Using the Real World

When I first wrote I Am Not a Serial Killer, I set it in the imaginary town of Clayton, in the county of Clayton, somewhere in the American midwest–far enough north to be cold and snowy, with enough forest for my narrative needs while still being sufficiently barren for my tonal needs. It is not a real place, and was never intended to be. Then, in Mr. Monster, I wrote a conversation between various kidnapping victims and realized that the first question they'd ask is "where are we?" I wanted ...