“Well, I guess you could say I was born creative!”

-Carolyn Summer Quinn

Multi-award-winning author Carolyn Summer Quinn has been creating since childhood, beginning with drawings and short stories before school age. A media graduate from Kean University, she shifted to writing after her degree did not lead to her intended path. In this interview, she shares insights into her books, including The Teetotaler’s Bar.

Hi Carolyn, thanks so much for joining us! To kick things off, could you tell us a bit about yourself—in your own words? We’d love to hear about your background, what you write, and what your goals are as an author.

Well I guess you could say I was born creative! I was drawing lots of pictures before I ever went to school and later, at the age of six, started writing little stories just for fun, and never stopped! I’m from Roselle and Scotch Plains, New Jersey, and have lived in Brooklyn, New York for the past thirty-eight wonderful years. The suburbs were okay but I’m a city girl! I also majored in Media at Kean University in New Jersey, but since the degree didn’t lead to the kinds of jobs I had hoped it would, I started to write!

Earlier, you mentioned The Teetotaler’s Bar. What inspired the book, and how did you develop the unique dynamic between the protagonist and her surroundings?

I’m a teetotaler myself, and several relatives died lately, so one day I just came up with the idea of what on earth would I do if I inherited a BAR?!! The whole book evolved from there, and I was off and running with it!

How do you balance productivity with creativity, especially when each book brings a fresh challenge?

I simply enjoy writing to the hilt! I love creating situations and characters. Somehow I even manage to work on more than one book at a time which keeps things fresh and interesting!

Can you tell us about a time in your writing career where a story or character surprised you as you wrote them—perhaps even changed your original plans?

A lot of the time I’ll be writing a mystery with one idea in mind of whodunit, and then I’ll change it to a whole other character. Ha, I do that a lot!

What underlying message or feeling do you hope readers take away from The Teetotaler’s Bar?

I would say the main idea behind it is “don’t give up.” The main character, Jazz, has landed in the midst of a whopper of a mystery she starts trying to solve, but she just keeps on going at it, despite also having reservations and, several times, wanting to chuck it all. But no, she keeps on going!

What do you think is the special role that cozy mysteries and light-hearted suspense stories play for readers today?

As the saying goes, “input determines output.” I think it’s better to concentrate on the good rather than the controversial. Cozy mysteries are interesting to read and fun for the reader to try to solve so they provide entertainment that’s probably better than concentrating on the nightly news.

On the recognitions or awards over the course of your writing journey, could you walk us through a few that stand out to you—and what those moments have meant personally or professionally?

I’ve received LOTS of awards! In fact, I got three more for three different books this week. My favourite is the first one I received for writing a children’s book set during World War II, Keep Your Songs in Your Heart, a story filled with a lot of hope. My parents grew up in the 1940s, and I had them read it to check the details for accuracy—they loved it. My late father had told me to make sure to get one published—the day before he died. Once it was published, it was named a finalist at the American Fiction Awards, and I thought, “That’s for Dad!” My mother was still here when I got that award, and that was great because she didn’t miss knowing about it. She died a few months later.

Congratulations on those new awards! With so many creative projects in motion, how do you decide when to revisit a book and give it a fresh promotional push?

I go online and see what I can do to get it some additional attention. I write books rather quickly. I turned one book around in just ten days when I was home with a very mild case of Covid and wasn’t allowed to go back to work. I spent those ten days writing it. So it’s easy for a book to get a little lost in the shuffle, but I see what else I can do with promoting it. I also make quite a lot of promotional designs to put around the Internet.

For aspiring authors looking to find their niche or write in genres that aren’t necessarily trending, what advice would you offer based on your experience tackling the literary world?

I always say write if you love it! But if you don’t love it, don’t write. For me it’s never been anything but a joy. It’s not a chore. So to those who love it I say go for it!

Lastly, what’s next for you? Are there any upcoming releases or projects that readers can look forward to—and what keeps your passion for writing alive, book after book?

I’m working on two more mysteries at the moment. One about a cop who is trying to find out who killed a treacherous person and another about a family that inherits a house with a strange past. I’m having fun with them both. As for what keeps my passion for writing alive… I JUST LOVE IT!

Disclosure: This interview was conducted as part of a collaborative feature. The content and opinions shared are based on the interviewee’s personal experiences and expertise.

“As for what keeps my passion for writing alive… I JUST LOVE IT!”

-Carolyn Summer Quinn

Links

• Carolyn’s website
• The Teetotaler’s Bar on Goodreads
• The Teetotaler’s Bar on Amazon US
• The Teetotaler’s Bar on Amazon AU

Share Your Insights

We’d love to hear your thoughts! Join the conversation in the comments:

• Which part of Carolyn’s writing journey resonated with you most?
• Have you ever followed a creative path that surprised you?
• What do you look for in a good mystery?

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