The book imagines a world light years away, but it was written here in Maricopa. 

I Know What UFO Did Last Summer is about a kid who becomes convinced he’s uncovered an alien conspiracy. He and his sidekick set out to uncover the truth in a sci-fi mystery. 

It’s written by Kevin Garone, who wrote the book from his home office in Maricopa’s Homestead North neighborhood. 

Garone grew up on the East Coast and wrote the book on a real-life experience of his own. 

“When I was in elementary school, I went through a brief phase where I was half convinced that the Animorphs books were real,” said Garone on Tuesday. 

That childhood imagination and anxiety is channeled into Garone’s first book. He imagines the book will find a tween-age audience.  

 “Ideally, kids who are 10 to 12 years old who like stuff that’s kind of Stranger Things, but a little more zany,” said Garone. “Kind of like Last Kids on Earth. You know, kind of a blend of those sorts of things, the sci-fi suspense kind of stuff, but then a little bit more of the zany side of it as well.” 

Garone a copywriter by day and author by night. He is also a father to two small children. He said he wrote with small interruptions and creative input from his oldest child. 

“My 4-year-old always wants to know why I want to read or write scary books,” he said, explaining it’s about him, as a little older. “I draw inspiration from my own life, when I was the same age as the characters, like 12 or 13.” 

The creative vein that Garone tapped into is still pumping ideas and stories. This is the first of a planned Alien Survival Guide series. He is also planning on exploring other regions in which he lived, such as Maricopa.  

The book becomes available on March 11.