This may be a surprise, considering he’s become a favourite of several who have read what’s been written of the series so far; but I never intended Quinn to become a major character. I remember seeing an interview with Neil Gaiman where he said that there are times when you want your main character to interact with someone else just to show things from a different perspective or deepen the world you’re trying to describe. That was what Quinn was intended to be.
I originally envisioned him to be the man in charge of the weapons at House Valerius and, if things had been different that might have been the end of it. But, it turned out I enjoyed writing for him, so he kept popping up again and again, eventually getting his own short story in Hunter’s Moon.
Part of his character comes from my view of the stereotypical biker; mainly his usual choice of transport and style of dress. The Civil War angle comes from a throwaway line from the movie Near Dark featuring one of my favourite actors, Lance Henriksen. When asked by the new recruit to his gang how old he is, Henriksen’s character replies “Let’s just say I fought for the South.” For whatever reason, that line always stuck with me and when I came to start writing Quinn, it came back.
Most of Quinn’s backstory; described in small pieces in House Valerius and A House Divided, and given full treatment in Hunter’s Moon, comes from my love of westerns, with some of the geographical detail coming from my choice of home in the States.
While I make it a rule never to say that I would never kill off a character, Quinn is probably the one I would be the most reluctant to get rid of, so there’s a good chance he’ll make it through House In Exile and beyond.
The Scribblings 