7 things that made Quinn Cozens believe in small-town life

Quinn Cozens once dreamed of making it big and living large. But when he made it in not one but two ambitions, small-town life started calling his name.

Quinn may’ve been a jerk who once upon a time wanted to leave small-town America in the dust, live in a big city, and flaunt how he was better than everyone. Yet when he reached his dream as an indie sports writer, Quinn started rethinking things.

He regretted the falling out he had with his sister Jackie, lamented the time missed with his now-deceased grandparents, and he found beauty in living in a small town. But even when he was dreaming big, there were still some aspects of small-town living that Quinn always appreciated.

Timeless ones, and these seven items below highlight what one of my most nuanced characters ever craves the most. I’ve often said that Quinn and I are one and the same…mostly. So much of what you’re reading below is what I also appreciated about small-town life, despite my wish to live in a large metro area once upon a time.

1 – High school football

Quinn may’ve hated public schools, but high school football Friday nights were still on his to-do list until his early twenties. They grew even more sacred when he’d take (and bicker nonstop with) Jackie to and from games. Still, they always enjoyed talking about anything and everything but the game, like current melodrama going on at the school.

2 – Independent pizza parlors

The Upper Ohio Valley where Quinn grew up was full of indie pizza parlors. Yeah, you had the national pizza chains, but they did a piss-poor job competing with those indies. In a world where big-time corporations love running out the little men, those pizza parlors stood strong.

3 – Close connections

Quinn may’ve been the most polarizing son of a bitch out there in his late teens and early twenties. The flamethrower style he possessed on social media long before his days as a writer made some old schoolmates hate him while others loved him. Quinn would never admit it, but he appreciated those who loved him for his ways.

4 – Churches

Quinn hated going to church and he mocked Christianity. But seeing and driving by churches reminded him that the people he lived around still held a sense of conviction. He may’ve disagreed with that conviction, but to him, it was better than living without purpose.

5 – Mutual aid

Quinn grew up in a conservative right-wing area, and that was never a bad thing. While the Lefties may have pointed fingers why private people and not local governments weren’t picking up the slack for, say, clearing roads following a winter storm, it meant something to Quinn. It showed that the people he lived around weren’t as selfish as the Lefties would’ve liked to believe.

6 – Community cornerstones

No, public schools weren’t it. But wing night at a local eatery was. Ditto for the local mall, the nearby movie theater, and the old drive-in. Places where people of all ages could congregate and hang out. Oh, and when he was younger, those community parties at that nearby farm were kick-ass between July and October.

7 – He could go run anywhere

Living in a big city, Quinn would’ve had to watch for one hazard after another. In small-town America where he begrudgingly stayed until he started loving it? Oh, he could run on the road and never need to worry about someone turning him into roadkill.

For someone who ran between February and September every year, the fewer vehicles Quinn needed to deal with, the happier he was. So, he’d plug in his earbuds, turn on some symphonic power metal, music that motivated him to do anything and everything, and he’d take off for an hour.

One genre Quinn never got around to on those runs, though, was K-pop. But that didn’t mean crossing a K-pop idol wasn’t in his future. When terrorists struck the United States in late July, Quinn thought he was the sole survivor. Until he ran into Yui Kikuchi. Find out if this duo has what it takes to survive in Beyond the Lost Horizon.