Q&A: Bonnie Quinn, Author of ‘How to Survive Camping: The Man with No Shadow’

We chat with author Bonnie Quinn about How to Survive Camping: The Man with No Shadow, which is a campy, cosy horror novel about a manager of a haunted campground just trying to get through the season, perfect for fans of Grady Hendrix, Rachel Harrison, and Welcome to Night Vale.

Hi, Bonnie! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

I’m an author and software developer based in Columbus, Ohio, USA.  I can’t say I’m really from Ohio – my family moved around a little bit growing up, so it’s more a list of states that includes Oklahoma, Texas, and Connecticut as well.  I studied computer science in school and later got my MBA just… because.

I have a lot of interests and not enough free time for them all, but I’m pretty consistent about playing D&D on the weekends.  When I need a break from my computer, I go on hikes with my mom and the dog.

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

It was around first grade, when I decided to read the biggest book off my parent’s bookshelves.  It was the Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, and I adored it.  I wanted to be a part of that world so I started to write my own stories in MS DOS Edit and then just never stopped writing stories.

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: Also the Dragonlance Chronicles. Though I do feel Red Planet by Robert Heinlein deserves a special shout-out as the first chapter book I remember my dad reading to me.
• The one that made you want to become an author: Does a Warhammer rulebook count? My “I want to be an author” moment was in middle school, when a Games Workshop event personnel at a tournament told me he loved reading my army backstory.
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

Your latest novel, How to Survive Camping: The Man with No Shadow, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Humorous horror with folklore inspiration.

What can readers expect?

Take the exhausted frustration of any job that involves dealing with the general public and add monsters.  There’s some delightfully bloody moments interspersed with Kate’s dry humor as she introduces you to her campground’s collection of monsters and how to survive them (or not, as is more often the case).

Where did the inspiration for The Man with No Shadow come from?

I got started by posting short stories on Reddit’s r/nosleep subreddit and while I was camping with friends, I thought it would be fun to write a story about camping and all the mistakes I have made and seen people make.  It was originally just going to be a single post, but something about it clicked with people, so I kept writing and four books worth of content later, here we are.

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

I loved writing the moments when Kate grapples with her helplessness in the face of the monsters and her resulting anger.  There’s something about rage in the face of the things we can’t change that speaks to me.

On a lighter note, I also enjoy writing scenes with The Man With The Skull Cup.  While I’m not one for romance myself, I had a lot of fun dropping in moments that I knew the readers could run with.

Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?

I think the hardest part for me wasn’t writing it, but the editing process.  Since it was originally posted as a series of stories on Reddit, it gathered readers who have been following it ever since.  I was so nervous I was going to mess something up by changing the story too much.  I leaned a lot on my editors’ experience to reassure myself that we were making the right choices, but I also had a to learn to trust myself a bit there too.

What’s next for you?

My life pretty much revolves around How to Survive Camping right now.  The Lady In Chains will be released next April.  We’ve still got two books left to edit and that’ll keep me busy for a bit.  I have other stuff laying around but I’ve decided I’m just going to focus on what’s in front of me!

This is your debut novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?

Honestly some days I’m astonished to be where I’m at.  I was putting all of my professional energy toward the programming career and writing was basically a way to relax from all that.  I’d stopped querying and was just writing the things that made me happy and then putting them online.  I had people reading them, which was wonderful, and I figured when that was no longer enough for me I’d go back to to querying.

Instead, my agent (Maria Brannan) contacted me and now my peers in tech get to listen to my ‘programming could learn a lot from the publishing industry’ rant about once a month.

Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up?

I enjoy a bit of chaos in my reading, so I grab books somewhat at random off the “recommended” shelves and only skim the description so I don’t spoil the surprise of what’s inside.  Strange Beasts by Susan J. Morris was one of those and I enjoyed it quite a bit and am looking forward to her next one.  I also read Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon in this way and it’s haunted me since.

I started reading everything by Isabel Cañas a bit more deliberately and have been really enjoying her books.  I was also recently recommended Greenteeth by Molly O’Neill and the Emily Wilde series by Heather Fawcett and have greatly enjoyed those.

Will you be picking up How to Survive Camping: The Man with No Shadow? Tell us in the comments below!