Date
9-17-2026
Department
College of Arts and Sciences
Degree
Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (MFA)
Chair
Kornel Gerstner
Keywords
forensic botany, psychological thriller, crime fiction, setting, trauma, memory, identity, regional symbolism, state flowers, Southern Gothic, forensic science, screenwriting
Disciplines
Creative Writing
Recommended Citation
Walton, Tekisha L., "The Blooming Shadows: A Screenplay Exploring the Intersection of Forensic Botany and Psychological Thriller through Obsession, Identity, and Regional Symbolism in Crime Fiction" (2026). Masters Theses. 1542.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/masters/1542
Abstract
This thesis consists of an Artist Statement, Critical Paper, and creative screenplay developed during my MFA program. The Artist Statement examines the creative process behind The Blooming Shadows, a psychological thriller that combines forensic botany, trauma, regional symbolism, and suspense while exploring the significance of truth, resilience, and faith from a Christian perspective.
The Critical Paper focuses on setting as a narrative agent in crime fiction, examining how landscape, environment, and place function as psychological, symbolic, and investigative forces in comparable literary and cinematic works.
The thesis concludes with the creative manuscript, The Blooming Shadows, which follows FBI forensic botanist Dr. Margot Banks as she investigates a serial killer who uses state flowers as clues, symbols, and messages connected to her past.
