Sally McQuillen
Author Interview - Sally McQuillen
Author of Reaching for Beautiful
A luminous story of how love triumphs over pain, love transcends fear, and love never dies; this debut memoir from a mother grieving her young-adult son’s death is a must-read for any parent who has lost a child, is raising a child from the edge of their seat, or whose family struggles with addiction.
When Sally’s twenty-one-year-old son died in a boat accident, her greatest fear is realized. Christopher was often drawn to risk and struggled with addiction. In this riveting memoir, Sally captures the wild ride of his jam-packed life and her deep love for him while reflecting on her own childhood and family’s legacy of alcoholism.
Sally shares insights about what it’s like to experience the emotional aftershocks of acute grief, filtered through the dual lens of her personal experience as a mother and her professional vantage point as a psychotherapist. Even if they have not been touched by loss in this way, readers may see themselves in Sally’s bittersweet illusion of trying to keep her wild child safe, in how she is challenged to let go of her fear, guilt, and regret in order to forgive herself, and in the ways grief teaches her about the power of love.
Author Interview - Sally McQuillen
Author I draw inspiration from:
Anne Lamott - Operating Instructions, Joan Didion - A Year of Magical Thinking, David Sheff - Beautiful Boy.
Author Interview - Sally McQuillen | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
In a chaise that belonged to my grandmother, Nanny.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
My son Christopher, Reaching for Beautiful, I am the author. I would hug him as long as I could, look into his sparkly green eyes and cry with elation, my love pouring out of me.
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
I have always revered those who could write. As an avid reader, I hoped I might be able to craft a book that would take the reader to emotional places and provide some light.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
Hardback. Love it for its heft and feel in my hands. Paperback. Like it because I can fly through it and treat it carelessly.
The last book I read:
The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri J.M. Nouwen. I was spiritually inspired by it.
Author Interview - Sally McQuillen | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
Writing my memoir began by journaling on my phone and then moved over to my macbook. I can type quickly but there is nothing like the feeling of a pen in my hand.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
Frances the badger from the children's book series by Russell Hoban that came out in the sixties when I was a little girl. She is a fearful little badger, who feels easily left out, but she is also full of moxie and heart.
Author Interview - Sally McQuillen | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
A therapist which is exactly what I am. I love what I do. And I am a mother which is who I am.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
1960s and 70s for comfort and creativity
Place I’d most like to travel:
Anywhere coastal in the United States or in Europe. Thinking about Croatia lately.
My signature drink:
Nonalcoholic only for nearly 37 years.
Favorite artist:
Georgia O'Keefe just popped into my head. I learned about her in highschool and have admired her abstract photographic paintings ever since.
Number one on my bucket list:
Becoming a grandmother
Anything else you'd like to add:
There may be more creative writing in my future either in the form of a self-help book or in lyrical essays
Find more from the author:
Sally Stearns McQuillen Facebook
@sal.mcq Instagram
About Sally McQuillen:
Author Interview with Sally McQuillen
Sally McQuillen, LCSW, CADC, is a psychotherapist in private practice specializing in addiction recovery, grief and trauma healing. An avid reader with a double major in writing and dance criticism in college, she began working in public relations and marketing prior to obtaining her master’s degree in social work. Reaching for Beautiful is Sally’s first book. She and her husband live on the north shore of Chicago where they raised their three children.
