Cassidy Hogan asked Bethany Wiggins:

How did you come up with all of your ideas and the action in this book? Are any of the characters based off of someone that you know or knew as a child?

Bethany Wiggins Three things gave me the idea for this book. First a nightmare that became chapter one. Second, the swine flu scare from about five years ago that had everyone storming the health clinics for a vaccine, and all the while I was thinking what if the government put something into this vaccine that will change us into mindless beasts? Third, I got a magazine that had a story about the declining bees. I put those three things together and Stung was born. The action in the book came from me trying to make sure there wasn't a single paragraph in the book that was boring. As for characters, I have a neighbor who is a piano prodigy, and I found that fascinating, so I used that piece of reality for Fiona. Another kid used to ride his long board around my neighborhood in the dead of winter with no coat on. He looked way overdue for a haircut, and he always seemed hungry. I based Bowen on him a bit.

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