Why College Park?

I have to start out by saying, I love your books! I can’t even remember the summer I started reading them because it was a while ago, but I remember checking out over 20 of your books from the local library and I hid myself away until I read them all! A few years had gone by and I was at the book store and had found a new book out “Incredibly Alice” and was so excited because it reminded me of my younger youth a bit. But I have just wanted to know one thing, why Takoma Park as the main setting? I am from Pennsylvania, but I am always in D.C., Maryland, or Virginia (DMV). I was on my way to University of Maryland, College Park to see a Women’s Basketball game against the Georgetown Hoyas, and I drove through Takoma Park and I thought it was the coolest thing, for a second I felt like I was living in the Alice books especially when I had read the books because it was always fun to make the connections and say “ooh I know that place” or “I have been to that mall!” ha. But as I was driving through, Takoma Park I was wondering why did you pick that particular place out of anywhere else? …I have to say though, doesn’t Alice know that Georgetown University is way better than University of Maryland?!! 😉 ha. ha.

Thank You for writing such awesome books.

 

 

Ahem.  Do you really expect me to get into an argument about which school is best?  Nah.  Knowing Alice, I think she’d choose the least expensive school to go easy on her dad.  I chose Takoma Park for Lester because it’s close to the U. of Maryland, it has a flavor of individualism, I know some artists who live there, and I thought it would be just right for a grad student.  Also, it’s close enough to where Alice and her dad live, without being in the same city, that Alice could easily get there, and provide more scenes for my books.  Thanks for writing!