything that they are as possible.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Anna Zoe Quirke is a queer and autistic author and librarian from the North of England. She currently lives in Manchester with her partner, Rachael, and their very angry tortoise, Sheldon. They’re at their happiest writing stories about queer and neurodivergent people finding and claiming their place in the world, exploring the literary wonders of the UK, or making a big ol’ mess in the kitchen baking things for their loved ones. Something to be Proud of is their debut novel.
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