When Fullerton Union High School alumni and speech-language pathologist Debra L. Brunner faced serious illness last year, she resolved to publish her debut novel Felony in Fullerton.
“I was determined that it was going to get published before I die,” Brunner said. “It was one of those things where I was waiting to have heart surgery and had gotten the email that my book was going to be available in paperback the following weekend.”
Now, she’s made a comeback to finish a sequel and satisfy her growing readership.
In a phone interview with the Tribe Tribune, Brunner reflected on how formative her childhood spent in Fullerton was in contributing to her creative writing.
Published in October of 2023, Felony in Fullerton is a mystery novel that interweaves Brunner’s love for Fullerton history with a gripping plot. Set on Mother’s Day weekend in 1930, the same year as the opening of the Fullerton Auditorium, Felony in Fullerton follows agent Ruby Ray as she uncovers the disappearance of four FUHS students.
It’s no surprise that Brunner wrote a book set in Fullerton. Growing up, scenes similar to those imagined in Felony in Fullerton served as the backdrop to her childhood. Not only is Fullerton where Brunner met her husband and attended school, but its landmark architecture always spoke to her active imagination.
“There were some times where I was driving around as a small child where I felt like I was going back in time because of these amazing buildings,” Brunner said. “I would picture the people who lived there a long time ago.”
Though Brunner took some creative liberties in crafting the setting, her depiction of 1930’s Fullerton is not entirely fictitious. Digital archives provided by the Fullerton Public Library served as a reference.
“One of the things that was really helpful was the local history room at Fullerton Public Library,” Brunner said. “They digitized a lot of things, including The Pleiades yearbook from the years 1909 to 1954.”
“I was able to actually see what the high school looked like from the photos and see what all the clubs were.”
In the author’s notes of Felony in Fullerton, readers can see what parts of the book were based on historical fact, from President Richard Nixon attending FUHS to Bob the alligator snapping turtle.
Then, there’s the character of Ruby who came to Brunner fully fleshed. Described as a Marion Davies lookalike, she has a penchant for helping women flee abuse.
“I knew what she looked like, I knew what she sounded like, I knew how old she was, and what some of mannerisms were and stuff,” Brunner said. “She just sort of introduced herself fully formed.”
However, other aspects of the novel came in fragments.
“It kind of came to me in bits and pieces,” Brunner said. “Specific details would just come to me when I was out on walks or driving around. When I’m not even thinking about the story, suddenly an entire scene will just pop into my head and I can see it clearly.”
What has been most rewarding for Brunner following the release of Felony in Fullerton is the positive reactions from those who once roamed the hallways of the school.
“Folks who attended Fullerton High School in particular have enjoyed the story, which means a lot to me,” Brunner said. “Honestly, the reader I had in mind was somebody who attended Fullerton High School or who knew it really well.”
It’s the intersection between historical accuracy and imagination that distinguishes Felony in Fullerton and makes Brunner’s writing so compelling.
Brunner continues to write, with the sequel Lethal in Laguna likely to come out sometime next spring. Felony in Fullerton can be purchased on Amazon and Audible. Buy the book for $18 on Amazon, $6 for the Kindle version, free on Kindle Unlimited.
