Susan
Susan asked Val Emmich:

Joan is such a completely original character....I couldn't help but love her. Was she inspired by somebody you know or was she just sheer genius and imagination on your part?

Val Emmich You're very kind, thank you! The inspiration to write part of the book from a child's perspective came, in 2013, from being a new father and spending time with my first daughter. Seeing the world through her innocent eyes reignited an innocence and playfulness in me. But my daughter is not Joan. I don't know exactly where Joan came from. Certainly she shares many of my own concerns about life and the world. But I don't possess her gift of memory, so she's not completely me. Over the course of writing, she took on a life of her own and I'm thankful--that was the goal.

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