Erica
Mimran Sherlock
Erica
Sherlock, a retired teacher of 23 years, spent the better part of her life in
the trenches with adolescents, empathizing with their joys and their strife,
their hopes and their angst. Inspired by the hundreds of students who taught
her more about life than she did them, and fueled by her lifelong dream of
becoming an author, Erica has channeled her experiences into her debut book,
Through
Quick and Quinn. When she isn’t snuggling with her dog, talking to her
garden plants, or feeding all of the neighborhood critters, she is surely
enjoying a cup of coffee and meaningful conversation with her family and close
friends.
IAN:
Please tell us about Through Quick and Quinn.
Erica
Sherlock: Flashbacks. Guilt. Self-Loathing.
Quick
is a teenager drowning in the aftermath of an unspeakable tragedy. Estranged
from his dysfunctional parents and disconnected from peers, he numbs his pain
with endless distractions, struggling through each agonizing day.
Meditations.
Crystals. Self-Awareness.
Quinn,
a self-imposed outcast, seeks refuge in the spiritual world. After a
heartbreaking loss, she immerses herself in energy healing, embracing nature's
solace and striving to move forward with positivity and gratitude.
Both
uninterested in forming connections, Quick and Quinn are shocked to discover a
bond that propels them on parallel journeys of self-discovery. Grappling with
traumas that shattered their childhood innocence, they muster the courage to
uncover truths behind their circumstances. Delving into research and
introspection, they unveil a cascade of questions about the world around them,
navigating through a perceived web of lies. Their unexpected friendship ignites
a desire for discourse, prompting them to challenge the status quo and invite
others to do the same, despite the risks.
Quick
and Quinn were bold enough to share their tale. Will you be brave enough to
read it?
Just
know this:
Their
story challenges the narrative.
Their
story exists in the uncomfortable.
Their
story says all the quiet parts out loud.
IAN:
Is Through Quick and Quinn published in
print, e-book, or both?
Erica
Sherlock: Through Quick and Quinn is offered in both print and e-book,
and the audio version is expected to be available in Summer 2025.
IAN:
Where can we go to buy Through Quick and Quinn?
Erica
Sherlock: Through Quick and Quinn is available through Amazon
and Barnes
& Noble.
IAN:
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
Erica
Sherlock: I have always wanted to be an author.
Always.
You
know the movie Inception, where it’s like a dream within a dream? Well,
I carry with me a distinct memory within a vivid memory. It was my senior year
in high school and I was sprawled out on my bedroom floor, surrounded by
markers, magazine clippings, and glue. As I was creating the vision board for
Mr. Worley’s class and emboldening the word AUTHOR with thick marker, I
experienced a deja vu moment when I recalled doing the exact same thing for a
project way back in elementary school.
For
as long as I can remember, I’ve dreamed of creating with the written word.
Tucked
in a dusty box that rests high up in our spare bedroom closet are notebooks
upon notebooks of random story ideas and mediocre attempts at poetry. But you
know how it goes. Life unfolds, the family grows, the priorities change. It
wasn’t until recently that I was able to dedicate myself to chasing the dream,
and I thank God each day for the opportunity.
So,
no. I do not recall how or when my love for writing began. It predates my
memory.
IAN:
Did you use an outline or did you just wing the first draft?
Erica
Sherlock: I utilized an outline of sorts, one could say. After attempting to
write in different places and settling into what became my preferred space, I
used the nearby wall as the home base of my organization. Taped to the wall
were color-coded index cards that I used to map out the path of the story, plan
the timing of the subplots, and track the character contributions to the novel.
Sticky notes of ideas and snippets further adorned the window, also color-coded
of course. Additionally, I kept three different notebooks within arm’s reach at
all times: one for keeping track of particulars, one for my ongoing brainstorm
regarding Quinn’s LL, and one for the handwritten database of possibilities for
Quick’s digs. (LL? Digs? You’ll have to read the novel to find out!)
IAN:
How long did it take to write Through Quick and Quinn?
Erica
Sherlock: It took approximately eight months to write Through Quick and
Quinn, after about seven months of sporadic mental note-taking.
IAN:
Do you have a specific writing style?
Erica
Sherlock: Through Quick and Quinn is a split first-person narrative,
told through a variety of segments that oscillate between past and present. There
are formal chapters, letters to family members, journal entries, text strands, flashback
memories, and online forum posts. The segments vary in length and in style,
making for an easy “storytelling” type of read.
