with Abby Quillen
We are delighted to welcome author Abby Quillen to Omnimystery News today.
Abby's new novel of suspense is The Garden of Dead Dreams (Sidewalk press; June 2014 trade paperback and ebook formats), a spellbinding mystery about the price we pay for keeping secrets.
We recently had the chance to talk with Abby a little more about her new book.
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Omnimystery News: Introduce us to the lead character of The Garden of Dead Dreams. What is it about her that appeals to you as a writer?
Photo provided courtesy of
Abby Quillen
Abby Quillen: Etta Lawrence is the lead protagonist of The Garden of Dead Dreams. (It's a stand-alone, although I may write a sequel someday.) She appeals to me because she's curious, observant, and intelligent, but also flawed. She must change and grow to solve the mystery.
OMN: Into which fiction genre would you place the book?
AQ: I call The Garden of Dead Dreams a literary mystery. I hesitate to use the word literary, because many people think of literary books as slow or lacking a plot, which doesn't describe my book at all. I simply use the term to mean that the protagonist must solve the mystery by using literary, historical, and academic documents in the tradition of A.S. Byatt's Possession and Carol Goodman's mysteries. They are my favorite kinds of mysteries; I love a protagonist who knows her or his way around a dusty archive or library. I studied history in college and then worked at various library reference desks, and I loved searching through old city directories, newspapers, and census records. The past contains so many fascinating mysteries that are waiting to be solved.
OMN: Tell us a little more about your writing process.
AQ: Before I start writing, I do as much planning and plotting as possible and try to get to know my characters. But I invariably discover new characters and twists and turns as I write. Characters often do the most surprising things! When I feel stuck while writing, I know I need to spend some time planning and plotting again. That's how I work my way through my first draft. After the first draft, I make elaborate charts of the characters, plot points, and time line to help me know what to cut or add and where I need to do more research.
OMN: How do you go about researching the plot points of your stories?
AQ: The mystery in The Garden of Dead Dreams revolves around Vincent Buchanan, a legendary author who was a contemporary of Steinbeck and Hemingway. Buchanan wrote a novel in 1943 that was credited with helping the Americans triumph against Japan in the Second World War. I did extensive historical research to make Vincent Buchanan as real as possible. And he became so real to me while I was writing that I Googled him once and was initially stunned when nothing came up. Then I remembered I'd created him. A few readers have told me they searched the Internet for him to see if he actually existed. I hope that means I succeeded with my research.
I also researched Portland, Oregon's Japantown (which disappeared abruptly in the spring of 1942) and Kyoto in the 1930s, because both places are pivotal to the mystery. I did the historical research by spending long afternoons in the university library, reading every book I could find, and doing Internet research. To bring the setting to life, I went on hikes in Oregon's old-growth forests. You can't beat that kind of research.
OMN: How did you come up with the title for The Garden of Dead Dreams?
AQ: I went through the book and wrote down phrases and words that stood out to me. I created a long list of them, and then narrowed it down to two phrases: "The Radiance of Breathing" and "The Garden of Dead Dreams". I liked both, but "The Garden of Dead Dreams" seemed a more fitting title for a mystery.
OMN: What are some of your outside interests And have any of these found their way in your book?
AQ: I love running, hiking, and being outdoors, and so does Etta. She's also a writer. So yes, my hobbies and interests definitely found their way into the book, although Etta and I are also very different.
OMN: What kinds of books did you read when you were young?
AQ: I loved reading mysteries as a kid. I devoured The Boxcar Children then later Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys. I'm thrilled that my six-year-old son loves The Boxcar Children too, so I've gotten to revisit them. Those books definitely primed my love of mysteries and amateur detectives.
OMN: And what do you read now for pleasure?
AQ: I tend to love books that lurk somewhere between literary and genre fiction and which have mysterious elements but aren't necessarily mysteries. Recently I enjoyed The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, Night Film by Marisha Pessl, and Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. I also love mysteries and tend to gravitate toward ones that are not cozy and not relentlessly dark. I'm always searching for the sweet spot in the middle, and I love suggestions! As far as series, I got hooked on Stephen White's Alan Gregory series, John Dunning's Cliff Janeway series, and Kate Wilhelm's Barbara Holloway series, mostly because I've lived in or near the locations they're set in. I'm excited to check out Louise Penny's Armand Gamache series, because I've been hearing so much about it lately.
OMN: What's next for you?
AQ: I'm working on a mystery series set in San Francisco featuring Lennon Emberley, an investigative reporter. She's solving mysteries while grappling with the massive changes happening for journalists with the collapse of print newspapers.
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In addition to The Garden of Dead Dreams, Abby Quillen is the editor of two anthologies. Her articles and essays have appeared in YES! Magazine and The Christian Science Monitor and on Common Dreams, Nation of Change, The Daily Good, Truthout, and Shareable.net. She lives in Eugene, Oregon with her family.
For more information about the author, please visit her website at AbbyQuillen.com or find her on Facebook and Twitter.
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The Garden of Dead Dreams
Abby Quillen
A Novel of Suspense
