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 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:
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.
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.
