Online Author Talk w/ Casey McQuiston, August 20

Wednesday, August 20, 6 p.m.

Presented by the Moline Public Library

On August 20 at the Moline Public Library, guests are invite to bring an appetite for sizzling storytelling when the library presents an online author talk with Casey McQuiston, the writer's program "Returning to Romance Through Food & Flirty Fun in Fiction" a virtual hour with the New York Times bestselling author of Red, White, and Royal Blue and last year's acclaimed romantic comedy The Pairing.

McQuiston was born on January 21, 1991, and is queer, non-binary, and uses they/them pronouns. They grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where they attended Louisiana State University and received a degree in journalism. Prior to publishing their first book, they waited tables, freelanced, and worked extensively in magazine publishing, and while McQuiston previously lived in Fort Collins, they currently live in New York City. McQuiston has expressed that they write romantic comedies about queer people because they grew up attending a conservative evangelical Christian school, and want to write books that would have made them feel less isolated as a queer teenager. The author has also spoken about how ADHD affects their writing, describing the process as "impulse-driven" with scenes often written nonlinearly. After their father's death in 2014 and mental health problems in 2015, McQuiston turned to writing as a way to cope.

The author's famed novel Red, White & Royal Blue, which was adapted into an Emmy-nominated movie for Prime Video, is a contemporary queer romance that follows Alex Claremont-Diaz, a fictional First Son of the U.S., as he develops romantic feelings for Henry, an English prince, following an altercation that forces them to fake a friendship for damage control and PR purposes. McQuiston first came up with the idea for what would become Red, White & Royal Blue in early 2016 as they followed the 2016 American presidential elections. While watching a season of the HBO comedy series Veep and reading both a Hillary Clinton biography by Carl Bernstein, A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton, and The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan, McQuiston found themself intrigued by the extravagant, high-profile lifestyle of the royals and wanted to write their own take on a story featuring a royal family. Some additional inspirations behind Red, White & Royal Blue include All the Truth is Out by Matt Bai and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

Released last August, McQuinston's The Pairing follows estranged bisexual exes Kit and Theo when they end up on the same European food and wine tour. In an attempt to break the awkwardness the two agree to a bet on who can sleep with the most people throughout the trip. McQuiston told USA Today that part of their goal in writing the book was to depict bisexual characters with a "healthy sex positivity," saying, "When we try to subvert and take apart tropes, it’s not always enough to just say ‘that’s not true,’ ... Some people who are bi are also very sexual people, very open, and that is as much a part of the experience as being like ‘I’m a bisexual person in a four-year partnership.’”

The online author talk with Casey McQuiston takes place on August 20, participation in the 6 p.m. program is free, and snacks are included. For more information, call (309)524-2470 and visit MolineLibrary.com.