A new book with the story set in the Felton community is completely fiction, but is so close to real world issues that it could seem true, according to its author Mary Duncan.

Duncan, a Felton mom of two daughters and four step-children, said many have asked her if anything in the recently published book was taken from true events.

“It is fiction,” Duncan said. “It’s funny because, even though it is fiction, I’ve had some people ask me when these things happened because it is so surreal.”

Her book, Young Love and Tragedy – The Felton Chronicles, is available online and is available for pre-orders in bookstores. It is available at Barnes and Noble and other bookstores and at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and Smashworks.com.

The story is about a teenage couple in love that make choices which change their lives forever and push them into a situation of intrigue.

Duncan said the real theme of the thriller is the importance of choices.

“People tend to think on the present moment without thinking of the long-term consequences on their future,” she said.

“What they (the teen characters) don’t realize is after they made that decision, they can’t take it back. The consequences have to be paid at that point.”

Duncan said some of her thoughts from the book came from raising her daughters, now ages 23 and 19, and being around her husband’s children.

The author made a point of including local landmarks, like Haralson High School, cities like Carrollton, Bremen, Cedartown and Grady Hospital, in the book for relevance.

Duncan, who once worked in the medical field, said she has lived in Felton since she was five years old. Writing was something that always interested her, but she opted for a more practical career in the medical field.

“It’s laid dormant because of life and all the things we have to do,” Duncan said. “Finally, I set down one night and said I’m going to write a book.”

Duncan said this was something she felt she absolutely had to do.

“At first it started eating me alive,” she said. “At that point, I started feeling like it was more of a failure that I never tried at all than if I tried and fail.”

The author said she first started with a book of poetry but wasn’t satisfied, so she opted for a fiction book. She said she did a lot of research on publishers and decided on Brighton Publishing Company.

“Actually, with the book, I was lucky enough that the first submission I made, they grabbed it up,” she said.

Duncan has three other books she is starting work on that Brighton has agreed to publish. She said they will also be fiction, but may include some non-fiction facts.