Interview with Quinn Avery, Author of Lost Girls of Kato

What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Lost Girls of Kato?

I grew up in Mankato, Minnesota, and wanted to revisit my childhood by setting a big chunk of the story there back in the 1980s. I was only a few years older than Jacob Wetterling, a boy from central Minnesota who went missing when I was in junior high, and his tragic story has really stuck with me all this time. I remain unsettled that his family didn’t have any answers as to what had happened to him for several decades. I can’t imagine what his sudden and unexplained absence did to his family and their community.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of Lost Girls of Kato, what would they be?

Lost Girls of Kato is both tragic and moving, and there are essentially “two heroines” telling their stories in separate timelines. Because both stories involve love in one form or another, take place during part of the summer, and there’s a retro vibe throughout, I’d say Donna Summers’s “I Feel Love” would be appropriate.

What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

It depends on the day. Lately, I’m really into romantic thrillers, so that’s what I gravitate toward when writing. I love being surprised as a reader, and I love creating puzzle pieces for my fans to work out.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

The third book in Nora Roberts’s Chronicles of The One series, and the Mindhunter book written by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker. I’m still super bummed that Netflix canceled the Mindhunter series…it was one of my favorite TV shows of all time!

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

The big twist around halfway through. I must’ve worked on that scene for a week straight knowing I had to get the characters’ reactions just right.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

It either has to be extremely quiet, or I play soundtracks without lyrics on my noise-cancelling headphones. I can’t write if there’s anyone in the room with me (my ADD is too extreme), so I’m totally freaked out by the stereotypical author-writing-in-a-coffee-shop thing.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

Just “be nice” in general. Life is short, and you never know who is hurting underneath their smile or scowl. I’m a strong believer in karma in the way that Hinduism and Buddhism regard the term.

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

The importance of friendship and the unbreakable bond it can create when you find the right person.

Quinn Avery is the author of the new book Lost Girls of Kato

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