
But the original author of the book, Alice Sebold, stated that the story was partially based on a real rape and murder of a young girl in Norristown, Pennsylvania, who was kidnapped from her parents in the 1970s. The afterlife storyline, in which Susie watches her family from purgatory, is not real. Susie Salmon from The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold Although no one would ever wish for Susie Salmon’s character to be inspired by real events, it is based on a young girl’s murder in Norristown, Pennsylvania in the 1970s. Near the end of the story, a developer plans to fill the sinkhole with concrete, which is what causes Ruth to decide to visit it. No one ever finds the rest of Susie’s body, though when Ruth and Ray visit the sinkhole much later, Ruth wonders whether Susie’s body was left in it. On December 6, 1973, he lures his 14-year-old neighbor Susie Salmon into an underground “clubhouse” he had built in the woods near his house, and rapes and murders her once she is in his power. Here are 9 YA characters that are all based on real-life people: 1.What did George Harvey do to Susie Salmon?Īs an adult, Harvey murders a number of girls and women. So if you're begging to know if there is a real person behind characters like Hermione Granger and Hazel Grace Lancaster, look no further. It's a genre we can all relate to in personal ways, one that is inspired by the constantly changing teenager, real or not real. Between childhood and adolescence, there are so many emotions, experiences, and overwhelming thoughts that it's no wonder why the young adult market is booming.

By then they’ve experienced more than enough to last their creative life.” This quote has always intrigued me, mostly due to the fact that I often write and read about characters 20-years-old or younger.

The beloved Flannery O’Connor once said, “Nothing needs to happen to a writer’s life after they are 20. And as a reader, I'm constantly wondering where authors come up with their wacky, inspiring, and fascinating characters. As a writer myself, I am always looking for inspiration within the people I know intimately, as well as the complete strangers I pass by on the streets. Many authors don't admit where their book inspiration comes from (or, that it is simply a product of their imagination), but there are some writers that have revealed the real people behind their fictional characters.
