Indie Support Sunday: Yinn Quirós

Yinn Quirós might be known to most for her billionaire and hockey romances, but did you know that she wants to dive into psychological thrillers one day? Anxiety and big life changes prompted her to start writing, to tell stories about characters struggling with their mental health pushed her to keep going.

Romantic comedies are her favorite thing to write and as she describes it, her hockey series—Chicago Strikers—is a love letter to two very important things she loves: the sport (of course) and 2000’s rom-coms and sitcoms! And don’t worry, she’s just getting started. False Play, the first in the series, released earlier this year and Scoring Lessons comes out in a few months (it’s up for preorder!).

You can find all three of Yinn’s books in Kindle Unlimited right now

BEING AN AUTHOR

Who or what inspired you to write?

I originally started writing as a way to cope with my anxiety after a few drastic life changes. So, I guess you could say the need to write characters who struggle with mental health issues is what inspired me to start writing. 

What’s the best and worst part about being an indie author? 

The best part is the control I have over my own work. But, on the other hand, it can also be the worst part—I am a one-woman show, and sometimes it can be exhausting. 

Why did you choose to self-publish instead of going the traditional route?

I wanted to dictate my own timeline. Plus, I understood that the series I debuted with had slim-to-none chances of getting in front of an agent, much less a publisher. 

When you’re not writing, what do you do to get the creative juices flowing?

Listen to music and play American Mahjong, haha! 

If you were to recommend books to me (in any genre), what would they be?

OMG, this is so hard, haha! I’m going to try my best to keep the list short.

1. High Sticking the Heart by Marie M, Strikeout by Millie Perez, Slipstream by Madge Maril and Funny Story by Emily Henry

What are your top 5 tips or pieces of advice for aspiring authors?

1. Write what YOU want, not what others want you to write.

2. Being an author is a marathon, not a sprint. Take one day at a time.

3. Comparison is the thief of joy. Your process is unique to you—try your best to enjoy it!

4. Don’t be afraid to talk about your books. If you don’t, who will? You will always be the person who will champion your books the most. 

5. Take reviews with a grain of salt. Reading is VERY subjective. What some people hate, others love. Don’t take it personally—it’s just the way this business works. 

ROMANCE AS A GENRE

Why did you choose romance as the genre to write in? What is your favorite thing about the genre?

I love seeing my characters fall in love over and over again. From the meet-cute to the high stakes, where they have to choose each other and fight their love—I love it all. 

If not romance/subgenres of romance, what genre would you like to write in?

Psychological Thriller for sure!

What are your most and least favorite tropes?

My absolute favorite trope is black cat x golden retriever, and my least favorite trope is cheating. 

What are some tropes you want to write in the future?

So many! Love triangle, ex’s dad, accidental pregnancy.

What are some topics (sensitive and otherwise) that you think should exist more in romance?

Mental health and chronic illnesses like PCOS/endometriosis.

If you write open door romance, why did you choose that, and what inspires your sex scenes?

I love writing open-door romance because I think exploring your sexuality and having intimacy is important. And what inspires me, believe it or not, is music. It always boils down to music for me, haha. 

YOUR BOOKS

What inspired your published stories? How and when did you come up with these stories and plots?

For my debut series, I had recently moved to Chicago, and I wanted to write a billionaire romance set in this city because I felt I couldn’t find enough of them. 

My hockey series is essentially a love letter for two things I love—the sport and 2000s rom-coms and sit-coms (think New Girl, Friends, etc.)

Can you briefly tell me about your books?

My debut series is the Windy City Billionaires set in Chicago with plot twists, angst, and open-door spice. The women are fierce, and the men are the alpha type (would burn the world for their woman), but are complete simps for them in the best way possible!

My hockey series is also set in Chicago, and will be a six-book series following different players. The found family aspect is sitcom style, while the romance has that 2000s rom-com feel. I will be exploring a lot of new tropes I haven’t written before—accidental pregnancy, marriage in trouble, to name a few. 

Do you already have a favorite character from the stories you’ve written?

This is a difficult one. Every character for me is special in one way or another! 

If you were to cast your book for a movie/television show, who would you cast in the lead roles?

Ohhh, I love this question. Let’s do False Play, because I think about this A LOT, lol. 

For the FMC, Kennedy Jones, I’ve always pictured Kat Graham. And for the MMC, Henry Anderson, Ian Somerhalder (when he was in his 30s, lol). 

How much of yourself do you put into these characters?

I never plan it, it just happens, haha. Especially with my FMCs, their strong-willed personality definitely comes from me. I’m stubborn as hell, so that’s how I like writing them.

What is a story/stories that you really want to tell?

There are so many in my head, I don’t even know where to begin, lol. I want to continue writing romantic comedy stories that have those flawed characters who have to make tough choices and work themselves to get better. I want to write about more women in sports—whether they are actual athletes or work on the corporate side. 

Is there one common element that readers can find in all your stories?

Mental health and found family. I love writing flawed characters because I think readers should be able to find themselves in books and understand that happily ever afters are possible for everybody. 

What’s next on the bookshelf for you? Anything you can tell us about a future project?

As of right now, I am focusing my time on my hockey series. It’s a long one (6 books), but I am working on something secret-ish on the side that I have a lot of big plans for! 

When you write these stories, what are you hoping your readers will feel?

I hope they can laugh, cry, and overall find comfort in my characters and writing. I want them to feel what the characters feel. Understand that the choices my characters make are not always right because they are—like people in the real world—flawed. I always want to make sure my readers feel how human my characters are. 

AUTHOR’S CHOICE

• Paperbacks, hardbacks, ebooks or audiobooks—I love annotating!

• Contemporary, fantasy, historical or romantic suspense

• Single or Dual POV—Depends on the genre. But mostly dual. 

• Standalones, series or standalones in a series

• Open door, ajar door or closed door romances—Give me all the spice!!!! Hehe. 

• Music or silence when writing—At max volume

• Plotter, pantser or plantser

• Water, tea, coffee or….wine?

• Cold or warm weather

• Write better in the morning, afternoon or night?

• Illustrated or photo cover?

Yinn can be found on Instagram, TikTok, Threads. Make sure to sign up for her newsletter and visit the online store to get your physical copies of her books!