Behind the Scenes With Kate Quinn
What’s your most unusual writing habit?
“I change my perfume with every book I write, so I have a thematic scent associated with the story I’m telling. For The Astral Library, it was a perfume called ‘Library Ghost’—because there are library ghosts in the book!”
Where do you most like to write?
“My gorgeous study with serene pale blue walls and yellow roses in vases and a coffee mug-warmer parked strategically next to every chair. I felt so lucky the moment I could finally do myself up a real home office to write in—everything in it is designed to be peaceful and inspirational.”
Which book is your most treasured possession?
“A green leather-bound first edition of Yeats my husband gave me—I love Yeats, and I love old books with gilt edges and embossed covers and that fabulous sewn-in ribbon bookmark (all books should have this!).”
If your characters could critique you, what would they say?
“My characters are much bolder and more intrepid than me. They would probably tell me it's time to get out of the study and go on a real adventure for a change!”
What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever researched for a story?
“Trying to figure out if a creek in Washington, D.C., was deep enough to sink a body in (this was for The Diamond Eye) and knowing that every permutation of that online search was probably landing me on an FBI list somewhere.”
