Author's debut novel a return home to Albuquerque

Aug. 8—ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Moving to Oregon for a spell in 2014 turned out to be fruitful for Dave Stanasolovich.

It was during that time the former Albuquerque resident began writing his first novel, "The Mad Girl."

"I was up there by myself and it's something I always wanted to do," he says. "I really buckled down and set up a schedule to write. I would work on it every night after work."

After more than five years of work, Stanasolovich was able to get "The Mad Girl" edited from 230,000 words down to about 90,000 words. The novel is available via Amazon.

The novel follows Cee Stark, who is a student at Cibola High School and where a lot of the day-to-day tension happens.

Cee Stark's childhood memories are dominated by her father's abuse and her mind is scarred by the betrayal and trauma.

Fearing that life will never improve, she prays for help.

After her father and beloved brother are dead from an accident which she feels responsible for, the then-12-year-old turns to her parish priest for forgiveness and comfort. Over the next few years, she falls under the influence of his tortured mind and distorted teachings.

Her struggle for emotional independence and the priest's desire for control begins a battle of wills. Several bad decisions are made resulting in three acts of violence in Albuquerque in the winter of 2012.

Now 17, she is connected to the three victims, and the police follow the threads leading to her. However, the truth is more tangled.

"This is all fiction with the contrast turned up," Stanasolovich says. "In the book, Cee lives in the house we lived in and runs along Alameda Boulevard in the early morning where I used to run."

Stanasolovich lived in Albuquerque from 1993 to 2014. He currently resides in Arizona but wanted to set the book in Albuquerque.

"It's home," he says. "We're trying to figure out where we would live after we retire. Albuquerque is the right size and has the right temperatures. The people were always nice."

He used the pen name Andrew Colvin for the book.

"I talked to my daughter and she suggested a pen name to maintain my privacy," he says. "It's sort of an anagram. In hindsight, it's more of a hindrance. For the sequel, I will probably use my real name."

Stanasolovich enjoys the feedback he's getting on the book. He is aware the novel has dark undertones, but is excited to work on the next book.

He also hasn't thought about it making a possible leap from page to stage.

"It is dark and maybe it would fit in at a cable or streaming platform," he says. "Those are dreams."