Interview

Matthew Quick discusses The Good Luck Of Right Now, movies, synchronicity and fate

What draws you to writing about characters with mental health issues?
I write about people who see the world in unique, deceptively simple, wise, and often hilarious ways. Traditionally, artists—a shockingly large number were/are also members of the mental health community—have stood on the fringe of society and looked back from a different vantage point. They see and convey what the herd cannot. When I was a teenager, I was struggling with anxiety and depression. I didn't know what those things were back then; I just felt embarrassingly odd. But the depression and anxiety made me different, gave me an atypical point of view, and ultimately drove me to the page and kept me there. Being different gave me a voice and made me a fiction writer. Many of my characters have personal struggles that also give them something unique to say—often times, what so called 'normal' people cannot.

Why Richard Gere?
Years ago, I received a Free Tibet letter in the mail signed by Richard Gere. I remember coming home and my wife joking, "Someone famous sent you a letter!" This was back before I had brushed up against fame and the ...