My
writing technique depended on the task at hand. Not only does Quick’s voice
differ greatly from that of Quinn, but the reader will notice that his voice
evolves over the course of his journey. I relied heavily on role immersion, beginning
all writing sessions with a visualization exercise to help me channel the
essence of the character as best as I could.
Honestly,
if I were to answer this question simply, I would say that I write the way I
speak!
IAN:
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
Erica
Sherlock: Absolutely. Through Quick and Quinn is so much more than just
a book to me. It’s the culmination of decades of beautiful experiences in the
classroom, combined with lonesome years of late-night, passion-driven,
independent research. Every page is extremely personal to me, as the elements
within were all inspired by someone or something in my life.
IAN:
What do you hope your readers come away with after reading Through Quick and
Quinn?
Erica
Sherlock: This book is chock full of numerous life lessons, but they all boil
down to two fundamental messages: Be authentic and think for yourself.
Quick
and Quinn’s journeys are riddled with events that shape them, just as it is
with each and every one of us. Both characters are highly relatable, even if
only in the smallest of ways, and it is my hope that this reader-to-character
connection reminds us all of four truths:
H
- Hard times are temporary.
E
- Even though self-awareness can be uncomfortable, it is vital.
A
- Accepting and loving the self is imperative.
L
- Love, peace, and joy are gifts that come with authenticity.
The
other take-away would be the importance of thinking critically. Not only is it
okay to question things we are told, but it is our duty to do so. Other
people’s versions of the truths might not be the truth. Intuition is
real and we should listen more carefully to the answers that rest within. We
must be brave enough not just to seek the truth, but to speak it as well!
IAN:
How is Through Quick and Quinn
different from others in your genre?
Erica
Sherlock: I would consider this book a work of principled fiction that can be
read on different levels. On the surface, sure, it’s a remarkable coming-of-age
story that will capture the hearts of many readers. There are deeper levels,
however, that will hopefully entice the reader to try something new, ask
something new, discover something new. You see, this book has a mission.
Through
Quick and Quinn is a realistic young adult fiction
novel, with the majority of the plot taking place during the protagonists’
final two years of high school. It was written with the high schooler in mind,
with adolescent voices for the adolescents themselves. Why that age group?
Well, here’s the way I see it: High schoolers today are incredibly bright, but
they’re bored. They haven’t been encouraged to ask questions about the world
around them, and yet they sense that things are off kilter. They’re intuitive.
They’re underestimated. And they’re starving for truth. This book aims to address
that boredom and those inklings, but in a way that encourages them to think
critically, ask questions, and find answers before determining their own
opinions. And in my own humble opinion, the whole world will benefit if this
up-and-coming generation asks some really important questions.
After
all, questions spark conversation.
Conversations
spark action.
Action
sparks change.
The
topics that are addressed throughout Through Quick and Quinn are real.
They affect you and your loved ones every single day, no matter what age you
are. But these issues are the tough ones that nobody wants to talk about.
They’re the ones that make us uncomfortable, the ones we want to avoid, the
ones we want to brush under the rug.
Dozens
and dozens of these tough topics are merely alluded to or just briefly
mentioned in the book, and for a great reason: to pique the readers’
curiosities enough that hopefully they’ll do further research. There are,
however, two primary issues that go beyond just a mention; they are boldly
tackled from the first page to the very last. Addressing these two particular
topics became a major passion of mine several years ago, so much so that it
became difficult for me to converse with friends without bringing up the
issues. As a result and understandably so, my social circle shrank, but my urge
to raise awareness did not. This novel allowed me to engage with these two
topics. To process them. To personalize them. To honor their significance.
And
that is where the mission comes in.
To
be completely honest, I crafted Through Quick and Quinn with the
intention of forcing our hand. I wanted to remove the possibility of avoidance
and make the reader uncomfortable. I wanted us to start talking about the
issues that we’re all aware of, but rarely discuss. The ones that deserve to be
examined and explored, and even more so, to be righted. This was the
inspiration. This was the idea behind the book.
The
entire mission of this novel is to provoke discourse.
IAN: Tell us about your next book or a work in progress. Is it a sequel or a
stand-alone?
Erica
Sherlock: Initially, I intended for Through Quick and Quinn to be a
stand-alone novel. Even when I wrote the last page and throughout the months
that followed, the story ended in my mind with the final chapter. Recently,
however, I was blessed with another idea download. There just might be more to
Quick and Quinn’s journey than I originally anticipated!
IAN:
Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.
Erica
Sherlock: God. No question about it.
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