Author Spotlight- Author Q & A with Quinn East
Meet Quinn East: The Romance Author Bringing Small-Town Love (and Frog Statues) to Life
If you’ve ever wanted a romance novel that feels like sipping coffee on a porch swing, eavesdropping on nosy neighbors, and maybe side-eyeing a very questionable frog statue—then you need to know Quinn East. With her debut It’s Always Been You, Quinn proves she’s not just writing love stories—she’s building entire towns you’ll want to pack up and move to.
We sat down with Quinn for a candid Q&A about her writing journey, her love of second-chance romance, and why The Golden Girls is her not-so-secret creative fuel. Spoiler alert: her fictional small town of Wolfe Point might just steal your heart.
Get to Know Quinn East
I write coastal small-town romances.
You’ll swoon, cry, and believe in love again when you pick up one of my novels. In my stories, the town is just as much of a character as the people who call it home, and I always aim to leave you wanting to pack your bags and move there.
My debut novel, It’s Always Been You, releases September 25, 2025. Expect charming characters you can’t help but love, found families, sappy love, a little mayhem, and just enough ridiculousness to make you laugh out loud.
When I’m not writing, you’ll usually find me baking, canning, or curled up with a book from one of my favorite authors.
What’s the “origin story” of you as a writer—have you always known you wanted to write books?
Quinn: I’ve always had a passion for writing. Stories were easily made up, but sometimes I didn’t feel like I should write them down. It made it a little to real. But as the world quieted for a bit in 2020 I finally let myself put pen to paper so to speak. What I wrote then has led me to find what I really love writing. And no, you won’t see those early ideas because they are a hot mess!
What’s a book you read growing up that made you believe in love stories (or made you want to write your own)?
Quinn: Anne of Green Gables. It was really the first book I read that let me know an imagination was a good thing.
Do you have a writing ritual (the candle + playlist combo, the coffee shop stakeout, or pajamas till noon)?
Quinn: No I don’t have any rituals, but I do need coffee! I do need to turn the wifi off thought or I’ll spend way to long doom scrolling.
You’re stranded on a desert island—what three romance novels are you bringing for survival (and swoons)? Lorenzo by Sadie Kincaid (audio if possible!!!), For the Love of Whiskey by Melissa Foster and Bourbon Sunset by Walker Rose
What do you hope readers feel when they close one of your books?
Quinn: I hope they feel the love I have for each character and I’d like to be able to pull them into a world that feels a lot more clam than the one they live in. I’d like people to finish my books and want to pack suitcases to move.
If you weren’t writing romance, what genre do you think you’d dabble in?
Quinn: Thriller I think, I like true crime and trying to figure out who the suspects are.
Which romance tropes make you instantly say “yes, please”?
Quinn: Second chance, arranged marriage, marriage of convenience, and mafia
What’s one non-bookish thing that inspires your creativity?
Quinn: I like to sit outside and just listen, but also the Golden Girls, they’re my background noise show!
About t’s Always Been You
Tell us the elevator pitch for It’s Always Been You—how do you sum up the heart of your story?
Quinn: Cozy small town, nosy neighbors, family dinners, and the kind of love stories that make everyone blush at Sunday brunch.
What sparked this particular book—was it a character, a scene, or one of those “what if” moments?
Quinn: It was really the what if one party involved in the fake dating didn’t even know it was happening and then stumbled upon it during a time of grief. And in Maverick’s case, he had to be the police chief to deal with his grandfather at the beginning, because what grandson wants to hear how his grandfather’s lover passed!
Which character was the most fun to write, and which one kept you up at night trying to get right?
Quinn: Maverick was the most fun to write, I just think I was able to get his personality to shine. Hannah was the more difficult one, I wasn’t sure what direction to take her. She needed to be a bit more cold or aloof than other FMC’s I’ve been focused on. But I also can’t wait to explore Marlowe more! She’s going to be trouble I think!!
Your title screams swoony nostalgia—how important is “timing” in this love story?
Quinn: I wanted current time to mimic the time from their past. So early summer, when life is just really getting going on the island was my focus. I needed Hannah to remember the life she had there, and the people and the good things about Wolfe Point so it could over shadow the hurt of her childhood.
Did the book change a lot from first draft to finished version? What surprised you most in the process?
Quinn: It really did, I’d had the first fifteen chapters written for about six months and then felt like it wasn’t the direction I needed it to be in. So, when I finally sat back down to look at it, so much was shifted around or taken out altogether. What surprised me most was I thought I could give up control in the editing process, but it was actually very hard to do, because I was so attached to how I wrote the town and introduced everyone in the first few chapters. The changes were needed, and I finally gave up some control!!
Was there a scene you couldn’t wait for readers to experience?
Quinn: So much a scene but I couldn’t wait for the feedback about Fanny’s frogs!
Every romance writer secretly (or not so secretly) falls for their own characters—who’s your personal book crush from It’s Always Been You?
Quinn: It would be easy to say Maverick, because he’s perfect, but I’m going to have to say Tucker “Wolf” Brennan. Silver fox, who’s so in love with his wife and protective of everyone who’s in his orbit.
How did you balance the emotional beats with the lighter, swoon-worthy moments?
Quinn: I just wrote and if a scene felt like it needed levity, I added it in. I’ve got this thing that even in sadness or very inappropriate times I can usually lighten the mood with a one liner or a joke. I blame this on my dad and my nursing career!
What do you hope readers will carry with them after finishing this debut?
Quinn: I hope they carry the love of this town and the family. Is it over idyllic? Absolutely, but if one person can think about this book when they’re feeling down or stressed and it boosts them, I’ve done my job. Hense why Fanny’s frogs became a thing! I want people to think of them and laugh!
Can you share a behind-the-scenes moment in writing this book that no one knows yet?
Quinn: I think it was the development of the frogs. I wanted to have a mascot of sorts for the town, but with Hannah’s past being a troublemaker I needed something that I could include in that. And what better way than that awful statue. I actually wrote “that f%$#ing frog statue” and then I was like wait what if they were actually… frogs!! I giggled through the first scene I wrote for it.
What is Next
Now that your debut is out in the world, what feels different—or what hasn’t sunk in yet?
Quinn: It hasn’t really sunk in yet. I’ve been so busy writing the next book in the series, the prequel and a holiday novella I haven’t really had time to process it all.
What’s your dream career moment as an author (book tour, movie deal, seeing your book in Target)?
Quinn: Being able to tell my husband I’ve made enough for him to build his dream shop for all his tools. He’s never questioned this author thing and more than once been the only person who can keep me going, which included getting me up at 5:30 so I could hit a deadline. So, I’d like to do this for him.
Are you already working on your next book? Can you tease what’s coming?
Quinn: The next book in the Wolfe point series is Keely and Brooks, I’ve cried more writing this book than I knew was even possible. They were the right people at the wrong time for one another, and I just can’t wait for everyone to read their love story. And I have a Holiday story coming out that will start to introduce you to the Guardians. It’s an age gap, snowed in, insta love story with a grumpy MMC and an over-the-top Hollywood star that you’ve heard about!
Who is your “ideal reader”—the person you’re picturing when you write?
Quinn: Someone who grew up watching Gilmore Girls and reading romance books way too young who is looking for that homey feeling that you can escape to.
Quinn East is just getting started, but if her debut is any sign, readers are in for a swoony, heartfelt ride full of family, community, and a few laugh-out-loud surprises (yes, frogs included).
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