About Quillen
I am a walking, talking, typing contradiction. I am a chipper, bubbling personality whose work gets described as 'deeply unsettling' and 'excruciatingly heart wrenching.' It makes no sense. I'm well aware.
Quillen's Story
Born in Nebraska, raised in Iowa, and educated in Missouri, Quillen deBruney’s life was a veritable tour of the Midwest until she moved to Baltimore, Maryland in 2005. She grew up with dreams of being a professional musician, but, realizing she had neither the talent to make a living as a performer nor the grit to endure the life of a starving artist, she set her sights on a different kind of performance: politics.
Eventually, her appetite for partisan battles matured into a desire to make government more effective. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Truman State University and a Master of Arts in public policy from The Johns Hopkins University, Quillen moved to Washington, DC, where she spent 15 years working for the federal government, advising senior officials on financial and management matters.
Even while working in government finance, Quillen always harnessed the power of storytelling. For over a decade, she distinguished herself not just as an expert in agency operations but as a skilled communicator who could convey complex information to a variety of audiences through compelling narratives.
In 2022, Quillen decided to leave government service to begin building a second career. By day, Quillen works in the non-profit sector; by night, she crafts stories about unabashedly difficult women facing extraordinary circumstances. Child of June, Quillen's debut literary endeavor, was released in late 2023. Her second novel, Devils of Forsythe, is set to come out in October 2026.
When not working or writing, Quillen is an avid adventurer who has visited more than 20 countries on six continents. She’s climbed mountains in South America, dodged tuk-tuks in Old Delhi, toughed windstorms in the Arabian desert, and had the ultimate Australian bush hiking experience: nearly colliding with a wallaby.
Quillen currently lives in Alexandria, Virginia, with an embarrassingly large assortment of Jane Austen paraphernalia, two dead houseplants, and one highly uncoordinated hound dog.