Goodreads asked Frances Schoonmaker:

Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

Frances Schoonmaker This book, "The Black Alabaster Box", is part of a trilogy. I wrote the last book first. The idea occurred to me years ago when my daughter was small. We were visiting family and I learned that my uncle-in-law and his little brother made a train trip from Kansas City to Sacramento alone every summer. I kept thinking about the possibilities for adventure and misadventure for kids on a train. It wasn't until I retired that I was able to really give it the time it needed--and do the research. The Black Alabaster Box emerged as I tried to figure out the back story.

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