REMINDER AND READER RESPONSE

…I recently received a fantastic question from a super-sharp Springfield reader: “Is Crestview a combination of all five Springfield high schools?”

A BLUE SO DARK is, in fact, set in my hometown of Springfield, MO…and while a handful of Springfield landmarks do show up in the novel, Crestview High is not the name of any of Springfield’s high schools…

Crestview is a fictional school.

While a novel is, by definition, a work of fiction, I think readers have a tendency to try to dig out the “truths” of a novel…For example, one question I was constantly asked while my book was in development was whether I grew up with a mentally ill mother! (Nope—I didn’t.)

I simply chose to give Aura’s high school a fictional name to drive home the point that I wasn’t depicting any specific Springfield high school, or, for that matter, any individual who ever attended or worked for the Springfield Public Schools. The characters in my books are 100% dreamed-up.

(I'm answering specifically here regarding "Crestview," because that was how the question reached me...but really, this goes for the entire book. The locations, buildings, names, etc. in BLUE are ALL used fictitiously.)

...One thing that isn’t dreamed-up is my author signing, scheduled for this Saturday (June 26) at the Borders on Glenstone, right here in Springfield, MO. I’ll be signing copies of A BLUE SO DARK from 1-3 p.m.

Looking forward to seeing you there!