Goodreads asked Liza Nash Taylor:

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

Liza Nash Taylor When my youngest went to boarding school I went back to school myself. I was working on an English degree for about a year, then, one semester the only classes available were something along the lines of “Literature of the Restoration,” (which just made me want to weep with anticipatory boredom), or “The Writing of Fiction.” I took the writing class. The assignment was to start a novel.
A couple of things came into play. First, the location. I had recently broken my ankle and was laid up for six weeks. So, with my cast propped up, I sat on the porch of the 1820s farmhouse where I live and I started the story right here. As far as the time period goes, the Prohibition Era was a happening time in Albemarle County, so I chose 1924. Character-wise, I had just finished reading Daniel Defoe's 1922 novel, Moll Flanders. Moll's story influenced my plot (minus the marrying her brother bit). I was taken by her naivete, which she overcame through sharp instincts and the pursuit of dubious opportunities. She didn’t always make good choices, though, and I liked that about her. She was an inspiration fo my main character, May.

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