Ty Swartz on Blending Virginia History with Supernatural Thrills
In The Vanishing at Pinecrest, the setting may be fictional. Still, its foundation is shaped by real pieces of Virginia's past and accounts of unsolved disappearances. Author Ty Swartz drew on local history and combined it with imagined events to create a mystery that feels believable while still holding the tension of a supernatural thriller.
Let us explore this novel as he explains how he researched the story, why the school's setting is so essential, and which real-life events helped inspire the plot.
Q: What inspired you to set the story in Virginia?
Ty Swartz: Virginia has a long and complicated history, from its colonial roots to the civil rights era. Many towns here still have buildings and landmarks that reflect different parts of that history. I wanted Pinecrest Middle School to feel like one of those places, somewhere that has been around long enough to hold layers of stories, some remembered and some forgotten.
Q: The East Wing of Pinecrest feels very real. Was it based on a specific building?
Ty Swartz: It is a mix of several schools and public buildings I have visited over the years. I took notes on details like the way light falls through tall windows, the sound of footsteps in an empty hallway, and the layout of old staircases. Some of the design elements were inspired by schools that were initially segregated, where the architecture and layout reflected the time they were built.
Q: How much of the story comes from real disappearances?
Ty Swartz: The exact twelve-year pattern in the book is fictional, but I did draw from real cases of people going missing. In Virginia and nearby states, there have been unsolved disappearances that left communities shaken for decades. I looked at how those events were remembered and how they affected the way people saw certain places. That helped me think about how the town in the book would respond to repeated tragedies.
Q: Did you find that blending history with fiction changed the tone of the story?
Ty Swartz: Definitely. When you add fundamental historical elements, the story feels more grounded. It also adds weight to the mystery. The supernatural aspects of the plot stand out more because they are set against details that could have happened in real life. Readers can imagine something like this being possible, which strengthens the suspense.
Q: What kind of research did you do before writing?
Ty Swartz: I read about the history of Chesapeake and other Virginia towns, visited older buildings, and talked to people who remembered the way schools were before integration. I also studied maps and looked at how buildings were expanded or repurposed over time. For the supernatural side, I read about ancient rituals and symbolic patterns in different cultures.
Q: Why do you think history and supernatural elements work well together in YA fiction?
Ty Swartz: Young adult readers are often curious about the past, especially when it connects to a mystery. Adding supernatural elements gives them another reason to dig deeper into the story. The two work together because history provides a believable framework, and the supernatural gives the mystery its urgency.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from this blend?
Ty Swartz: I hope they enjoy the suspense and the mystery, but I also hope they notice the role that history plays in shaping the present. Even though the events in the book are fictional, the idea that places hold on to their past is very real.
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