NOVELIST—Simi Valley resident and author Wendy Dager wrote the novel “I Murdered the PTA.” WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers When 18 members of an elementary school parent-teacher association are killed in an explosion in a quiet suburban town, Daphne Lee-Lee is the prime suspect.

The plot of “I Murdered the PTA” by Wendy Dager won the novel a top five standing in Court TV’s (now TruTV) 2006- 07 Search for the Next Great Crime Writer contest.

In June, the book was published by Zumaya Publications.

Dager, a Simi Valley resident for more than 20 years, said the Chinese-American protagonist is a “social misfit” to whom many people can relate.

Dager is one of them.

“I remember sitting in PTA meetings for seven years, thinking, ‘I’m not sure if I belong here,’” said the author, who has two adult daughters and a grandson.

“(Lee-Lee) is a rock ’n’ roll mom living in a small town, trying to blend. She’s an artist and a singer.

“What she has in common with everyone else is she’s trying to raise kids.”

Before the book was published, an agent suggested that Dager, a professional freelance writer, pen a nonfiction tell-all of Simi Valley.

She entertained the idea for a short time but eventually declined because she didn’t want to upset her neighbors.

“Like any town, it has its pluses and minuses, but I’ve loved living here for 23 years and it was a great place to raise my kids,” Dager said.

While the writer insists everything in her “humorous mystery” was imagined, it does contain local influences.

“It’s loosely based on people I’ve met, but it’s entirely fictional. I don’t want anyone thinking the plot really occurred,” she said.

Dager’s close friend, New Jersey artist Lisa “Chillpaw” Chillino-Pawlick, created the book’s cover art: a colorful cupcake holding lighted dynamite. The dessert is a reference to the protagonist’s nickname for the PTA ladies.

Dager and Chillino-Pawlick started calling the mothers “cupcakes” even before their counterparts in the book were concocted because the real moms baked so many of the treats, Dager said.

Chillino-Pawlick gave her friend feedback as each chapter was finished.

“ The book is current and funny. It made me laugh,” Chillino Pawlick said.

Despite the fictional elements, the story is truthful and reflects Dager’s personality, Chillino-Pawlick said.

“The book is totally her. It’s honest. It’s the way she is in person.”

The novelist plans to create a series about the misadventures of Lee-Lee. Future stories, including the upcoming “I Killed the Spelling Bee,” will follow the unlucky heroine as her kids grow up and she joins a band.

Dager hopes her tale will appeal to a wide audience. Younger readers will be able to relate to pop culture references, she said.

“ The thing about being a misfit is that a lot of people think they’re the designated one of the group. Which is kind of ironic, but makes for a broader appeal when it comes to my book’s protagonist and its theme,” the author said.