Autopsy of an author

By Karen Raffaelo

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – “Real life doesn’t end happily ever after, there’s always a big battle,” said Alane Ferguson.

More than 100 young readers filed into the lunchroom at PATHS, Professional Technical High School, on Wednesday, Nov. 17 for the new installment of Ferguson’s forensic mysteries series “The Dying Breath”.

Ferguson’s has been writing young teen mysterious since 1987. Her new book is part of her Viking series, based on real life drama and backed with forensic evidence. She has gone to many autopsies and has interviewed many forensic doctors, to give her young audience a CSI feel in book form.

“Her books are amazing, because they are accurate to science and the medical field,” said Nafees Fatima-Hashina, a nursing student.

Ferguson sat down with her fans on a personal level to talk about her early inspirations for writing and people in her life who helped her to develop as a writer.

“She’s very down to earth and funny, extremely easy to talk to,” said Jalissa Oliva, a phlebotomy student.

Ferguson joked about loving her fans some much that she answers almost every email, “I have to grow up now, so I do have to make a dead line,” she said when asked if things have changed from her first published book to now. “Before they paid half when I started and half when I finished, now it’s all in one lump some.”

Ferguson also commented on the works of other writers for teen or young readers like the Harry Potter series and the Twilight sagas; both of which have a huge fan base compared to Ferguson’s.

“If I wrote it, I’d kill off the mother, she’s a flat character,” Ferguson said regarding the last book in the Twilight saga, of which many critics also disliked the happy and unrealistic ending.