Pretty In Pennsylvania [Laurie Boyle Crompton]

So far, all of my published novels have taken place in small towns: the first two in Pennsylvania, and the more recent two in upstate New York. Since I grew up in a quintessential small town; Butler, PA it could be (easily) argued that my story setting choices are inspired by pure laziness. And since my next book PRETTY IN PUNXSUTAWNEY boasts of it's small Pennsylvania town location RIGHT IN THE TITLE, and because Punxsutawney, PA is a mere stones-throw from Butler, PA one could (easily) argue that laziness is an ongoing trend in this author's life. And overall one would not be wrong. However, when it comes to world building, even with realistic fiction, actual geographical location is only one factor. Besides small towns, my books have also taken place inside minivans (aka: Blaze's Subatomic Sweatmobile of Doom) on reality show television sets (with Prom Queens battling it out for a grand prize tiara), on mountain tops (where Dyna chased her lust for Adrenaline), and everywhere from hidden cabins to carnivals to the world of street art with Rory, (as she wielded cans of spray paint like weapons) Each of those worlds required plenty of research, including everything from learning comic book jargon to watching hours upon hours of reality television, to studying graffiti artist techniques and all culminating in a family rock-climbing expedition which instigated a fresh fear of heights in my poor sweet daughter (my son LOVED it of course). And now PRETTY IN PUNXSUTAWNEY brings me back to my small Pennsylvania town roots as Andie gets caught in a Groundhog Day loop, reliving her first day at Punxsutawney High over and over. And as we all know, HIGH SCHOOL is a never-ending world all its own. Hope you'll join her there in January 2019! And just to entice you, here's the ah-mazing cover with an iconic locker shot and that small Pennsylvania town right there in the title: