A while ago, I was interview by the literary magazine, Midwestern Gothic. It was my first interview and really kind of fun. Not only did I get to talk about my love of writing, but also my love for Michigan.
Morgan Dean: What’s your connection to the Midwest?
Kristen Marquette: It’s home. The lakes and forests, the farms and the cities, all of it.
MD: As a native Michigander, born and raised, in what ways do you feel Michigan has influenced your writing?
KM: Michigan inspires me. It finds its way into my writing without me even realizing it—writing pop instead of soda or measuring distance in time instead of miles. Then there are the seasons. I couldn’t imagine writing an autumn without fiery foliage or writing a winter without a couple feet of snow.
I have been fortunate to have lived all over this great state. I spent my early childhood in Garden City where I formed some of my best memories, so I feel a strong nostalgic connection to the Detroit area. Then my family moved to Marne, a little town outside of Grand Rapids. I went from living in a city with plenty of kids to play with and sidewalks for riding bikes to living in the country with a corn field in front of the house and an apple orchard behind it. It was a culture shock, but I adjusted and West Michigan became home. After high school, I attended Michigan State University and have made the Lansing area my new home. I can draw on any of these places when working on a project.
I am especially affected by up north. My family has been going to the Topinabee/Indian River for generations. The Creaking Tree is not only set in Indian River, but in my parents’ cabin (which once belonged to my cousin), and some of the wildlife in that book were inspired by real woodland animals (R.I.P. Tumorhead, Webby, and Quackers).
To read more, head over to Midwestern Gothic.