Quinn Carr sits down for a Q&A with dru’s book musings responding to twenty or more questions so that we can learn more about her. Are you ready? Let’s get to know Quinn.

What is your full name?
Quinn Carr. I was going to come up with a funny middle name but I started making a color-coded chart and then ultimately couldn’t decide on one. My therapist will be proud of me when I tell her I just let it go like a helium balloon.

How old are you?
30, give or take.

What is your profession?
Profession. That’s hilarious. If you want to know how I earn my pennies, I waitress at the local diner in Chestnut Station, Colorado.

Do you have a significant other?
The love of my life right now is Fang, my goldfish.

What is their name and profession?
Fang is a trained ninja by day and amateur therapist by night.

Do you have any children?
Ick.

Do you have any siblings?
Nope, but I’ve known Rico since elementary school and we could be brother and sister, except we kissed once and I think that’s illegal.

Are your parents nearby?
Right in the next room, in fact. I think they’re watching old episodes of The Rockford Files. I had some, er, troubles, so I moved back home where I’m holed up in my childhood bedroom until I sort myself.

Who is your best friend?
Aside from Rico, my cop friend, I’ve recently started hanging out with Loma who I adore, probably way more than she adores me. She’s loud and brash (which I’m decidedly not) so I’m finding her a real revelation.

Do you have any pets?
No, but I am roommates with a ninja-therapist goldfish.

What town do you live in?
Chestnut Station, Colorado, out on the eastern plains, an hour or so from Denver. If you squint and look to the west you can see mountains, and if you squint and look east you can see, well, absolutely nothing.

Do you live in a small town or a big city?
In a big city does everyone know your business? No? Well, then I must live in the smallest of towns.

Type of dwelling and do you own or rent?
Why must you rub it in?

What is your favorite spot in your home?
At the kitchen table with my parents, either eating or playing Scrabble. Or both.

Favorite meal and dessert?
I’m partial to Jake’s burgers and fries at the diner, mainly because he makes them and it means I can sit down for fifteen minutes, guilt-free. I also like a lot of the weird stuff my mom makes (let’s keep that our secret, though), but I draw the line at her Cumin Cupcakes.

Do you have any hobbies?
I make the crossword puzzles for our local newspaper. Technically, it’s a paid position, in that money changes hands. But it’s such a paltry sum I’m not sure it counts as “pay.” And don’t tell Vera, the editor/publisher/chief bottle washer over there, but I’d pay her to keep doing them if it came to that. What better hobby for someone with organization OCD like me, eh? Nice, neat squares; only one right answer; everything links up together . . . it’s my nirvana!

What is your favorite vacation spot?
Vacation? The last time I went on vacation I think I was 12 years old. Mom and Dad took me on a road trip—don’t remember where—but I do remember being impressed by seeing the world’s largest ball of twine. I don’t know why, I just was. I had so many questions. Was it just one person who made it or was it legal for anyone to add to it? Was there a trophy involved? Whose idea was it to start it? Did it matter what kind of twine was used? Could you use string, or ribbon, or embroidery floss, or what-have-you? How long did it take? Are they still adding to it? How much does that thing weigh? Why did it end up in some country store out in the middle of nowhere? Do people make pilgrimages to see it? I guess I still have questions.

What music do you listen to?
When I’m depressed I like Erik Satie’s Gymnopédie. And, well, I can’t think of anything else. Let’s just say I listen to Erik Satie. A lot.

Do you have a favorite book?
That’s a terrible question. May as well ask me if I have a favorite parent. Or snowflake. Or French fry.

What is your idea of a really fun time?
I really love sitting at the kitchen table and creating crosswords while my mom cooks and putters around. But I also like watching old TV shows like “Cagney and Lacey” and “The Rockford Files” with my parents. And watching movies with Rico and Loma. And I’ll kill you if you tell them, but I also enjoy waiting on the Retireds at the diner. They’re crotchety old men, but they’re MY crotchety old men! Oh! And it was REALLY fun when Loma let me knock that wall down with her!

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
“How Not to be a Cop”

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
Me? I’m an amateur, for sure. But there’s nothing like investigating a murder to get you out of your funk, right? Or maybe that’s just me. If it can actually be defined as “work,” I guess I work with Rico, my bestie at the police department, and Loma, my bestie girlfriend.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
I drag myself out of bed, I waitress at the diner, and hope I don’t trip over a dead body or spill soup on anyone. There, I did it in one sentence.

What is a typical day when you are on a case?
I drag myself out of bed, I waitress at the diner, and at some point trip over a dead body. And if I’m being honest, I probably spill soup on someone.

Punning with Scissors, A Crossword Puzzle Mystery #2
Genre: Cozy
Release: May 2021
Purchase Link

1 DOWN: A PERSON OF INTEREST
Quinn Carr has been quietly creating crosswords for the Chestnut Station Chronicle in her small Colorado town since she was in high school, but she has yet to solve the puzzle of how to make a living from her passion. So she lives with her parents and works at the local diner, catering to regulars like The Retireds, a charming if cantankerous crew of elderly men. The most recent member to join the group is a recently retired tailor, the unfortunately named Hugh Pugh.

4-LETTER WORD FOR “IMPALE”
But Hugh’s misfortune dramatically increases when he’s arrested for stabbing his husband with a pair of fabric shears. With a cryptic crossword clue left at the crime scene, Quinn seems tailor-made for solving this murder. The local police may be determined to pin the crime on the kindly tailor, but Quinn will use her penchant for puzzles and what her therapist calls her “obsessive coping mechanism” to get the clues to line up and catch the real culprit—before the killer boxes her in. . . 

Includes original crossword puzzles!

About the author
Award-winning author Becky Clark is the seventh of eight kids, which explains both her insatiable need for attention and her atrocious table manners. She likes to read funny books so it felt natural to write them too. She surrounds herself with quirky people and pets who end up as characters in her books. Readers say her books are “fast and thoroughly entertaining” with “witty humor and tight writing” and “humor laced with engaging characters” so you should “grab a cocktail and enjoy the ride.” Subscribe to her mailing list to apply to be part of her Review Crew and read her books before they’re published. She writes the Mystery Writers Mysteries, and the Crossword Puzzle Mysteries, among other things.

Becky’s social media:
Website at beckyclarkbooks.com
Becky’s Book Buddies on Facebook
BookBub at becky-clark
Becky at Amazon

All comments are welcomed.