Goodreads asked Meredith First:

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

Meredith First I've been dreaming about writing books about my group of childhood friends since eighth grade when we published 30-page short stories in Mr. Erickson's English class. That was when I first realized that our group of friends was different than others. We had lost one of our best friends just after fourth grade and it bonded us closer in a way that is difficult to define.

One day, shortly after my 40th birthday, I started having dreams of my friend who had been dead for 30 years. The odyssey that is Gridley Girls began there, in my dreams. Literally.

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