Living in a small town while writing about a small town has its challenges.

The questions and concerns about my novel swing from “Am I in it?” to “Where did this take place?” — and the inquiries have been pouring in since its January publication. Most times, it feels like a compliment that my neighbors want to be in my books and truly hope I’m writing about our town. Other times — and this must be when my self-doubt creeps in — it feels like they don’t believe I could actually make up all that I do.

There’s a reason novels and movies have disclaimers stating: “This is entirely fiction. The names, characters, and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or localities is entirely coincidental.”

Or is the resemblance truly coincidental?

The old adage “Write what you know” comes from somewhere. Of course we’re influenced by our past, our surroundings, our travels, and our speculations. I walk through life constantly saying “What if?” when I hear information as benign as a boat stranded on the beach or a broken-down car at the bottom of a ravine.

Like many writers, I’m inspired by pieces of my personal journey, news stories “ripped from the headlines,” a possible twist on history, and my own warped imagination.

In my Midcoast Maine series, my mind’s eye sees my version of Maine — my town and the region — as my fingers type. But the map in my head is mine alone, nothing a reader will ever find in the Gazetteer. In Blaze Orange, the only true part of my town that’s exact is one small segment when the protagonist, Raven, walks away from her house, with the cemetery on her right and the Secretly, Maine, Post Office on her left. When I wrote that piece, I was definitely walking beside her on Route 130, going south, reading the tombstones.

New Harbor Cemetery

Readers forget that we also have to create a structure to allow the mystery to unfold and that the landscape has to fit the story more than it fits the real-life area. When Raven and Betty pull over to allow Raven to catch her breath, it’s loosely located by the Rachel Carson Preserve on Route 32. However, I saw the space as much larger, a true scenic turnoff, not just a shoulder on the side of the road. This is partially because of the story’s needs.

Rachel Carson Preserve, Chamberlain, ME

There are characters whose traits are influenced by people in my life, and lines of dialogue lifted from others. Tom, the Deputy, is described to look exactly like my Tom but has his own characteristics. Howard loves his ham radios like our former neighbor in Damariscotta still does. Of course, some of my own philosophy creeps in, and when I’m sitting in the seat, writing, it all meshes together.

When I wrote this novel, it was my seventh. My first six manuscripts — completely different storylines and plots — hadn’t sold. So I wrote Blaze Orange without much thought about the consequences of using a location or a name. Of course I wanted it published, but what were the odds? When my contract surprisingly arrived, I had to face the choices I’d made.

For example, my murder victim’s name is Charles Kearns. That’s the real name of my oldest friend. I’ve known him as long as I’ve been alive, and we grew up next door to each other in a different small town. Over the years, I’ve written other similarly named characters — a Charlie and a female Charley — into many of my stories, especially when the protagonist needs a really good friend. Suddenly, with a book contract in hand, it hit me: the manuscript would become a living, breathing book, and I had a few decisions, and perhaps changes, to make.

I reached out to the real Charles Kearns and asked him if he wanted me to change the victim’s name. He said no but asked if I could make it ‘Charles E. Kearns’ as a nod to his great-uncle. There was one place where a middle initial would work, and thus, the name was no longer about my friend but his long-passed uncle.

I know famous authors auction off the prize to include your name as a character in their books. Perhaps, in that spirit, I shouldn’t worry about names and inspirations or locales in mine. More often than not, it appears to be a compliment to be included. Let’s hope the neighbor I ‘kill off’ in Book Two thinks so too.

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Allison Keeton’s debut novel is Blaze Orange, Book One in the Midcoast Maine Mystery series. Arctic Green, Book Two, hits the streets (and snowmobile trails) in February 2026. She can be reached at http://www.akeetonbooks.com