For Anna Bruno, Pittsburgh wasn’t just a great place to grow up; it was the perfect setting for her second novel, Fine Young People. She currently resides in Iowa, but her Pittsburgh roots are evident in the coming-of-age murder mystery set at a prep school in Sewickley. Bruno attended high school at Shady Side Academy in Fox Chapel, which provided the inspiration for the fictional St. Ignatius school, the setting for the book. 

Rodney Phillips’ debut novel began in a less than traditional way: in the warehouse of a discount furniture store in Pittsburgh, thirty-seven years ago. Phillips was 19 years old and working his way through college, and his job allowed plenty of downtime. To pass the hours, he started writing.