‘All the Dead Fallen Leaves’ by Author M. Blair Reveals How Isolation and Unanswered Pain Can Lead to Tragedy

Long before violence erupts, there may be changes that appear small enough to overlook. A person withdraws, anger hardens, dangerous ideas gain influence, and opportunities to offer help quietly disappear. In All the Dead Fallen Leaves, author Morgan Blair uses fiction to make those warning signs memorable. The result is a disturbing psychological novel shaped by grief, research, and a sincere desire to encourage intervention.

The Story Begins With the Aftermath

On October 31, 2007, former students Will Bellman and Taylor return to their old school and open fire. They call the attack “Tribulation,” presenting it as a day of judgment against those they believe have wronged them.

Readers learn this immediately. There is no mystery surrounding what Will ultimately does. The deeper mystery concerns the years that brought him to that point and the people who might have noticed his growing distress.

The story unfolds through material collected after the shooting. Police statements, Will’s private journal, a suicide note, and an exclusive magazine interview gradually create a portrait of his life. The interview features Chloe, his childhood sweetheart, speaking publicly about the tragedy for the first time five years later.

This documentary-style structure keeps the shooting itself outside the novel’s immediate viewpoint. Morgan concentrates on the road leading toward it. Each piece of evidence reveals another layer of Will’s emotional decline, allowing readers to recognize how separate experiences begin forming a dangerous pattern.

When Belonging Takes a Dangerous Form

Will is introduced as a deeply wounded young man who wants the same things many people want: love, safety, friendship, and acceptance. A childhood accident killed his sister and left him with physical and psychological scars. His guilt remains close, shaping how he sees himself and what he believes he deserves.

School brings further pain. Other students target him, ordinary days become exhausting, and hope feels increasingly remote. Chloe cares about him, yet Will struggles to accept that affection. His damaged self-image convinces him that happiness belongs to someone else.

Taylor’s arrival initially feels like relief. He understands Will’s anger and appears willing to stand beside him. Their friendship gives Will a sense of solidarity he has lacked for years.

That solidarity soon develops a darker purpose. Taylor is fascinated by the Columbine killers and frequently refers to Eric and Dylan. His obsession gives violence a mythology, turning real perpetrators into figures worthy of imitation. Will’s need for connection makes him vulnerable to this influence.

Morgan presents the progression gradually. Readers encounter a series of warning signs rather than one simple explanation. Grief, shame, bullying, isolation, fixation, and rage gather force across the narrative. Will remains emotionally recognizable as his decisions become increasingly alarming.

His humanity is essential to the book’s purpose. Seeing violent offenders only as unknowable monsters can create a false sense of distance. Recognizing their humanity allows families, friends, teachers, and communities to consider how destructive thinking develops and where meaningful intervention may still be possible.

Turning Painful Research Into a Call for Awareness

The idea for the novel emerged during a period of personal grief. Morgan had recently experienced a death in the family when a documentary about Columbine appeared on YouTube. The case stayed in mind, eventually inspiring a short story.

People familiar with Columbine read that early work and encouraged its expansion. Morgan completed the first draft in three months, describing the experience as closer to channeling the story than consciously constructing it. The following two years were spent editing and questioning whether readers would understand its intent.

Randy Brown, a Columbine parent, read an early draft and offered encouragement. Literary agents also responded to the manuscript, although they were uncertain about how to position such difficult subject matter within traditional publishing.

Another family death eventually left Morgan without the energy to continue, and the manuscript began gathering dust. Interest returned after Kyle from the YouTube channel Dire Trip reached out while developing a documentary series about Columbine. Morgan had accumulated extensive research related to the case and began assisting with the project.

That research also informs the novel’s examination of the “Columbine Effect,” in which individuals idolize previous killers, copy their behavior, or become inspired to commit violence themselves.

About the Author

Morgan Blair is a private author who wants the story’s message to remain more visible than the person behind it. With characteristic dark humor, Morgan describes themself as an eldritch horror confined to a meat suit, spending free time writing and attempting to keep a pet cactus alive.

What the Story Hopes to Prevent

All the Dead Fallen Leaves was written with prevention at its heart. Morgan recognizes that factual lists of red flags can quickly fade from memory, while a powerful story may remain with readers for years.

Will’s downfall offers many moments when another choice or a timely conversation might have changed everything. If readers recognize similar despair in themselves or someone close to them, the novel carries a direct message: speak up, seek help, and act while there is still time.

We had the privilege of interviewing the author. Here are excerpts from the interview:

Thank you so much for joining us today! Please introduce yourself and tell us what you do.

I’m Morgan Blair. I’m an eldritch horror who has been bound to this world in a meat suit. I pass my time by writing stories and trying to keep my pet cactus alive. But in terms of this book, I also branched out when about a year and a half ago I received a message from Kyle (Dire Trip) when he was in the early planning stages of his documentary series on Columbine. I gathered a lot of research material about the case, since the book also deals with what has become known as ‘The Columbine Effect’ and have been assisting on the documentary.

Please tell us about your journey.

The book itself is about a school shooter, told in the form of evidence gathered afterward- police statement, the shooter’s journal, a magazine interview with the girl the shooter loved, and his suicide note. The story never actually stays with the character while he is committing the atrocity. You can see the slow and terrible path from normal kid to a killer. And the kid, Will, is likeable. That’s part of the point. But since we already know he did it, that makes it worse. It deals with what has become known as ‘The Columbine Effect’ – when people idolize the killers and begin to emulate them. When they are inspired to commit their own atrocity. The main character, Will, meets Taylor, who is obsessed with Columbine.

Any message for our readers.

The entire point of the story is prevention. People don’t easily remember sterile lists of red flag behaviors to look out for. But they do remember stories. Will is likeable. His descent into despair and rage is like watching a train wreck in slow motion. You know what’s happening, and the whole time you just want him to stop. And there were so many opportunities for him to do so.

Thank you so much, Morgan, for giving us your precious time! We wish you all the best for your journey ahead!