Yes, there is a method to my madness. Let’s face it: when we think serial killers and places like… oh, New York, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles—any big city—we think, “Yeah, that’s just how it is.”

Yet when we think of human monsters assaulting small-town America, some out-of-the-way, comfortable little bedroom community or rural farm country, a certain sense of shock and dismay assaults us. Such locations are the “good” places, the quiet places where everyone knows his neighbors, the idyllic settings where bad things don’t happen—at least, where bad unnatural things don’t happen.

It’s silly, of course, since senseless murder is a horrifying event no matter where it occurs. Yet we feel differently about it when it happens someplace… safe. It upsets our fragile psychology, our sense of security, our comfort in letting the kids walk several blocks to school. Surely, no monsters hide in places like this.

Ah, but evil can lurk even where we least expect it. All the cruel beasts need is a supply of unwary subjects, a source of fuel to drive their sick, twisted, psychopathic engine.

Thus, I chose Algonquin, Illinois, my hometown, as the setting for Forgive Me, Alex, because it is just such a place. I felt comfortable helping the reader feel that sense of angst because, after all, I grew up there. I know it. I don’t spend too much time building up the setting, because I think that, beyond the aforementioned small-town qualities, the story would be effective in any small town. I do hope, however, that you get a sense of the simple, quiet nature of the place.

Don’t forget: You still have a few days to save $2.00 on the book at Smashwords. Just use Coupon Code BC83B. Don’t forget to post your review when done.

Thank you, and happy New Year.

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