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Ross Howell Jr.’s life of late has revolved around the history of the Jim Crow South and one woman in particular: Virginia Christian.

In his debut novel, “Forsaken,” Howell tells the story of Christian, a black girl tried and convicted for killing a white widow in 1912 Hampton, Va., and Charlie Mears, the journalist who tries to save her life. It’s a story based on true events — Christian is the only female juvenile executed in Virginia history — and one that had Howell hooked from the start. He spent three years researching and writing.

“That idea of bringing history alive has always fascinated me,” said Howell, who worked as director of communications at Allegheny College from 1979 to 1981 and was responsible for re-launching the Allegheny magazine under its current name.

Howell recently visited campus to speak with creative writing students and sign copies of his book, published this year by NewSouth Books. It was a homecoming of sorts.

Working at Allegheny was “one of the first professional positions I had and it was one of the greatest learning experiences I’ve had,” Howell said.

Howell returned to Allegheny to pass some of that knowledge on to aspiring writers, offering advice on how to navigate the publishing industry (write a query letter that can’t be ignored) and how to start writing (draw inspiration from other authors).

“You’ll find yourself imitating, and that’s part of the process,” Howell told a small group of creative writing students. “As you write more, you’ll find your voice.”

Good writing is about editing, he said.

“It wasn’t until midway in my professional career when I realized the importance of editing,” he said. “Even with things that seem to leap onto your laptop, step back and wait a couple of days and let someone else read it.”

Howell was blunt when speaking about the publishing industry and the difficult path would-be authors face. Researching publishing houses and finding an agent who is willing to fight for a book’s publication is key, he said. And a published book is no guarantee of a financial windfall: “Forsaken” retails for $27.95 per copy; Howell said he receives $1.50 of that.

“There may be a JK Rowling sitting here right now, but more likely there’s someone else sitting here” who should expect to earn much less than the billionaire author of the “Harry Potter” franchise, he said during a workshop with students and other community members.

Howell spoke with fondness about his tenure at Allegheny.

Charged by then-President David Baily Harned with giving new life to the college’s magazine, he lined up student essayists and faculty members who could write about their areas of expertise. One of those students was Chris Allison ’83, Allegheny’s entrepreneur in residence and co-director of the Center for Business and Economics.

Allison, who also serves on the college’s Board of Trustees, considers Howell a friend and mentor and arranged his visit to Allegheny.

“Ross was really a very influential and inspirational person in my life,” said Allison, himself the author of two books, “You’ll Manage: Lessons Learned from a Former CEO” and “Snowflakes and Other Stories.”

“He was one of my heroes growing up. I wanted to be like him. He was so smart and thoughtful and such a great writer. One of the emotions that went through my mind as I read his novel in draft — I was kind of shaking my head and went in to talk to my wife and she said ‘Why are you smiling?’ — was that, as hard as I work, I’m never going to be as good as Ross. I’m going to keep trying, but I don’t think I can get there.”

Howell remembers the pride he felt when the first issue of the revamped magazine was published. The cover featured Allegheny alumnus Ben Burtt, a four-time Academy Award winner for sound editing.

“I felt that it was something of excellence that we all worked hard on,” Howell said.

It’s the same pride he feels as a novelist today when he finds just the right words.

“When I feel like I’ve done my very best on something, that gives me a sense of accomplishment and pride that I don’t get any other way,” he said.

Heather Bosau, a 21-year-old senior and English major, said she appreciated hearing Howell’s insights as she works to finish her senior comprehensive project, a collection of three short stories.

“Having the perspective of someone who has gone through a similar but longer process, that’s valuable,” Bosau said.

Assistant Professor of English Matthew Ferrence said Howell reaffirmed what he is teaching and talking about in the classroom.

“It’s always helpful for students to hear it from another voice,” Ferrence said. “We’re preoccupied with the craft choices, so we don’t talk much about the marketing and business side of writing. It’s nice having someone come in and talk about that next stage of the career.”

Howell, meanwhile, is at work a new novel featuring a familiar name. Fans of Charlie Mears will meet the dogged reporter of “Forsaken” again.